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KECK Spectropolarimetry of High Redshift Radio Galaxies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2016

A. Cimatti ,
A. Dey ,
W. Van BREUGEL ,
R. Antonucci  and
H. Spinrad
A. Cimatti
Affiliation:
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, LLNL – 7000 East Ave, P.O. Box 808, L-413, Livermore, CA 94550, USA * On leave from Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy Physics Dept., University of California at Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA Astronomy Dept., University of California at Berkeley – 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
A. Dey
Affiliation:
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, LLNL – 7000 East Ave, P.O. Box 808, L-413, Livermore, CA 94550, USA * On leave from Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy Physics Dept., University of California at Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA Astronomy Dept., University of California at Berkeley – 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
W. Van BREUGEL
Affiliation:
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, LLNL – 7000 East Ave, P.O. Box 808, L-413, Livermore, CA 94550, USA * On leave from Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy Physics Dept., University of California at Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA Astronomy Dept., University of California at Berkeley – 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
R. Antonucci
Affiliation:
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, LLNL – 7000 East Ave, P.O. Box 808, L-413, Livermore, CA 94550, USA * On leave from Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy Physics Dept., University of California at Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA Astronomy Dept., University of California at Berkeley – 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
H. Spinrad
Affiliation:
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, LLNL – 7000 East Ave, P.O. Box 808, L-413, Livermore, CA 94550, USA * On leave from Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy Physics Dept., University of California at Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA Astronomy Dept., University of California at Berkeley – 601 Campbell Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA

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High redshift radio galaxies (HzRGs) are observable up to cosmological distances competitive with the most distant quasars. However, before using them as probes of galaxy evolution, it is crucial to separate the stellar and non-stellar components. One of the most striking properties of HzRGs is the alignment of the UV continuum with the axis of the radio source (alignment effect; McCarthy et al. 1987). However, the relative importance of the stellar and non-stellar radiation to the alignment effect is still unknown, although a significant fraction is recognized to come from scattering of anisotropic radiation emitted by the obscured nucleus, as expected in the unified model of powerful radio sources (di Serego Alighieri, Cimatti & Fosbury 1994). Spectropolarimetry is the most powerful technique to observe at the same time different radiation components, but the 4m class telescopes can reach a sufficient S/N ratio only on the few brightest objects. Therefore, in order to investigate the origin of the alignment effect and to test the validity of the unified model of powerful radio-loud AGN, we have started a program of optical spectropolarimetry of HzRGs with the W.M. Keck 10m telescope equipped with the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (LRIS) in polarimetric mode.

Type
Unification Issues
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 175: Extragalactic Radio Sources , 1996 , pp. 402 - 404
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1996 

References

Antonucci, R., 1993, ARAA , 31, 473 Google Scholar
Cimatti, A., Dey, A., van Breugel, W., Antonucci, R., Spinrad, H., 1995, ApJ , submitted Google Scholar
Dey, A., Cimatti, A., van Breugel, W., Antonucci, R., Spinrad, H., 1995, ApJ , submitted Google Scholar
di Serego Alighieri, S., Cimatti, A., Fosbury, R.A.E., 1994, ApJ , 431, 123 Google Scholar
McCarthy, P.J., van Breugel, W.J.M., Spinrad, H., Djorgovski, S., 1987, ApJ , 321, L29 Google Scholar