# The RoboPol Program: Optical Polarimetric Monitoring of Blazars

## TL;DR

The RoboPol program's three-year optical polarimetric monitoring of blazars reveals a direct link between optical polarization properties and gamma-ray activity, providing insights for theoretical models of blazar emission.

## Contribution

This study presents the first extensive polarimetric dataset linking optical polarization rotations with gamma-ray activity in blazars.

## Key findings

- Polarimetric rotations are associated with gamma-ray flares.
- Optical polarization properties are directly linked to gamma-ray activity.
- Broader polarimetric behaviors inform blazar emission models.

## Abstract

After three years of polarimetric monitoring of blazars, the RoboPol project has uncovered several key characteristics of polarimetric rotations in the optical for these most variable sources. The most important of these is that polarization properties of the synchrotron emission in the optical appear to be directly linked with gamma-ray activity. In this paper, we discuss the evidence for this connection, as well as the broader features of polarimetric behavior in blazars that are key in making progress with theoretical modeling of blazar emission.