A change in the optical polarization associated with a γ-ray flare in the blazar 3C 279

A. A. Abdo; Markus Ackermann; Marco Ajello; Magnus Axelsson; Luca Baldini; Jean Ballet; Guido Barbiellini; D. Bastieri; B. M. Baughman; K. Bechtol; R. Bellazzini; B. Berenji; R. D. Blandford; E. D. Bloom; D. C.-J. Bock; J. R. Bogart; E. Bonamente; A. W. Borgland; A. Bouvier; J. Bregeon; A. Brez; M. Brigida; Pascal Bruel; T. H. Burnett; S. Buson; G. A. Caliandro; R. A. Cameron; P. A. Caraveo; J. M. Casandjian; E. Cavazzuti; C. Cecchi; Ö. Çelik; A. Chekhtman; C. C. Cheung; J. Chiang; S. Ciprini; R. Claus; J. Cohen-Tanugi; W. Collmar; L. R. Cominsky; J. Conrad; S. Corbel; R. Corbet; L. Costamante; S. Cutini; C. D. Dermer; A. de Angelis; F. de Palma; S. W. Digel; E. Do Couto E Silva; P. S. Drell; R. Dubois; D. Dumora; C. Farnier; C. Favuzzi; S. J. Fegan; E. C. Ferrara; W. B. Focke; P. Fortin; M. Frailis; L. Fuhrmann; Y. Fukazawa; S. Funk; P. Fusco; F. Gargano; D. Gasparrini; N. Gehrels; S. Germani; B. Giebels; N. Giglietto; P. Giommi; F. Giordano; M. Giroletti; T. Glanzman; G. Godfrey; I. A. Grenier; J. E. Grove; L. Guillemot; S. Guiriec; Y. Hanabata; A. K. Harding; M. Hayashida; E. Hays; D. Horan; R. E. Hughes; G. Iafrate; R. Itoh; M. S. Jackson; G. Jóhannesson; A. S. Johnson; W. N. Johnson; M. Kadler; T. Kamae; H. Katagiri; J. Kataoka; N. Kawai; M. Kerr; Jürgen Knödlseder; M. L. Kocian; M. Kuss; J. Lande; S. Larsson; L. Latronico; M. Lemoine-Goumard; F. Longo; F. Loparco; B. Lott; M. N. Lovellette; P. Lubrano; J. Macquart; G. M. Madejski; A. Makeev; W. Max-Moerbeck; M. N. Mazziotta; W. Mcconville; J. E. Mcenery; S. Mcglynn; C. Meurer; P. F. Michelson; W. Mitthumsiri; T. Mizuno; A. A. Moiseev; C. Monte; M. E. Monzani; A. Morselli; I. V. Moskalenko; S. Murgia; I. Nestoras; P. L. Nolan; J. P. Norris; E. Nuss; T. Ohsugi; A. Okumura; N. Omodei; E. Orlando; J. F. Ormes; D. Paneque; J. H. Panetta; D. Parent; V. Pavlidou; T. J. Pearson; V. Pelassa; M. Pepe; M. Pesce-Rollins; F. Piron; T.A. Porter; S. Rainò; R. Rando; M. Razzano; A. Readhead; A. Reimer; O. Reimer; T. Reposeur; L. C. Reyes; J. L. Richards; L. S. Rochester; A. Y. Rodriguez; M. Roth; F. Ryde; H. F.-W. Sadrozinski; D. Sanchez; A. Sander; P. M. Saz Parkinson; J. D. Scargle; C. Sgrò; M. S. Shaw; C. Shrader; E. J. Siskind; David Stanley Smith; P. D. Smith; G. Spandre; P. Spinelli; L. Stawarz; M. Stevenson; M. S. Strickman; D. J. Suson; H. Tajima; H. Takahashi; T. Takahashi; T. Tanaka; G. B. Taylor; J. B. Thayer; J. G. Thayer; D. J. Thompson; L. Tibaldo; D. F. Torres; G. Tosti; A. Tramacere; Y. Uchiyama; T. L. Usher; V. Vasileiou; N. Vilchez; V. Vitale; A. P. Waite; P. Wang; A. E. Wehrle; B. L. Winer; K. S. Wood; T. Ylinen; J. A. Zensus M. Ziegler

doi:10.1038/nature08841

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A change in the optical polarization associated with a γ-ray flare in the blazar 3C 279

