Multiwavelength polarization observations of IXPE blazars

This is a 32-hour polarimetric monitoring of 13 Very High Energy (VHE) $\gamma$-ray emitting blazars. The result will provide simultaneous optical data to directly support the VHE $\gamma$-ray data obtained with our blazar monitoring programs at MAGIC and LST-1. Due to the highly magnetized nature of blazar jets, multiwavelength polarization studies are considered to be effective in trying to answer some of the biggest open questions in AGN physics, namely: Do low and high energy emissions originate from the same region in the jet? What mechanisms/models are responsible for the emissions and particle accelerations? Do blazar subclasses show different polarization behaviors? Our results from this monitoring program in conjunction with VHE $\gamma$-ray and X-ray monitoring data are essential to answer these questions.

Monitoring program

The OB generator will be used to request all ToO observations. Scripts to perform all the requested operations will be automatically created and placed in the directory ~/scripts/67-015/. An email will be sent automatically to the observer, which contains all the information about the requested observations, the names and locations of the scripts, instructions for observing and comments from the creator of the trigger.
To summarise:

Go to the directory
  cd ~/scripts/71-003
List the available scripts
  ls -lrt

and execute the OB generated scripts requested in the trigger email.

Program Tracking
Proposal	71-003
Semester	P71: 20250401 - 20251001
Principal Investigator	Pouya M. Kouch
Programme	Multiwavelength polarization observations of IXPE blazars
Instrument	ALFOSC
Time Allocation	To be scheduled close to IXPE dates
Total Nights	35h
Type	Monitoring
Notes
Total Time Spent	21:10 (hh:mm)

