Abstract
INFRARED polarisation observations of the quasars 3C345 and 3C273 are reported here. The highly polarised and variable optical emission of BL Lacertae objects is correlated with similar high polarisation and variability in the IR, and is clearly the product of non-thermal processes. IR polarisation by dust, or by a combination of dust and non-thermal processes, is also found in Seyfert galaxies1–5. These observations suggest that the measurement of IR polarisation in quasars be used to investigate the often dominant IR emission in these sources. However, so far only one measurement of polarisation at wavelengths as long as 2.2 µm in a quasar, 3C273, has been reported4.
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KNACKE, R., CAPPS, R. & JOHNS, M. Observation of large 2.2 µm polarisation in 3C345. Nature 280, 215–217 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/280215a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/280215a0
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