Magnetic Field Structures of BL Lac Objects on Decaparsec Scales

Abstract

Relatively few Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) polarization observations have been carried out at 18 cm. The importance of such observations lies in their ability to reveal information about the jet magnetic ({\bf B}) field structure and the environment of the jet on scales intermediate between those probed by higher-frequency VLBI and connected-element interferometers such as the Very Large Array. We have obtained polarization observations of 34 BL Lac objects with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), at 4 separate wavelengths in the 18-20 cm band. The 18-cm jets typically extend to tens of parsecs. In some cases, the decaparsec jet is a continuation of the jet on smaller scales, while in others, we see appreciable bending. We have constructed Faraday rotation-measure maps and used them to study the jet {\bf B} field structures and distribution of thermal plasma around the jets. The Faraday rotation is typically large at these wavelengths, and knowledge of the rotation-measure distribution is essential to derive the {\bf B} field structures of the jets. The high sensitivity of these observations to Faraday rotation makes them an effective tool for studies of possible interactions between the jets and the media through which they propagate.