Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T18:26:07.247Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Resolving the Structure at the Heart of BAL Quasars Through Microlensing Induced Polarisation Variability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

Christopher A. Hales  and
Geraint F. Lewis
Christopher A. Hales*
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006, Australia
Geraint F. Lewis
Affiliation:
Institute of Astronomy, School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006, Australia
*
BCorresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

While amongst the most luminous objects in the universe, many details regarding the inner structure of quasars remain unknown. One such area is the mechanism promoting increased polarisation in the broad absorption line troughs of certain quasars. This study shows how microlensing can be used to differentiate between two popular models that explain such polarisation through a realistic computational analysis. By examining a statistical ensemble of correlation data between two observables (namely image brightness and polarisation of the flux coming from the quasar), it was found that through spectropolarimetric monitoring it would be possible to discern between a model with an external scattering region and a model without one.

Keywords

galaxies: structuregravitational lensingpolarisationquasars: individual (H1413+1143)
Type
Research Article
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , 2007 , pp. 30 - 40
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2007

References

Abajas, C., Mediavilla, E., Muñoz, J. A., Popović, L. Č. & Oscoz, A., 2002, ApJ, 576, 640 Google Scholar
Angonin, M.-C., Vanderriest, C., Remy, M. & Surdej, J., 1990, A&A, 233, L5 Google Scholar
Antonucci, R., 1993, ARA&A, 31, 473 Google Scholar
Antonucci, R. R. J. & Miller, J. S., 1985, ApJ, 297, 621 Google Scholar
Becker, R. H., Gregg, M. D., Hook, I. M., McMahon, R. G., White, R. L. & Helfand, D. J., 1997, ApJ, 479, L93 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Belle, K. E. & Lewis, G. F., 2000, PASP, 112, 320 Google Scholar
Blandford, R. D., Netzer, H. & Woltjer, L., 1990, Active Galactic Nuclei (New York: Springer-Verlag)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brandt, W. N., Comastri, A., Gallagher, S. C., Sambruna, R. M., Boller, T. & Laor, A., 1999, ApJ, 525, L69 Google Scholar
Cattaneo, A., 2002, MNRAS, 333, 353 Google Scholar
Chae, K.-H., Turnshek, D. A., Schulte-Ladbeck, R. E., Rao, S. M. & Lupie, O. L., 2001, ApJ, 561, 653 Google Scholar
Chang, K. & Refsdal, S., 1979, Natur, 282, 561 Google Scholar
Chantry, V. & Magain, P., 2007, preprint (astro-ph/0612094)Google Scholar
Chartas, G., Eracleous, M., Agol, E. & Gallagher, S. C., 2004, ApJ, 606, 78 Google Scholar
Chwolson, O., 1924, AN, 221, 329 Google Scholar
Cohen, M. H., Ogle, P. M., Tran, H. D., Vermeulen, R. C., Miller, J. S., Goodrich, R. W. & Martel, A. R., 1995, ApJ, 448, L77 Google Scholar
Fender, R., Wu, K., Johnston, H., Tzioumis, T., Jonker, P., Spencer, R. & van der Klis, M., 2004, Natur, 427, 222 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallagher, S. C., Brandt, W. N., Sambruna, R. M., Mathur, S. & Yamasaki, N., 1999, ApJ, 519, 549 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodrich, R. W. & Miller, J. S., 1995, ApJ, 448, L73 Google Scholar
Gould, A. & Miralda-Escudé, J., 1997, ApJ, 483, L13 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkins, M. R. S. & Taylor, A. N., 1997, ApJ, 482, L5 Google Scholar
Hewett, P. C. & Foltz, C. B., 2003, AJ, 125, 1784 Google Scholar
Hutsemékers, D., 1993, A&A, 280, 435 Google Scholar
Kaspi, S., Smith, P. S., Netzer, H., Maoz, D., Jannuzi, B. T. & Giveon, U., 2000, ApJ, 533, 631 Google Scholar
Kayser, R., Surdej, J., Condon, J. J., Kellermann, K. I., Magain, P., Remy, M. & Smette, A. 1990, ApJ, 364, 15 Google Scholar
Kneib, J.-P., Alloin, D. & Pello, R., 1998, A&A, 339, L65 Google Scholar
Kuncic, Z., 1999, PASP, 111, 954 Google Scholar
Lamy, H. & Hutsemékers, D., 2004, A&A, 427, 107 Google Scholar
Lewis, G. F. & Belle, K. E., 1998, MNRAS, 297, 69 Google Scholar
Lewis, G. F. & Ibata, R. A., 2004, MNRAS, 348, 24 Google Scholar
Magain, P., Surdej, J., Swings, J.-P., Borgeest, U. & Kayser, R., 1988, Natur, 334, 325 Google Scholar
Murray, N. & Chiang, J., 1998, ApJ, 494, 125 Google Scholar
Murray, N., Chiang, J., Grossman, S. A. & Voit, G. M., 1995, ApJ, 451, 498 Google Scholar
Ogle, P. M., 1997, ASPC 128, Mass Ejection from Active Galactic Nuclei, Eds. Aravm, N., Shlosman, I. & Weymann, R. J. (San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the PaciČ), 78 Google Scholar
Østensen, R., et al., 1997, A&AS, 126, 393 Google Scholar
Rees, M. J., 1984, ARA&A, 22, 471 Google Scholar
Reichard, T. A., et al., 2003, AJ, 126, 2594 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, G. D. & Hines, D. C., 1999, ApJ, 512, 125 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schneider, P., Ehlers, J. & Falco, E. E., 1999, Gravitational Lenses (New York: Springer-Verlag)Google Scholar
Spergel, D. N., et al., 2007, ApJ, in press (astro-ph/0603449)Google Scholar
Turnshek, D. A., 1984, ApJ, 280, 51 Google Scholar
Turnshek, D. A., 1995, ESO Workshop, QSO Absorption Lines, Ed. Meylan, G. (Berlin: Springer), 223 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turnshek, D. A., Lupie, O. L., Rao, S. M., Espey, B. R. & Sirola, C. J., 1997, ApJ, 485, 100 Google Scholar
Wambsganss, J., 1990, Ph.D. Thesis (Garching: Max Planck Institut)Google Scholar
Wambsganss, J., 1992, ApJ, 392, 424 Google Scholar
Wambsganss, J., 1998, LRR, 1, 12 Google Scholar
Wambsganss, J. & Paczynski, B., 1991, AJ, 102, 864 Google Scholar
Wambsganss, J., Schneider, P. & Paczynski, B., 1990, ApJ, 358, L33 Google Scholar
Wang, H.-Y., Wang, T.-G. & Wang, J.-X., 2005, ApJ, 634, 149 Google Scholar
Weymann, R., 1995, ESO Workshop, QSO Absorption Lines, Ed. Meylan, G. (Berlin: Springer), 213 Google Scholar
Witt, H. J. & Mao, S., 1994, ApJ, 429, 66 Google Scholar
Wyithe, J. S. B. & Loeb, A., 2002, ApJ, 577, 615 Google Scholar