Related papers: Observational Constraints on Interstellar Grain Al…
A quantitative interpretation of the observed relation between the interstellar linear polarization curve parameters $K$ and $\lambda_{\max}$ characterizing the width and the wavelength of a polarization maximum, respectively, is given. The…
The optical and near-infrared (OIR) polarization of starlight is typically understood to arise from the dichroic extinction of that light by dust grains whose axes are aligned with respect to a local magnetic-field. The size distribution of…
We interpret the relation between the polarizing efficiency $P_{\max}/E(B-V)$ and the wavelength of the maximum polarization $\lambda_{\max}$ observed for 17 objects (including 243 stars) separated into two groups: "dark clouds" and "open…
Variations in polarization efficiency (p/A) of interstellar grains as a function of environment place vital constraints on models for the mechanism of their alignment. We use polarimetry of background field stars to investigate alignment in…
We present optical and near-infrared stellar polarization observations toward the dark filamentary clouds associated with IC5146. The data allow us to investigate the dust properties (this paper) and the magnetic field structure (Paper II).…
The polarization of starlight and thermal dust emission, resulting from non-spherical grains aligned with the interstellar magnetic field (B-field), act as a powerful tool to trace the B-field morphologies and strengths in molecular clouds…
We use polarimetric observations of two stars (HD29647, HD283809) in the general direction of TMC-1 in the Taurus Dark Cloud to investigate grain properties and cloud structure in this region. We show the data to be consistent with a simple…
A detailed study of interstellar polarization efficiency toward molecular clouds is used to attempt discrimination between grain alignment mechanisms in dense regions of the ISM. Background field stars are used to probe polarization…
Interstellar grain alignment studies are currently experiencing a renaissance due to the development of a new quantitative theory based on Radiative Alignment Torques (RAT). One of the distinguishing predictions of this theory is a…
Aligned interstellar grains produce polarized extinction (observed at wavelengths from the far-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared), and polarized thermal emission (observed at far-infrared and submm wavelengths). The grains must be quite…
The polarization spectrum, or wavelength dependence of the polarization fraction, of interstellar dust emission provides important insights into the grain alignment mechanism of interstellar dust grains. We investigate the far-infrared…
A quantitative analysis of grain alignment in the filamentary dark cloud L1755 in Ophiuchus is presented. We show, that the observed decrease of the polarization to extinction ratio for the inner parts of this quiescent dark cloud can be…
We investigate the efficiency of interstellar polarization $p_\lambda/A_\lambda$ where $p_\lambda$ is the fractional linear polarization and $A_\lambda$ is extinction, in 16 lines of sight as a function of wavelength $\lambda$. We have used…
Optical and infrared continuum polarization from the interstellar medium is driven by radiative processes aligning the grains with the magnetic field. While a quantitative, predictive theory of Radiative Alignment Torques (RAT) exists and…
We apply the time evolution of grain size distributions by accretion and coagulation found in our previous work to the modelling of the wavelength dependence of interstellar linear polarization. We especially focus on the parameters of the…
We study alignment of grains by radiative torques. We found steep rise of radiative torque efficiency as grain size increases. This allows larger grains that are known to exist within molecular clouds to be aligned by the attenuated and…
We present near infrared polarimetry data of background stars shining through a selection of starless cores taken in the $K$ band, probing visual extinctions up to $A_{V} \sim 48$. We find that $P_K/{\tau _K}$ continues to decline with…
Polarization carries information about the magnetic fields in interstellar clouds. The observations of polarized dust emission are used to study the role of magnetic fields in the evolution of molecular clouds and the initial phases of…
Dust polarization induced by aligned grains is widely used to study magnetic fields in various environments, including star-forming regions. However, the question of to what optical depth grain alignment still exists in a dense molecular…
To elucidate the dust properties in the SMC we have for the first time measured linear polarization in five colors in the optical region of the spectrum for a sample of reddened stars. For two of these stars, for which there were no…