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Observations indicate that molecular clouds are strongly magnetized, and that magnetic fields influence the formation of stars. A key observation supporting the conclusion that molecular clouds are significantly magnetized is that the orientation of their internal structure is closely related to that of the magnetic field. At low column densities the structure aligns parallel with the field, whereas at higher column densities, the gas structure is typically oriented perpendicular to magnetic fields, with a transition at visual extinctions $A_V\gtrsim{}3~\rm{}mag$. Here we use far-infrared polarimetric observations from the HAWC+ polarimeter on SOFIA to report the discovery of a further transition in relative orientation, i.e., a return to parallel alignment at $A_V\gtrsim{}21~\rm{}mag$ in parts of the Serpens South cloud. This transition appears to be caused by gas flow and indicates that magnetic supercriticality sets in near $A_V\gtrsim{}21~\rm{}mag$, allowing gravitational collapse and star cluster formation to occur even in the presence of relatively strong magnetic fields., Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, Published in Nature Astronomy (August 2020). This is the authors' version before final edits. Link to the NA publication: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-1172-6

The Galactic Plane Infrared Polarization Survey (GPIPS) seeks to characterize the magnetic field in the dusty Galactic disk using near-infrared stellar polarimetry. All GPIPS observations were completed using the 1.83 m Perkins telescope and Mimir instrument. GPIPS observations surveyed 76 sq-deg of the northern Galactic plane, from Galactic longitudes 18 to 56 deg and latitudes -1 to +1 deg, in the H-band (1.6 um). Surveyed stars span 7th to 16th mag, resulting in nearly 10 million stars with measured linear polarizations. Of these stars, ones with m_H < 12.5 mag and polarization percentage uncertainties under 2% were judged to be high quality and number over one million. GPIPS data reveal plane-of-sky magnetic field orientations for numerous interstellar clouds for AV values to ~30 mag. The average sky separation of stars with m_H < 12.5 mag is about 30arcsec, or about 60 per Planck polarization resolution element. Matching to Gaia DR2 showed the brightest GPIPS stars are red giants with distances in the 0.6-7.5 kpc range. Polarization orientations are mostly parallel to the Galactic disk, with some zones showing significant orientation departures. Changes in orientations are stronger as a function of Galactic longitude than of latitude. Considered at 10 arcmin angular scales, directions that show the greatest polarization fractions and narrowest polarization position angle distributions are confined to about ten large, coherent structures that are not correlated with star forming clouds. The GPIPS polarimetric and photometric data products (Data Release 4 catalogs and images) are publicly available for over 13million stars., ApJSupplements, in press

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 the aligned-grain population can be constrained by measurements of the wavelength dependence of the polarization. The leading physical model for producing the alignment is radiative alignment-torques (RAT), which predicts that the most efficiently aligned grains are those with sizes larger than the wavelengths of light composing the local radiation field. Therefore, for a given grain-size distribution, the wavelength at which the polarization reaches a maximum ($\lambda_\mathrm{max}$) should correlate with the characteristic reddening along the line of sight between the dust grains and the illumination source. A correlation between $\lambda_\mathrm{max}$ and reddening has been previously established for extinctions up to $A_V\approx4$ mag. We extend the study of this relationship to a larger sample of stars in the Taurus cloud complex, including extinctions $A_V>10$ mag. We confirm the earlier results for $A_V, Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, to be published in ApJ

Wide-field near-infrared (NIR) polarimetry was used to examine disk systems around two brown dwarfs (BD) and two young stellar objects (YSO) embedded in the Heiles Cloud 2 (HCl2) dark molecular cloud in Taurus as well as numerous stars located behind HCl2. Inclined disks exhibit intrinsic NIR polarization due to scattering of photospheric light which is detectable even for unresolved systems. After removing polarization contributions from magnetically aligned dust in HCl2 determined from the background star information, significant intrinsic polarization was detected from the disk systems of of one BD (ITG~17) and both YSOs (ITG~15, ITG~25), but not from the other BD (2M0444). The ITG~17 BD shows good agreement of the disk orientation inferred from the NIR and from published ALMA dust continuum imaging. ITG~17 was also found to reside in a 5,200~au wide binary (or hierarchical quad star system) with the ITG~15 YSO disk system. The inferred disk orientations from the NIR for ITG~15 and ITG~17 are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the local magnetic field direction. The multiplicity of the system and the large BD disk nature could have resulted from formation in an environment characterized by misalignment of the magnetic field and the protostellar disks., Comment: 34 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

We used the 4 m Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) at Lowell observatory in 2014 to observe the Guitar Nebula, an Hα bow-shock nebula around the high-velocity radio pulsar B2224+65. Since the nebula's discovery in 1992, the structure of the bow-shock has undergone significant dynamical changes. We have observed the limb structure, targeting the “body” and “neck” of the guitar. Comparing the DCT observations to 1995 observations with the Palomar 200-inch Hale telescope, we found changes in both spatial structure and surface brightness in the tip, head, and body of the nebula.

