Polarized light in high-redshift radio galaxies
HIGH-redshift radio galaxies are characterized by ultraviolet excesses1,2 associated with elongated continuum and emission-line structures aligned along their radio axes3,4. Commonly, these properties are interpreted in terms of jet-induced star formation. However, observations of a blue, polarized continuum knot in the low-redshift radio galaxy PKS2152 — 69 have suggested an alternative beaming/scattering model5,6. To test this model we have obtained imaging-polarimetry observations of two high-redshift radio galaxies: 3C277.2 (z = 0.766) and 3C368 (z = 1.132). We find that both sources are strongly linearly polarized at ultraviolet rest wavelengths, with E-vectors within 25° of perpendicular to the axis of the extended continuum and radio structures. This implies that a large proportion of the ultraviolet light in these objects does not come directly from stars and we suggest it is scattered radiation from the nucleus. These observations also have important implications for beaming models of the active nuclei and for our understanding of the evolution of the host galaxies.
Anisotropic optical and X-ray emission in quasars
IT is of fundamental importance in the study of quasars to understand whether or not their continuum emission is isotropic, because this affects the overall energy budget and can also help to distinguish between the different models proposed for their central regions1. The reported small range of emission-line equivalent widths in quasars have earlier been used to argue against a relativistically beamed or anisotropic continuum2,3. Here we use recent spectroscopic observations of 46 radio-loud quasars to show that the equivalent width of the [O III] 5,007-Å emission line is strongly anticorrelated with the degree of radio core prominence R, which has been found to be a statistical indicator of orientation relative to the line of sight4–6. This observed anticorrelation shows that the quasar continuum is anisotropic and provides important evidence in favour of relativistic-beaming unified schemes4,7,8. We also show that the strength of the [O III] emission line is independent of R, consistent with unified schemes.
X-ray and radio core emission in radio quasars
In order to investigate the physical relationship between X-ray and radio core emission in radio-selected quasars, 35 radio quasars have been observed with the VLA at 6 and 20 cm. The sample was chosen from a list of radio quasars with known X-ray luminosity but poorly known radio properties. Including data gathered from the literature, radio core detections or upper limits at 6 cm have been obtained for 127 radio quasars which have published Einstein X-ray data. A statistical association is sought between radio core luminosity and X-ray luminosity, and it is found that there is a strong correlation. The slope of the relation of L(x) to L(Gamma)-alpha is alpha = 0.71 + or - 0.07 for unresolved quasars with flat radio spectra. The slope decreases as quasars with extended radio regions are considered. This is traced to the presence of radio emission which is unrelated to the X-ray emission, in the presently unresolved cores of quasars.