Studies in mid-infrared spectropolarimetry - I. Magnetic fields, discs and flows in star formation regions

Abstract

Spectropolarimetry between 8 and 13 μm provides information on the chemical and physical nature of dust grains and also on the direction of the transverse component of an aligning ambient magnetic field. The field directions found by this method along the line of sight to putative protostars and young stellar objects are compared with the directions of molecular flows and the orientations of disc- or toroid-like structures associated with the sources.