The orientation of the magnetic field (B-field) in the filamentary dark cloud GF 9 was traced from the periphery of the cloud into the L1082C dense core that contains the low-mass, low-luminosity Class 0 young stellar object (YSO) GF 9-2 (IRAS 20503+6006). This was done using SOFIA HAWC+ dust thermal emission polarimetry (TEP) at 216 um in combination with Mimir near-infrared background starlight polarimetry (BSP) conducted at H-band (1.6 um) and K-band (2.2 um). These observations were augmented with published I-band (0.77 um) BSP and Planck 850 um TEP to probe B-field orientations with offset from the YSO in a range spanning 6000 AU to 3 pc. No strong B-field orientation change with offset was found, indicating remarkable uniformity of the B-field from the cloud edge to the YSO environs. This finding disagrees with weak-field models of cloud core and YSO formation. The continuity of inferred B-field orientations for both TEP and BSP probes is strong evidence that both are sampling a common B-field that uniformly threads the cloud, core, and YSO region. Bayesian analysis of Gaia DR2 stars matched to the Mimir BSP stars finds a distance to GF 9 of 270 +/- 10 pc. No strong wavelength dependence of B-field orientation angle was found, contrary to previous claims., 18 pages, 6 figures ApJ, accepted

A faint star located 2 arcsec from KIC 8462852 was discovered in Keck 10 m adaptive optics imaging in the $JHK$ near-infrared (NIR) in 2014 by Boyajian et al. (2016). The closeness of the star to KIC 8462852 suggested the two could constitute a binary, which might have implications for the cause of the brightness dips seen by {\it Kepler} (Boyajian et al. (2016) and in ground-based optical studies Boyajian et al. (2018). Here, NIR imaging in 2017 using the Mimir instrument resolved the pair and enabled measuring their separation. The faint star had moved $67 \pm 7$ milliarcsec (mas) relative to KIC 8462852 since 2014. The relative proper motion of the faint star is $23.9 \pm 2.6$ mas yr$^{-1}$, for a tangential velocity of $45 \pm 5$ km s$^{-1}$ if it is at the same 390 pc distance as KIC 8462852. Circular velocity at the 750 AU current projected separation is $1.5$ km s$^{-1}$, hence the star pair cannot be bound., Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures

Larionov, V. M. et. al., After several years of quiescence, the blazar CTA 102 underwent an exceptional outburst in 2012 September-October. The flare was tracked from gamma-ray to near-infrared (NIR) frequencies, including Fermi and Swift data as well as photometric and polarimetric data from several observatories. An intensive Glast-Agile support programme of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (GASP-WEBT) collaboration campaign in optical and NIR bands, with an addition of previously unpublished archival data and extension through fall 2015, allows comparison of this outburst with the previous activity period of this blazar in 2004-2005. We find remarkable similarity between the optical and gamma-ray behaviour of CTA 102 during the outburst, with a time lag between the two light curves of approximate to 1 h, indicative of cospatiality of the optical and gamma-ray emission regions. The relation between the gamma-ray and optical fluxes is consistent with the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) mechanism, with a quadratic dependence of the SSC gamma -ray flux on the synchrotron optical flux evident in the post-outburst stage. However, the gamma -ray/optical relationship is linear during the outburst; we attribute this to changes in the Doppler factor. A strong harder-when-brighter spectral dependence is seen both the in gamma-ray and optical non-thermal emission. This hardening can be explained by convexity of the UV-NIR spectrum that moves to higher frequencies owing to an increased Doppler shift as the viewing angle decreases during the outburst stage. The overall pattern of Stokes parameter variations agrees with a model of a radiating blob or shock wave that moves along a helical path down the jet., The St. Petersburg University team acknowledges support from Russian RFBR grant 15-02-00949, and St. Petersburg University research grants 6.38.335.2015 and 6.42.1113.2016. The research at Boston University was funded in part by NASA Fermi Guest Investigator grants NNX08AV65G, NNX10AO59G, NNX10AU15G, NNX11AO37G, NNX11AQ03G, and NNX14AQ58G. The research at Steward Observatory was funded in part by NASA Fermi Guest Investigator grants NNX09AU10G and NNX12AO93G. Acquisition of the MAPCAT data at Calar Alto is performed at the IAA-CSIC and is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) grant AYA2013-40825-P.This research was partially supported by the Scientific Research Fund of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Sciences under grant DO 02-137 (BIn-13/09). The Maidanak Observatory team acknowledges support from Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences grant F2-FA-F027.

