Constraints on magnetic field and particle content in blazar jets through optical circular polarization

Abstract

Polarization offers a unique view in the physical processes of astrophysical jets. We report on optical circular polarization (CP) observations of two famous blazars, namely 3C 279 and PKS 1510-089, at high linearly polarized states. This is the first time PKS 1510-089 is observed in optical CP. While only upper limits can be extracted from our observing campaign, the non-detection of optical CP allows us to provide meaningful constraints on their magnetic field strength and jet composition. We find that high-energy emission models requiring high magnetic field strength and a low positron fraction can be excluded.