Polarization swings from curved trajectories of the emitting regions

摘要

We present a model of polarization swings in blazars from axially symmetric blobs propagating on curved trajectories. If the minimum inclination of the velocity vector to the line of sight is smaller than Γ~(-1), the polarization angle maximum rotation rate is simultaneous with the polarization degree minimum and a spike in the total flux. By measuring the maximum rotation rate and the moment of the polarization maximum, it is possible to estimate the distance covered by the blob and thus its approximate position. We apply this model to the recent polarization event in blazar 3C 279.