{
  "id": "1304.2819",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2013-04-10T00:48:54.000Z",
  "updated": "2013-04-10T00:48:54.000Z",
  "title": "Long-term optical polarization variability of the tev blazar 1es~1959+650",
  "authors": [
    "Marco Sorcia",
    "Erika Benítez",
    "David Hiriart",
    "José M. López",
    "José I. Cabrera",
    "Raúl Mújica",
    "Jochen Heidt",
    "Ivan Agudo",
    "Kari Nilsson",
    "Michael Mommert"
  ],
  "comment": "58 pages, 8 figures, 6 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ Supplement",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.HE"
  ],
  "abstract": "A detailed analysis of the optical polarimetric variability of the TeV blazar 1ES 1959+650 from 2007 October 18 to 2011 May 5 is presented. The source showed a maximum and minimum brightness states in the R-band of 14.08$\\pm$0.03 mag and 15.20$\\pm$0.03 mag, respectively, with a maximum variation of 1.12 mag, and also a maximum polarization degree of $P=$(12.2$\\pm$0.7)%, with a maximum variation of 10.7%. From August to November 2009, a correlation between the optical $R$-band flux and the degree of linear polarization was found, with a correlation coefficient $r_{pol}$=0.984$\\pm$0.025. The source presented a preferential position angle of optical polarization of $\\sim153^{\\circ}$, with variations of $10\\degr$-$50\\degr$, that is in agreement with the projected position angle of the parsec scale jet found at 43 GHz. 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 4%. Assuming a stationary shock for the variable component, we estimated some parameters associated with the physics of the relativistic jet: the magnetic field, $B\\sim$0.06 G, the Doppler factor, $\\delta_{0}\\sim$23, the viewing angle, $\\Phi\\sim2.4\\degr$, and the size of the emission region $r_b\\sim5.6\\times10^{17}$ cm. Our study is consistent with the spine-sheath model to explain the polarimetric variability displayed by this source during our monitoring.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2013-04-10T00:48:54.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "long-term optical polarization variability",
      "tev blazar",
      "position angle",
      "maximum variation",
      "polarimetric variability"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "doi": "10.1088/0067-0049/206/2/11",
      "journal": "The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series",
      "year": 2013,
      "month": "Jun",
      "volume": 206,
      "number": 2,
      "pages": 11
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 58,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "inspire": 1227747,
      "adsabs": "2013ApJS..206...11S"
    }
  }
}