Polarized X-ray Synchrotron Emission in Blazars

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

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Scientific paper

Multiwavelength observations of blazars are now providing, for the first time, clean diagnostics on the shock acceleration environment in the jets/outflows in these extragalactic sources. This is enhanced by new spectroscopic information from the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope that constrains the power-law index of the radiating particle population. This paper explores complementary polarimetric consequences of such diagnostics that can be probed by NASA's new SMEX X-ray mission, GEMS. Polarization signals in shocked blazar jets couple directly to the magnetic field geometry and the inherent particle anisotropy in these relativistic discontinuities. These anisotropies and the photon spectral indices are interconnected, so that simultaneous X-ray/gamma-ray spectroscopic measurements and X-ray polarization determinations enable diagnostics on the field geometry. Here we highlight some representative polarization predictions for slab and helical field morphologies, including temporal swings in position angle, to encapsulate the possibilities for the GEMS blazar science legacy.

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