Proposal	Date	Time	Type	Targets	Files	Comments	Status
71-003	2025-04-03	00:00	Monitoring	-	-	No observations due to weather.	Failed
71-003	2025-04-04	00:32	Monitoring	ON325, ON231, 1ES1218+304, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650	ALId040116 - ALId040140	Clear skies and seeing between 1.0''-1.2''	Observed
71-003	2025-04-08	00:20	Monitoring	S5_0716+714 , PG1553+113 , PKS1510-089	ALId080061 - ALId080065 , ALId080079 - ALId080083 , ALId080085 - ALId080089	Battling clouds throughout the night. Patches of clear skies appeared and multiple attempts were made to observe targets, with only partial success. Grey skies and seeing around 1.4"	Observed
71-003	2025-04-09	00:00	Monitoring			100% humidity throughout the night. Could not open.	Failed
71-003	2025-04-13	01:42	Monitoring	S5_0716+714, S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, Mrk421, 1ES1218+304, ON325, ON231, PKS1510-089, Mrk501, PG1553+113, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac	ALId130085 - ALId130089, ALId130097 - ALId130126, ALId130132 - ALId130158	Targets observed with clear skies and seeing between 0.8" and 1.5".	Observed
71-003	2025-04-22	01:19	Monitoring	S5_0716+714, S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, Mrk421, ON231, ON325, 1ES1218+304, PKS1510-089, PG1553+113, Mrk501, BL_Lac, 1ES1959+650	ALId220054 - ALId220068, ALId220075 - ALId220080, ALId220114 - ALId2201139, ALId220152 - ALId220156, ALId220167 - ALId220182	Clear skies and seeing between 0.8''-1.3''	Observed
71-003	2025-04-28	00:42	Monitoring	S5_0716+714, S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, Mrk421, PKS1510-089, PG1553+113	ALId280073 - ALId280077, ALId280084 - ALId280093, ALId280102 - ALId280106, ALId280135 - ALId280139, ALId280143 - ALId280147	Clear skies, and the seeing was oscillating between 1.0" and 1.7". One of the OBs was cancelled due to a humidity spike.	Observed
71-003	2025-04-29	00:19	Monitoring	ON231, 1ES1218+304, ON325	ALId290069 - ALId290083	The seeing was way above 2.0".	Observed
71-003	2025-05-03	00:46	Monitoring	S5_0716+714, S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, Mrk421, PG1553+113, PKS1510-089	ALIe030052 - ALIe030056, ALIe030085 - ALIe030094, ALIe030109 - ALIe030113, ALIe030132 - ALIe030141	All targets observed with clear skies and good seeing.	Observed
71-003	2025-05-04	00:41	Monitoring	ON325, 1ES1218+304, ON231, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac	ALIe040053 - ALIe040067, ALIe040084 - ALIe040088, ALIe040100 - ALIe040104	All targets observed. Some thin clouds prevailed the whole night. Seeing was overall good.	Observed
71-003	2025-05-12	01:12	Monitoring	S5_0716+714, S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, Mrk421, ON325, 1ES1218+304, ON231, PKS1510-089, PG1553+113, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac	ALIe120003 - ALIe120017, ALIe120037 - ALIe120040, ALIe120042 - ALIe120057, ALIe120068 - ALIe120077, ALIe120081 - ALIe120096	Clear skies, and the seeing was oscillating between 1.1" and 1.9".	Observed
71-003	2025-05-19	00:30	Monitoring	Mrk421, S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, PKS1510-089, PG1553+113	ALIe190069 - ALIe190084, ALIe190099 - ALIe190108	Observed with either clear skies or thin clouds, from sub-arc to around 1.5 arc seeing. S4_0954+65 aborted once and re-tried due to technical issues.	Observed
71-003	2025-05-20	00:49	Monitoring	ON325, ON231, 1ES1218+304, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIe200073 - ALIe200087, ALIe200410 - ALIe200429	Observed with clear skies and good seeing	Observed
71-003	2025-05-25	00:35	Monitoring	1ES1011+496, S4_0954+65, Mrk421, PKS1510-089, PG1553+113	ALIe250085 - ALIe250105, ALIe250159 - ALIe250163	Clear skies, and the seeing was around 1.0".	Observed
71-003	2025-05-26	00:43	Monitoring	1ES1218+304, ON325, ON231, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIe260087 - ALIe260101, ALIe260170 - ALIe260179, ALIe260185, ALIe260190 - ALIe260194	Clear skies, and the seeing was oscillating between 1.0" and 1.3"..	Observed
71-003	2025-05-29	00:31	Monitoring	Mrk421, S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, PKS1510-089, PG1553+113	ALIe290048 - ALIe290052 , ALIe290056 - ALIe290065 , ALIe290081 - ALIe290091	ctrl c'd between mrk421 polarimetry and imaging due to hang up with UIF and focus position. Continued once problem was resolved. Observed with seeing below 1.0" and clear skies.	Observed
71-003	2025-05-31	00:49	Monitoring	ON325, 1ES1218+304, ON231, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIe310079 - ALIe310093, ALIe310126 - ALIe310135, ALIe310139 - ALIe310150	All targets observed with clear skies and seeing between 1.0" - 1.4".	Observed
