Optical Polarization and Photometry Data for 15 Blazars

Publicly available optical polarimetry and photometry data from three major blazar monitoring programs: RoboPol, Kanata, and the Steward Observatory. The dataset accompanies the 2026 paper 'Optical polarization variability and its relation to γ-ray activity in blazars' by Grigoriou, Glykopoulou & Liodakis. All data are provided in their raw form, exactly as released by the respective observatories.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal variability in polarization degree and angle based on the Julian date and uncertainty columns.
• Correlate optical photometric magnitude changes with polarization measurements based on the separate photometry file.
• Study the relationship between optical polarization properties and γ-ray activity in blazars as referenced in the accompanying paper.
• Compare observational data across three different monitoring programs (RoboPol, Kanata, Steward Observatory) for consistency and systematic effects.

Strengths

• Data is sourced from three established monitoring programs: RoboPol (2021), Kanata (2016), and Steward Observatory (2009).
• Contains measurements for 15 specific blazars, providing a focused sample.
• Includes measurement uncertainties for both polarization and photometry data, which is critical for analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale statistical studies.
• Data freshness should be verified; the last metadata update was 2026-05-26.

Provenance

Source

RoboPol, Kanata, and Steward Observatory monitoring programs.

Collection Method

Observational data made publicly available by the respective observatories, compiled by the paper authors.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-26 20:01:09