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A change in the optical polarization associated with a γ-ray flare in the blazar 3C 279

A. A. Abdo, Markus Ackermann, Marco Ajello, Magnus Axelsson, Luca Baldini, Jean Ballet, Guido Barbiellini, D. Bastieri, B. M. Baughman, K. Bechtol, …

Nature, Vol.463, pp.919-923

18/02/2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08841

Abstract

It is widely accepted that strong and variable radiation detected over all accessible energy bands in a number of active galaxies arises from a relativistic, Doppler-boosted jet pointing close to our line of sight1. The size of the emitting zone and the location of this region relative to the central supermassive black hole are, however, poorly known, with estimates ranging from light-hours to a light-year or more. Here we report the coincidence of a gamma (γ)-ray flare with a dramatic change of optical polarization angle. This provides evidence for co-spatiality of optical and γ-ray emission regions and indicates a highly ordered jet magnetic field. The results also require a non-axisymmetric structure of the emission zone, implying a curved trajectory for the emitting material within the jet, with the dissipation region located at a considerable distance from the black hole, at about 105 gravitational radii.

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Title: A change in the optical polarization associated with a γ-ray flare in the blazar 3C 279
Creators - without role: A. A. Abdo
Markus Ackermann - Stanford University
Marco Ajello - Stanford University
Magnus Axelsson - Stockholm University
Luca Baldini
Jean Ballet - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
Guido Barbiellini - University of Trieste
D. Bastieri - University of Padua
B. M. Baughman
K. Bechtol - Stanford University
R. Bellazzini
B. Berenji - Stanford University
R. D. Blandford
E. D. Bloom
D. C.-J. Bock
J. R. Bogart
E. Bonamente - University of Perugia
A. W. Borgland
A. Bouvier - Stanford University
J. Bregeon
A. Brez
M. Brigida - Polytechnic University of Bari
Pascal Bruel - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
T. H. Burnett
S. Buson
G. A. Caliandro
R. A. Cameron
P. A. Caraveo
J. M. Casandjian - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
E. Cavazzuti
C. Cecchi - University of Perugia
Ö. Çelik - Goddard Space Flight Center
A. Chekhtman - George Mason University
C. C. Cheung
J. Chiang - Stanford University
S. Ciprini - University of Perugia
R. Claus - Stanford University
J. Cohen-Tanugi - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
W. Collmar - Max Planck Innovation
L. R. Cominsky
J. Conrad - Stockholm University
S. Corbel - Institut Universitaire de France
R. Corbet
L. Costamante - Stanford University
S. Cutini
C. D. Dermer
A. de Angelis - University of Udine
F. de Palma - Polytechnic University of Bari
S. W. Digel
E. Do Couto E Silva
P. S. Drell
R. Dubois - Stanford University
D. Dumora - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
C. Farnier - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
C. Favuzzi - Polytechnic University of Bari
S. J. Fegan - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
E. C. Ferrara
W. B. Focke
P. Fortin - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
M. Frailis - University of Udine
L. Fuhrmann - Max Planck Innovation
Y. Fukazawa - Hiroshima University
S. Funk - Stanford University
P. Fusco - Polytechnic University of Bari
F. Gargano
D. Gasparrini
N. Gehrels - Goddard Space Flight Center
S. Germani - University of Perugia
B. Giebels - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
N. Giglietto - Polytechnic University of Bari
P. Giommi
F. Giordano - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. Giroletti
T. Glanzman - Stanford University
G. Godfrey - Stanford University
I. A. Grenier - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
