VLBI polarisation properties of a complete sample of radio-loud BL Lacs

The paper summarises the results to date of an ongoing multi-epoch, multi-frequency polarisation VLBI study of a complete sample of northern 1-Jy BL Lac objects. We discuss the physical origin of the characteristic polarisation properties of the core and jet structures as revealed by both general trends for the sample as a whole and more detailed observations of individual objects. It has been known for a decade that the distribution of the core polarisation position angles at moderate centimeter wavelengths is bimodal, with the core polarisation angle being either aligned with or perpendicular to the direction of the inner VLBI jet. A preliminary analysis of the VLBI core spectral indices from 15 - 5 GHz suggests that this is the result of optical depth effects and that the two peaks in the distribution correspond to cores dominated by optically thin and thick regions of emission. This interpretation is supported by the results of quasi-simultaneous VLBI and optical polarisation observations, and also by VSOP polarisation observations of OJ287. Evidence for the presence of helical or toroidal magnetic fields associated with the VLBI jets is discussed. The collected results are discussed in the context of their possible implications for circular-polarisation studies of AGN. We are now beginning a search for parsec-scale circular polarisation in the complete sample BL Lac objects and hope to have our first results by June 2003.