Optical linear polarization measurements of quasars obtained with the Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory

TL;DR

This paper presents new optical linear polarization measurements of 86 quasars using the VLT, providing valuable data for understanding quasar properties and polarization behavior.

Contribution

It offers 87 new polarization measurements of quasars, expanding the dataset for optical polarization studies with high-precision observations.

Findings

37 quasars have polarization degree ≥ 0.6%

9 quasars have polarization degree ≥ 2%

1 quasar has polarization degree ≥ 10%

Abstract

We report 87 previously unpublished optical linear polarization measurements of 86 quasars obtained in May and October 2008, and from April to July 2015 with the Focal Reducer and low-dispersion Spectrographs FORS1 and FORS2 attached to the Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory. Of the 86 quasars, 37 have $p \geq 0.6\%$, 9 have $p \geq 2\%$, and 1 has $p \geq 10\%$.