Analyzing polarization swings in 3C 279

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel, 69, D-53121, Bonn, Germany
² Institute for Astrophysical Research, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
³ Astronomical Institute, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskij Pr. 28, Petrodvorets, 198504 St. Petersburg, Russia
⁴ Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute, Profsoyuznaya 84/32, 117997, Moscow, Russia
⁵ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM, 87131, USA
⁶ Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, CSIC, Apartado 3004, 18080, Granada, Spain
⁷ Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe, Postbus 2, 7990 AA, Dwingeloo, the Netherlands
⁸ Main (Pulkovo) Astronomical Observatory of RAS, Pulkovskoye shosse, 60, 196140, St. Petersburg, Russia
⁹ Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 México DF, México
¹⁰ Tuorla Observatory, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, Väisäläntie 20, 21500, Piikkiö, Finland
¹¹ Sternberg Astronomical Institute, M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University, Universiteskij prosp. 13, Moscow 119991, Russia
¹² Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, P/O Nauchny Crimea 98409, Ukraine
¹³ Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian AS, Nizhnij Arkhyz, Karachaevo-Cherkesia 369167, Russia
¹⁴ Southern station of the Moscow Lomonosov State University, Moscow, Russia, P/O Nauchny, 98409 Crimea, Ukraine
¹⁵ Department of Physical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
¹⁶ Isaac Newton Institute of Chile, St. Petersburg Branch, St. Petersburg, Russia
¹⁷ ZAH, Landessternwarte Heidelberg, Königstuhl 12, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
¹⁸ Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 22860 Ensenada BC, México
¹⁹ Abastumani Observatory, Mt. Kanobili, 0301 Abastumani, Georgia
²⁰ Inst. of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Lermontov st. 126a, Irkutsk p/o box 291, 664033, Russia
²¹ Center for Backyard Astrophysics - New Mexico, PO Box 1351 Cloudcroft, NM 88317, USA
²² Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO (FINCA), University of Turku, Väisäläntie 20, FI-21500 Piikkiö, Finland
²³ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
²⁴ Department of Physics, University of Colorado Denver, CO, USA
²⁵ Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA

^a e-mail: skiehlmann@mpifr-bonn.mpg.de

Published online: 9 December 2013

Abstract

Quasar 3C 279 is known to exhibit episodes of optical polarization angle rotation. We present new, well-sampled optical polarization data for 3C 279 and introduce a method to distinguish between random and deterministic electric vector position angle (EVPA) variations. We observe EVPA rotations in both directions with different amplitudes and find that the EVPA variation shows characteristics of both random and deterministic cases. Our analysis indicates that the EVPA variation is likely dominated by a random process in the low brightness state of the jet and by a deterministic process in the flaring state.