2024ApJ...963L..41H


Query : 2024ApJ...963L..41H

2024ApJ...963L..41H - Astrophys. J., 963, L41 (2024/March-2)

X-Ray Polarization Variability of High Spectral Peak BL Lacertaes: Cases of 1ES 1959+650 and PKS 2155-304.

HU X.-K., YU Y.-W., ZHANG J., WU T.-Z., LIAN J.-S., WANG X.-G., ZHANG H.-M. and LIANG E.-W.

Abstract (from CDS):

The high-energy-peaked BL Lacertae objects (HBLs) are the main targets of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) for investigating the mechanisms of radiation and particle acceleration in jets. In this Letter, we report the first IXPE observations of two HBLs, 1ES 1959+650 and PKS 2155-304. Both sources exhibit X-ray polarization with a confidence level exceeding 99%, as well as significant variability in polarization across different time intervals and energy ranges. Notably, PKS 2155-304 demonstrates the highest X-ray polarization among all blazars detected by IXPE within its entire energy band (2-8 keV), with a polarization degree of ΠX = 21.9% ± 1.9% (MDP99 ∼ 6.0%). An even higher polarization is observed in the 3-4 keV band, reaching ΠX = 28.6% ± 2.7% (MDP99 ∼ 8.1%) with a confidence level of 10.8σ. Furthermore, no polarization is detected above the 5 keV energy band. For 1ES 1959+650, the highest detected polarization degree in the 2-8 keV band is ΠX = 12.4% ± 0.7% (MDP99 ∼ 2.2%), with an electric vector position angle (EVPA) of ψX = 19.°7 ± 1.°6. The X-ray polarization of 1ES 1959+650 exhibits evident variability, accompanied by the variations of ψX, flux, spectrum, and energy bin. We discuss possible implications of these observational findings, including the variability in polarization, rotation of EVPA, and transition between synchrotron and synchrotron-self-Compton. We speculate that the X-rays observed during different IXPE observations originate from distinct regions in the jet and may involve diverse mechanisms for particle acceleration.

Abstract Copyright: © 2024. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): Active galactic nuclei - Blazars - Polarimetry - X-ray active galactic nuclei

Simbad objects: 9

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Number of rows : 9
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA
ICRS (J2000)
DEC
Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2026
#notes
1 8C 0716+714 BLL 07 21 53.4482942664 +71 20 36.363846516   15.5 15.50 14.27   ~ 1388 1
2 Z 184-50 BLL 11 04 27.3140835504 +38 12 31.798495872   13.50 12.90 8.31   ~ 2841 1
3 3C 273 BLL 12 29 06.6998257176 +02 03 08.597629980   13.05 14.830 14.11   ~ 6022 1
4 3C 279 Bla 12 56 11.16657958 -05 47 21.5251510   18.01 17.75 15.87   ~ 3205 2
5 PG 1553+113 BLL 15 55 43.0440048528 +11 11 24.365649948 14.91 14.72 14.57 13.99   ~ 672 1
6 Z 225-7 BLL 16 53 52.21668403 +39 45 36.6088754 14.09 14.15 13.29 8.26   ~ 2304 2
7 QSO B1959+650 BLL 19 59 59.8520303688 +65 08 54.652536492     12.8 11.21   ~ 699 2
8 PKS J2158-3013 BLL 21 58 52.0652249880 -30 13 32.118447792   13.36 13.09 12.62   ~ 1829 1
9 3C 454.3 Bla 22 53 57.7480438728 +16 08 53.561508864   16.57 16.10 15.22   ~ 3004 2

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