Speaker
Description
The synchrotron radiation from blazars is produced by populations of relativistic electrons within their jets. This radiation is intrinsically polarized. However, the observed polarization depends strongly on the geometry and physical conditions of the emitting region. It may also be affected by emission from other components, such as contributions from the host galaxy. Thus, connecting the observed polarization trends to the underlying magnetic-field structure and plasma conditions remains challenging. In this study, a multi-zone synchrotron model is used to investigate how magnetic-field configuration, viewing angle, and electron distribution affect the observed emission and polarization. The model consists of a discrete grid of cells, each representing a small volume of the emitting plasma. Every cell is assigned a magnetic-field vector and a relativistic electron population. The synchrotron emissivity and self-absorption coefficients are calculated in the co-moving frame of each cell and then transformed to the host-galaxy frame. Polarized radiative-transfer equations are solved to integrate the emission along an arbitrary line of sight and used to calculate the Stokes parameters for the region. The results can be used to model the observed spectral energy distribution, degree of linear polarization, and polarization angle for complex multi-zone emission regions. We present our initial results for a static jet model. In this model, the effects of different magnetic-field configurations, electron distributions, and viewing angles are investigated. These results will provide a strong framework for testing which magnetic-field structures can reproduce the observed polarization behaviour within relativistic blazar jets.