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Dimitrios A. Langis

Publications and source records attributed to Dimitrios A. Langis.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Tracking down the broadband polarimetric properties of PG 1553+113

We report on a nine-month monitoring campaign of the blazar PG 1553+113, relying on three observations carried out in 2025 with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) and supported by multi-wavelength facilities. The source displayed pronounced variability across the electromagnetic spectrum, with X-ray flux changes by up to a factor of $\sim5$ and complex evolution of the optical polarization properties, including one of the largest (exceeding $150^{\circ}$) and fastest rotations in the electric vector position angle (EVPA) ever recorded. This swing of the EVPA was also accompanied by a temporary drop of the optical polarization degree to nearly zero. Significant X-ray polarization was observed during the third IXPE pointing, with a polarization degree $Π_{\rm X}\,=(\,18.4\,\pm\,5.8)\%$ and $Ψ_{\rm X}\,=\,74^{\circ} \pm 9^{\circ}$ in the 2--8~keV band, while only upper limits were obtained in the first two epochs. The optical data show that the second IXPE observation occurred shortly after a dramatic optical polarization event characterized by a rapid EVPA swing and strong depolarization. Two possible scenarios may explain the broadband polarimetric behavior: (i) the superposition of two emitting regions with nearly orthogonal magnetic field configurations and variable relative contributions, and (ii) the interaction of a single emitting region with a shock that temporarily reorders the magnetic field. In both cases, the data support a picture in which the X-ray and optical emissions arise from closely related but not strictly co-spatial regions within a dynamically evolving, magnetically structured jet.

astro-ph.HE

Intra-night optical polarization monitoring of blazars

Blazars are known for their extreme variability across the electromagnetic spectrum. Variability at very short timescales can push the boundaries between competing models offering us much needed discriminating power. This is particularly true for polarization variability that allows us to probe particle acceleration and high-energy emission models in blazars. Here we present results from the first pilot study of intra-night optical polarization monitoring conducted using RoboPol at the Skinakas Observatory and supplemented by observations from the Calar Alto, Perkins, and Sierra Nevada observatories. Our results show that while variability patterns can widely vary between sources, variability on timescales as short as minutes is prevalent in blazar jets. The amplitude of variations are typically small, a few percent for the polarization degree and less than 20 degrees for the polarization angle, pointing to a significant contribution to the optical emission from a turbulent magnetic field component, while the overall stability of the polarization angle over time points to a preferred magnetic field orientation.

astro-ph.HE