Near‐Infrared Imaging Polarimetry of Embedded Young Stars in the Taurus‐Auriga Molecular Cloud

Abstract

We describe near-infrared (JHK) imaging polarimetry of 21 embedded protostars in the Taurus-Auriga molecular cloud. These objects display extended, highly polarized reflection nebulae with V-shaped, unipolar, and bipolar morphologies. Most sources have PK ~ 5%-20% in an 8" aperture; a few objects have PK ~ 80%. The large image sizes of this sample further imply a high K-band albedo, omega K ~ 0.3-0.4. Model polarization maps indicate that the size of the "polarization disk" increases with the size of the instrumental point-spread function. Relating the morphology of polarization vectors to disk or envelope properties thus requires some care and a good understanding of the characteristics of the instrument.