Radio circular polarization of active galaxies

We present the first results of a circular polarization survey conducted with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). We demonstrate the ability to make circular polarization measurements with a standard error of only 0.01 per cent, and have detections from both blazar and non-blazar active galactic nuclei (AGN). Our results show that, as a group, BL Lac sources and quasars have systematically higher circular polarization than radio galaxies. We demonstrate the association of high levels of circular polarization with total-intensity variability and flat/inverted spectral index as further evidence that circular polarization is associated with blazar activity. We also include preliminary circular polarization monitoring data and the detection of circular polarization from the GHz Peaked Spectrum (GPS) source PKS 1934–638, and discuss possible implications.