Polarization and photometry for blazar W Comae Virtual Observatory Resource

Authors
  1. Sorcia M.
  2. Benitez E.
  3. Hiriart D.
  4. Lopez J.M.
  5. Cabrera J.I.
  6. Mujica R.
  7. Published by
    CDS
Abstract

An R-band photopolarimetric variability analysis of the TeV bright blazar W Comae between 2008 February 28 and 2013 May 17 is presented. The source showed a gradual tendency to decrease its mean flux level with a total change of 3 mJy. A maximum and minimum brightness states in the R band of 14.25+/-0.04 and 16.52+/-0.1 mag, respectively, were observed, corresponding to a maximum variation of {Delta}F=5.40 mJy. We estimated a minimum variability timescale of {Delta}t=3.3 days. A maximum polarization degree P=33.8%+/-1.6%, with a maximum variation of {Delta}P=33.2%, was found. One of our main results is the detection of a large rotation of the polarization angle from 78{deg} to 315{deg} ({Delta}{theta}~237{deg}) that coincides in time with the {gamma}-ray flare observed in 2008 June. This result indicates that both optical and {gamma}-ray emission regions could be co-spatial. During this flare, a correlation between the R-band flux and polarization degree was found with a correlation coefficient of r_F-p _=0.93+/-0.11. From the Stokes parameters, we infer the existence of two optically thin synchrotron components that contribute to the polarized flux. One of them is stable with a constant polarization degree of 11%. Assuming a shock-in jet model during the 2008 flare, we estimated a maximum Doppler factor {delta}_D_~27 and a minimum of {delta}_D_~16; a minimum viewing angle of the jet ~2.0{deg}; and a magnetic field B~0.12 G.

Keywords
  1. bl-lacertae-objects
  2. accretion
  3. polarimetry
  4. photometry
Bibliographic source Bibcode
2014ApJ...794...54S
See also HTML
https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/ApJ/794/54
IVOA Identifier IVOID
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/794/54
Document Object Identifer DOI
doi:10.26093/cds/vizier.17940054

Access

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http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/ApJ/794/54
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History

2017-05-12T16:05:55Z
Resource record created
2017-05-12T16:05:55Z
Created
2017-07-03T13:29:14Z
Updated

Contact

Name
CDS support team
Postal Address
CDS, Observatoire de Strasbourg, 11 rue de l'Universite, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
E-Mail
cds-question@unistra.fr