Submillimeter polarization and variability of quasar PKS 1830-211

TL;DR

This study reports submillimeter polarization detection and variability in quasar PKS 1830-211, revealing magnetic field influences on jets and rapid flux changes, using ALMA's differential polarimetry technique.

Contribution

It demonstrates the first clear polarization detection from ALMA in this quasar and introduces a differential-polarimetry method for high-accuracy measurements in the submillimeter range.

Findings

Polarization of ~5% detected in one lensed image

Flux-density variability of ~10% within an hour

Faraday rotation constrained to a few 10^5 rad m$^{-2}$

Abstract

Polarization from active galactic nuclei is interpreted as a signpost of the role of magnetic fields in the launch and collimation of their relativistic radio jets. Here, we report the detection of a clear polarization signal from ALMA observations of the gravitationally lensed quasar PKS 1830-211 at submillimeter wavelengths (Band 9, 650 GHz). Applying a differential-polarimetry technique to the two compact lensed images of the quasar, we estimate a fractional polarization of ~5% for one lensed image, while the other appears nearly unpolarized, which implies that the polarization activity varies on a timescale of a few weeks. With additional ALMA Band 7 and 8 (between 300-500 GHz) concomitant data, we constrain a Faraday rotation of a few $10^5$ rad m$^{-2}$. We also observe flux-density variability of ~10% within one hour in Band 9. This work illustrates that a differential analysis can extract high-accuracy information (flux-density ratio and polarimetry) free of calibration issues from resolved sources in the submillimeter domain.