The polarization of strongly lensed point-like radio sources

TL;DR

This paper investigates how gravitational lensing amplifies birefringence effects in magnetized plasma, causing geometric rotation of polarization that can be comparable or stronger than Faraday rotation, offering new insights into cosmic magnetic fields.

Contribution

It develops a lens equation in a magnetized plasma environment and demonstrates that geometric rotation due to birefringence is significant in strongly lensed radio sources, even with weak magnetic fields.

Findings

Geometric rotation can surpass Faraday rotation in lensed sources.

Birefringence effects depend on wavelength similarly to Faraday rotation.

Distinct behaviors of wave modes occur in strong magnetic fields.

Abstract

Aims. The magnetized medium induces birefringence, splitting the light into two distinct wave modes. The differing propagation speeds of the two modes result in different trajectories. Strong gravitational lensing amplifies the birefringence and introduces an additional geometric rotation on top of the Faraday rotation. We compare the geometric rotation with the Faraday rotation. Methods. We construct the lens equation for massive objects in a magnetized plasma environment, and calculate the time delay difference between the two modes using two toy examples. We present that in the strong lensed radio sources, birefringence causes geometric rotation, which is a non-negligible effect, even with a weak magnetic field. Results. In both examples, the geometric delay causes a comparable or stronger rotation than the Faraday rotation and show a similar dependence on the wavelength of the signal. For a point lens with a strong magnetic field, the two wave modes exhibit distinct behaviours. The polarization of lensed sources can provide additional insights into the magnetic field and plasma environment.