J. E. Grove
L. Guillemot - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
S. Guiriec - University of Alabama in Huntsville
Y. Hanabata - Hiroshima University
A. K. Harding
M. Hayashida - Stanford University
E. Hays - Goddard Space Flight Center
D. Horan - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
R. E. Hughes
G. Iafrate
R. Itoh - Hiroshima University
M. S. Jackson
G. Jóhannesson - Stanford University
A. S. Johnson
W. N. Johnson
M. Kadler
T. Kamae - Stanford University
H. Katagiri - Hiroshima University
J. Kataoka
N. Kawai - Tokyo Institute of Technology
M. Kerr - Seattle University
Jürgen Knödlseder - Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements
M. L. Kocian
M. Kuss
J. Lande - Stanford University
S. Larsson - Stockholm University
L. Latronico
M. Lemoine-Goumard - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
F. Longo - University of Trieste
F. Loparco - Polytechnic University of Bari
B. Lott - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
M. N. Lovellette
P. Lubrano - University of Perugia
J. Macquart - Curtin University
G. M. Madejski
A. Makeev - United States Naval Research Laboratory
W. Max-Moerbeck - California Institute of Technology
M. N. Mazziotta
W. Mcconville - Goddard Space Flight Center
J. E. Mcenery
S. Mcglynn - KTH Royal Institute of Technology
C. Meurer - Stockholm University
P. F. Michelson
W. Mitthumsiri - Stanford University
T. Mizuno - Hiroshima University
A. A. Moiseev
C. Monte - Polytechnic University of Bari
M. E. Monzani
A. Morselli
I. V. Moskalenko
S. Murgia - Stanford University
I. Nestoras - Max Planck Innovation
P. L. Nolan
J. P. Norris
E. Nuss - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
T. Ohsugi - Hiroshima University
A. Okumura - The University of Tokyo
N. Omodei
E. Orlando - Max Planck Innovation
J. F. Ormes
D. Paneque - Stanford University
J. H. Panetta
D. Parent - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
V. Pavlidou - California Institute of Technology
T. J. Pearson
V. Pelassa - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
M. Pepe - University of Perugia
M. Pesce-Rollins
F. Piron - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique
T.A. Porter - University of California, Santa Cruz
S. Rainò - Polytechnic University of Bari
R. Rando - University of Padua
M. Razzano
A. Readhead
A. Reimer - Stanford University
O. Reimer - Stanford University
T. Reposeur - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
L. C. Reyes
J. L. Richards
L. S. Rochester
A. Y. Rodriguez
M. Roth - University of Washington
F. Ryde - KTH Royal Institute of Technology
H. F.-W. Sadrozinski
D. Sanchez - Laboratoire Leprince-Ringuet
A. Sander - The Ohio State University
P. M. Saz Parkinson
J. D. Scargle
C. Sgrò
M. S. Shaw
C. Shrader - Goddard Space Flight Center
E. J. Siskind
David Stanley Smith - Laboratoire de Physique des deux infinis Bordeaux
P. D. Smith
G. Spandre
P. Spinelli - Polytechnic University of Bari
L. Stawarz
M. Stevenson - California Institute of Technology
M. S. Strickman
D. J. Suson
H. Tajima - Stanford University
H. Takahashi - Hiroshima University
T. Takahashi
T. Tanaka - Stanford University
G. B. Taylor
J. B. Thayer
J. G. Thayer
D. J. Thompson
L. Tibaldo - Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation
D. F. Torres
G. Tosti - University of Perugia
A. Tramacere - Stanford University
Y. Uchiyama - Stanford University
T. L. Usher
V. Vasileiou - University of Maryland, Baltimore County
N. Vilchez - Centre d'étude spatiale des rayonnements
V. Vitale - University of Rome Tor Vergata
A. P. Waite
P. Wang - Stanford University
A. E. Wehrle
B. L. Winer
K. S. Wood
T. Ylinen - KTH Royal Institute of Technology
J. A. Zensus M. Ziegler
Publication Details: Nature, Vol.463, pp.919-923
Identifiers: 9934249709311
Academic Unit: Université de Montpellier
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Local Fields: in2p3-00461013