Polarization and Multiwavelength Observations of Mrk 501 Reveal Polarization Variability across Different Energies and Fluxes
XK Hu, YW Yu, J Zhang, XG Wang, KC Patra…�- arXiv preprint arXiv�…, 2024 - arxiv.org
XK Hu, YW Yu, J Zhang, XG Wang, KC Patra, TG Brink, WK Zheng, Q Wang, DF Kong…
arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.11949, 2024•arxiv.orgMrk 501 is a prototypical high-synchrotron-peaked blazar (HBL) and serves as one of the
primary targets for the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). In this study, we report X-
ray polarization measurements of Mrk 501 based on six IXPE observations. The $> 99\% $
confidence detection of X-ray polarization is obtained in four out of six observations in the
entire energy band (2--8 keV) of IXPE, with a maximum polarization degree ($\Pi_ {\rm X} $)
of $15.8\%\pm2. 8\% $ and a polarization angle ($\psi_ {\rm X} $) of $98.0^{\circ}\pm5�…
primary targets for the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). In this study, we report X-
ray polarization measurements of Mrk 501 based on six IXPE observations. The $> 99\% $
confidence detection of X-ray polarization is obtained in four out of six observations in the
entire energy band (2--8 keV) of IXPE, with a maximum polarization degree ($\Pi_ {\rm X} $)
of $15.8\%\pm2. 8\% $ and a polarization angle ($\psi_ {\rm X} $) of $98.0^{\circ}\pm5�…
Mrk 501 is a prototypical high-synchrotron-peaked blazar (HBL) and serves as one of the primary targets for the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). In this study, we report X-ray polarization measurements of Mrk 501 based on six IXPE observations. The confidence detection of X-ray polarization is obtained in four out of six observations in the entire energy band (2--8 keV) of IXPE, with a maximum polarization degree () of and a polarization angle () of at a confidence level of . During the other two observations, the source only exhibits the confidence detection of X-ray polarization within an energy bin of 1 keV. Interestingly, both the second and sixth IXPE observations present energy-dependent variability in X-ray polarization, which is also observed in our optical spectropolarimetry. The chromatic behavior of and the consistent values of across different frequencies, along with the agreement between and jet position angle, strongly support the interpretation of the energy-stratified model with shock-accelerated particles in the jet of Mrk 501. Additionally, the possibility of the presence of a global helical magnetic field in the jet of Mrk 501 is discussed.
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