JHKs polarimetry in Circinus Molecular Cloud

Using aperture polarimetry of point-like sources, positive detection of 314, 421, and 164 sources in the J, H, and Ks bands, respectively, was determined from among 749 sources whose photometric magnitudes were measured. For the source classification of the 133 point-like sources whose polarization could be measured in all 3 bands, a color-color diagram was used.

While most of the NIR polarizations of point-like sources are well-aligned and can be explained by dichroic polarization produced by aligned interstellar dust grains in the cloud, 123 highly polarized sources have also been identified with some criteria. The projected direction on the sky of the magnetic field in the Cir-MMS region is indicated by the mean polarization position angles (70{deg}) of the point-like sources in the observed region, corresponding to approximately 1.6x1.6pc^2^.