2012ApJ...746...92C

We report the detection of high polarization in the first detailed optical linear polarization measurements on the BL Lac object CGRaBS J0211+1051, which flared in γ-rays on 2011 January 23 as reported by Fermi. The observations were made during 2011 January 30-February 3 using a photo-polarimeter mounted at the 1.2 m telescope of Mount Abu Infrared Observatory. CGRaBS J0211+1051 was detected to have a ∼21.05%±0.41% degree of polarization (DP) with a steady position angle (P.A.) at 43° on 2011 January 30. During January 31 and February 1, while polarization shows some variation, the P.A. remained steady through the night. Several polarization flashes occurred during February 2 and 3 resulting in changes in the DP by more than 4% at short timescales (∼17-45 minutes). The intra-night variability shown by the source appears to be related to the turbulence in the relativistic jet. A mild wavelength dependence of polarization is not ruled out during the nights of February 2 and 3. The source exhibited significant inter-night variations in the DP (changing by about 2%-9%) and P.A. (changing by 2°-22°) during the five nights of observations. A sudden change in the P.A. accompanied by a rise in the DP could be indicative of the fresh injection of plasma in the jet. The detection of a high and variable DP suggests that the source is a low-energy peaked blazar.