The magnetic field (B-field) of the starless dark cloud L1544 has been studied using near-infrared (NIR) background starlight polarimetry (BSP) and archival data in order to characterize the properties of the plane-of-sky B-field. NIR linear polarization measurements of over 1,700 stars were obtained in the H-band and 201 of these were also measured in the K-band. The NIR BSP properties are correlated with reddening, as traced using the RJCE (H-M) method, and with thermal dust emission from the L1544 cloud and envelope seen in Herschel maps. The NIR polarization position angles change at the location of the cloud and exhibit their lowest dispersion of position angles there, offering strong evidence that NIR polarization traces the plane-of-sky B-field of L1544. In this paper, the uniformity of the plane-of-sky B-field in the envelope region of L1544 is quantitatively assessed. This allowed evaluating the approach of assuming uniform field geometry when measuring relative mass-to-flux ratios in the cloud envelope and core based on averaging of the envelope radio Zeeman observations, as in Crutcher et al. (2009). In L1544, the NIR BSP shows the envelope B-field to be significantly non-uniform and likely not suitable for averaging Zeeman properties without treating intrinsic variations. Deeper analyses of the NIR BSP and related data sets, including estimates of the B-field strength and testing how it varies with position and gas density, are the subjects of later papers in this series., Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

We present spectrophotometric data from 0.4 to 4.2 microns for bright, northern sky, Be stars and several other types of massive stars. Our goal is to use these data with ongoing, high angular resolution, interferometric observations to model the density structure and sky orientation of the gas surrounding these stars. We also present a montage of the H-alpha and near-infrared emission lines that form in Be star disks. We find that a simplified measurement of the IR excess flux appears to be correlated with the strength of emission lines from high level transitions of hydrogen. This suggests that the near-IR continuum and upper level line fluxes both form in the inner part of the disk, close to the star., 2010, PASP, 122, 379

We explore the variability and cross-frequency correlation of the flux density and polarization of the blazar OJ287, using imaging at 43 GHz with the Very Long Baseline Array, as well as optical and near-infrared polarimetry. The polarization and flux density in both the optical waveband and the 43 GHz compact core increased by a small amount in late 2005, and increased significantly along with the near-IR polarization and flux density over the course of 10 days in early 2006. Furthermore, the values of the electric vector position angle (EVPA) at the three wavebands are similar. At 43 GHz, the EVPA of the blazar core is perpendicular to the flow of the jet, while the EVPAs of emerging superluminal knots are aligned parallel to the jet axis. The core polarization is that expected if shear aligns the magnetic field at the boundary between flows of disparate velocities within the jet. Using variations in flux density, percentage polarization, and EVPA, we model the inner jet as a spine-sheath system. The model jet contains a turbulent spine of half-width 1.2 degrees and maximum Lorentz factor of 16.5, a turbulent sheath with Lorentz factor of 5, and a boundary region of sheared field between the spine and sheath. Transverse shocks propagating along the fast, turbulent spine can explain the superluminal knots. The observed flux density and polarization variations are then compatible with changes in the direction of the inner jet caused by a temporary change in the position of the core if the spine contains wiggles owing to an instability. In addition, we can explain a stable offset of optical and near-IR percentage polarization by a steepening of spectral index with frequency, as supported by the data., Comment: 34 pages, 12 figures; To be published in Astrophysical Journal, accepted 03/2009

We report the discovery of a previously unknown massive Galactic star cluster at l=29.22, b=-0.20. Identified visually in mid-IR images from the Spitzer GLIMPSE survey, the cluster contains at least 8 late-type supergiants, based on followup near-IR spectroscopy, and an additional 3-6 candidate supergiant embers having IR photometry consistent with a similar distance and reddening. The cluster lies at a local minimum in the 13-CO column density and 8 micron emission. We interpret this feature as a hole carved by the energetic winds of the evolving massive stars. The 13-CO hole seen in molecular maps at V_LSR ~95 km/s corresponds to near/far kinematic distances of 6.1/8.7+/-1 kpc. We calculate a mean spectrophotometric distance of 7.0^+3.7_-2.4 kpc, broadly consistent with the kinematic distances inferred. This location places it near the northern end of the Galactic bar. For the mean extinction of A_V=12.6+/-0.5 mag (A_K=1.5+/-0.1 mag), the color-magnitude diagram of probable cluster members is well fit by isochrones in the age range 18-24 Myr. The estimated cluster mass is ~20,000 Msun. With the most massive original cluster stars likely deceased, no strong radio emission is detected in this vicinity. As such, this RSG cluster is representative of adolescent massive Galactic clusters that lie hidden behind many magnitudes of dust obscuration. This cluster joins two similar red supergiant clusters as residents of the volatile region where the end of our Galaxy's bar joins the base of the Scutum-Crux piral arm, suggesting a recent episode of widespread massive star formation there., Comment: 26 pages; Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal 2009 March 13; Submitted 2008 November 6. Reports a concurrent discovery of the star cluster investigated by Clark et al. in arXiv:0903.1754