71-003	2025-06-07	00:45	Monitoring	S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, Mrk421, ON325, 1ES1218+304, ON231	ALIf070073 - ALIf070082, ALIf070090 - ALIf070109	Observed under clear sky and seeing 0.6".	Observed
71-003	2025-06-08	00:46	Monitoring	PKS1510-089, PG1553+113, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIf080087 - ALIf080091, ALIf080092 - ALIf080096, ALIf080103 - ALIf080107, ALIf080113 - ALIf080117,ALIf080118 - ALIf080122, ALIf080133 - ALIf080139	All the targets were observed during clear sky and with seeing below 1.0''	Observed
71-003	2025-06-14	00:45	Monitoring	S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, Mrk421, ON325, 1ES1218+304, ON231	ALIf140042 - ALIf140055, ALIf140062, ALIf140069-ALIf140083	Observed under a clear sky and seeing between 1-1.4"	Observed
71-003	2025-06-15	00:32	Monitoring	PKS1510-089, 1ES2344+514, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac	ALIf150059 - ALIf150063; ALIf150096 - ALIf150105; ALIf150115 - ALIf150124	Thick clouds at the start of the night, then cleared up. Targets observed in thin clouds and then at the end of the night in clear skies with seeing around 1.0".	Observed
71-003	2025-06-21	00:40	Monitoring	S4_0954+65, 1ES1011+496, Mrk421, ON231, ON325, 1ES1218+304	ALIf210090 - ALIf210099, ALIf210103 - ALIf210122	All the targets observed with clear skies	Observed
71-003	2025-06-22	00:38	Monitoring	PKS1510-089, PG1553+113, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIf220086 - ALIf220095;ALIf220116 - ALIf220130	Targets observed with clear skies, and seeing improving as the night progressed.	Observed
71-003	2025-06-28	00:40	Monitoring	Mrk421, 1ES1218+304, ON231, ON325, PKS1510-089, 1ES2344+514	ALIf280049 - ALIf280053, ALIf280063-ALIf280077, ALIf280099-ALIf280103, ALIf280143 -ALIf280147	Observed under clear sky and seeing 0.74"-1".	Observed
71-003	2025-06-30	00:26	Monitoring	PG1553+113, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac	ALIf300133 - ALIf300137 , ALIf300144 - ALIf300158	Observed all targets within required limits. Seeing around 1.0"	Observed
71-003	2025-07-11	00:32	Monitoring	ON325, ON231, 1ES1218+304, PKS1510-089, PG1553+113	ALIg110107 - ALIg110126, ALIg110167 - ALIg110171	Observed in good weather with subarcsec seeing	Observed
71-003	2025-07-12	00:31	Monitoring	PG1553+113, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIg120101 - ALIg120105, ALIg120120 - ALIg120124, ALIg120155 - ALIg120169	Clear skies, and the seeing was oscillating between 0.6" and 0.9".	Observed
71-003	2025-07-13	00:07	Monitoring	PG1553+113	ALIg130149 - ALIg130153	Observed with clear skies and sub-arc seeing.	Observed
71-003	2025-07-18	00:55	Monitoring	1ES1218+304, ON325, ON231, PKS1510-089, PG1553+113, Mrk501, 1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIg180214 - ALIg180228, ALIg180235 - ALIg180344, ALIg180374 - ALIg180388, ALIg180408 - ALIg180412	All targets observed with few thin clouds and approx. 1 arcsec. seeing.	Observed
71-003	2025-07-25	00:18	Monitoring	PKS1510-089, PG1553+113, Mrk501	ALIg250085 - ALIg250089, ALIg250123 - ALIg250127, ALIg250135 - ALIg250139	All targets observed with clear skies and approx. 1.2 arcsec. conditions	Observed
71-003	2025-07-26	00:21	Monitoring	1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIg260084 - ALIg260098	All targets observed with seeing around 2.0''	Observed
71-003	2025-07-31	00:18	Monitoring	Targets observed PKS1510-089, PG1553+113, Mrk501	ALIg310074 - ALIg310078, ALIg310088 - ALIg310092, ALIg310106 - ALIg310110	Observed under clear sky and seeing around 1".	Observed
71-003	2025-08-01	00:07	Monitoring	1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIh010092 - ALIh010096, ALIh010102 - ALIh010111	Observed under clear skies and seeing 1"-1.3".	Observed
71-003	2025-08-07	00:38	Monitoring	PKS1510-089, PG1553+113, 1ES1959+650, Mrk501, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIh070075 - ALIh070079, ALIh070082 - ALIh070086, ALIh070096 - ALIh070105, ALIh070128 - ALIh070132, ALIh070143 - ALIh070147	All targets observed with approx. 1 arcsec. seeing, dusty conditions and clear skies. Thin clouds started coming in right after last target for this program, but are not estimated to have been there during the actual exposure.	Observed
71-003	2025-08-11	00:20	Monitoring	PKS1510-089, PG1553+113, Mrk501	ALIh110064 - ALIh110068, ALIh110074 - ALIh110078, ALIh110105 - ALIh110109	All observed with clear skies and seeing around 0.6".	Observed
71-003	2025-08-12	00:21	Monitoring	1ES1959+650, BL_Lac, 1ES2344+514	ALIh120050 - ALIh120054, ALIh120055 - ALIh120059, ALIh120077 - ALIh120081	All targets observed with clear sky and subarcsec seeing	Observed

Should any of the observations have been carried out using the OB system, you will find additional information HERE