mark_17297

Proposal Title:

THE OPTICAL-RADIO POLARISATION BREAKPOINT IN BLAZARS

Principal Investigator:

KIDGER, MARK R.
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
38200 La Laguna
Spain

Co-Is:

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Name : DE DIEGO JOSE A
Institution: INSTITUTO DE ASTROFISICA DE CANARIAS
Country : SPAIN
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Name : GONZALEZ-PEREZ JOSE N
Institution: INSTITUTO DE ASTROFISICA DE CANARIAS
Country : SPAIN
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Name : RODRIGUEZ-ESPINOSA JOSE-MIGUEL
Institution: INSTITUTO DE ASTROFISICA DE CANARIAS
Country : SPAIN
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Name : LEHTO HARRY J.
Institution: TUORLA OBSERVATORY
Country : FINLAND
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Name : SMITH PAUL A
Institution: STEWARD OBSERVATORY
Country : USA
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Name : MARASCHI LAURA
Institution: UNIVERSITY OF MILAN
Country : ITALY
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Name : PIAN ELENA
Institution: SISSA
Country : ITALY
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Name : DULCIN-HACYAN DEBORAH
Institution: UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTONOMA
Country : MEXICO
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Name : SADUN ALBERTO
Institution: AGNES COLLEGE
Country : USA
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Abstract :

We aim to observe a sample of five blazars of very different properties, at a range of wavelength from 4.85 to 200 microns. Our aim is to examine the polarisation properties and, especially the Frequency Dependent Polarisation and Frequency Dependent Position Angle over the widest range of wavelength. Whilst the polarisation properties of blazars are well known in the visible and and radio and fairly well known in the near-IR, lack of suitable instrumentation means that their mid and far-IR polarisation properties are only poorly known. It is known that the radio and visible near-IR polarisation properties are very different, but it is not known where this change-over in properties occours. The polarisation in the far-IR is also interesting as, in this range, it is theoretically possible to observe Faraday rotation. These observations will permit us to examine in detail the polarisation generation mechanism(s), magnetic fields and electron column densities in the sources. The fact that our five sources split into three distint classes (radio-loud, x-ray loud and flat radio spectrum) will permit us to correlate the inferred properties, with the observed class of object.

Allocated time and instruments/detectors Summary :

30000 sec, 1st Call
27644 sec, Supp. Call

Significant Results :

All observations still to be performed.

Publications :

none so far

Updated: Feb 17, 1997.