Time Variable Faraday Rotation Measures of 3C-273 and 3C-279

Multifrequency polarimetry with the VLBA confirms the previously reported time-varying Faraday rotation measure (RM) in the quasar 3C-279. Variability in the RM and electric vector position angle (EVPA) of the jet component (C4) is seen making it an unreliable absolute EVPA calibrator. 3C-273 is also shown to vary its RM structure on 1.5 year time-scales. Variation in the RM properties of quasars may result from a Faraday screen which changes on time-scales of a few years, or from the motion of jet components which sample spatial variations in the screen. A new component emerging from the core of 3C-279 appears to be starting to sample such a spatial variation. Future monitoring of this component and its RM properties is suggested as a diagnostic of the narrow line region in 3C-279. We also present a new method of EVPA calibration using the VLA Monitoring Program.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letters. 12 pages, 5 figure

A Multi-wavelength Study of the Host Environment of SMBHB 4C+37.11

4C+37.11, at z=0.055 shows two compact radio nuclei, imaged by VLBI at 7mas separation, making it the closest known resolved super-massive black hole binary (SMBHB). An important question is whether this unique object is young, caught on the way to a gravitational in-spiral and merger, or has `stalled' at 7pc. We describe new radio/optical/X-ray observations of the massive host and its surrounding X-ray halo. These data reveal X-ray/optical channels following the radio outflow and large scale edges in the X-ray halo. These structures are promising targets for further study which should elucidate their relationship to the unique SMBHB core.Comment: To appear in the Astrophysical Journa