The Hidden Nuclear Spectrum of the Luminous IRAS Source FSC10214$+$4724

Abstract

Optical spectropolarimetry of the luminous IRAS source FSC10214$+$4724 (z$=2.286$) reveals that the strong (\twid17\%) linear polarization detected by Lawrence \etal\/ is shared by both the narrow UV emission lines and the underlying continuum. This observation and the brightness of the source rule out synchrotron emission and dichroic extinction by dust as the polarizing mechanism, leaving scattering as the only plausible cause of the polarized emission. The narrowness of the lines requires that the scatterers be dust grains or cool ($<1.6\times$10$^4$~K) electrons. We can recover the spectrum that is incident on the scattering medium provided we make some reasonable assumptions regarding the source geometry. The scattered UV spectrum has a power law index $α$~ of $-1.2 \pm 0.6$ ($F_ν\proptoν^α$), steeper than what would be expected from a young burst of star formation, but similar to many AGN.