We derive the molecular properties for a sample of 301 Galactic HII regions including 123 ultra compact (UC), 105 compact, and 73 diffuse nebulae. We analyze all sources within the BU-FCRAO Galactic Ring Survey (GRS) of 13CO emission known to be HII regions based upon the presence of radio continuum and cm-wavelength radio recombination line emission. Unlike all previous large area coverage 13CO surveys, the GRS is fully sampled in angle and yet covers ~75 square degrees of the Inner Galaxy. The angular resolution of the GRS 46" allows us to associate molecular gas with HII regions without ambiguity and to investigate the physical properties of this molecular gas. We find clear CO/HII morphological associations in position and velocity for ~80% of the nebular sample. Compact HII region molecular gas clouds are on average larger than UC clouds: 2.2' compared to 1.7'. Compact and UC HII regions have very similar molecular properties, with ~5K line intensities and ~4 km/s line widths. The diffuse HII region molecular gas has lower line intensities, ~3K, and smaller line widths, ~3.5 km/s. These latter characteristics are similar to those found for quiescent molecular clouds in the GRS. Our sample nebulae thus show evidence for an evolutionary sequence wherein small, dense molecular gas clumps associated with UC HII regions grow into older compact nebulae and finally fragment and dissipate into large, diffuse nebulae., Comment: Accepted to ApJS. Tentatively scheduled for publication in the March 2009 issue

Mimir, a new facility-class near-infrared instrument for the 1.8 m Perkins telescope on Anderson Mesa outside Flagstaff, Arizona, was commissioned and has been operating for three years. Mimir is multifunction, performing wide-field (F=5) and narrow-field (F=17) imaging, long-slit spectroscopy, and imaging polarimetry. The F=5 mode images at 0.59" per pixel onto the 1024 × 1024 pixel ALADDIN III InSb array detector, giving a 10 0 × 10 0 field of view. In the F=17 mode, the plate scale is 0.18" per pixel. Optically, Mimir is a refractive reimager for the F=17:5 Perkins beam. A six-lens collimator produces an achromatic 25 mm pupil, which is imaged by a five-lens camera (F=5), a four-lens camera (F=17), or a two-lens pupil viewer onto the detector. Three filter wheels precede the pupil, one follows the pupil. The wheels contain a rotating half-wave plate, broadband filters, narrowband filters, grisms, long-pass filters, a wire grid, and thermal IR blockers. The first telescope focus is within Mimir, where a slit and decker unit, consisting of two linear motion cars, selects one of 13 slit scenes. The slit and decker cars, the four filter wheels, the half-wave plate rotation, and the camera selector are all driven by stepper motors within the cold vacuum space. Cooling is provided by a CTI 1050 two-stage, closed-cycle helium refrigerator, keeping the optics, filters, and internal surfaces between 65 and 75 K and the detector at 33.5 K. Switching between Mimir's different modes takes only a few seconds, making it a versatile tool for conducting a wide range of investigations and for quickly reacting to changing observing conditions. Mimir on the Perkins telescope achieves imaging sensitivities 2-4 mag deeper than 2MASS, moderate resolution (R ∼ 700) JHK spectra of virtually any 2MASS source, high- precision wide-field imaging polarimetry, and L 0 and M 0 band imaging and spectroscopy.

We describe IRAC 3.6-8 mu_m observations and ground-based near-IR JHKs photometry from Mimir and 2MASS of the massive double cluster h & chi Persei complete to J=15.5 (M ~ 1.3 Msun. Within 25' of the cluster centers we detect \~11,000 sources with J < 15.5, ~7,000 sources with [4.5] < 15, and ~ 5000 sources with [8] < 14.5. In both clusters, the surface density profiles derived from the 2MASS data decline with distance from the cluster centers as expected for a bound cluster. Within 15' of the cluster centers, ~ 50% of the stars lie on a reddened ~ 13 Myr isochrone; at 15'-25' from the cluster centers, ~ 40% lie on this isochrone. Thus, the optical/2MASS color-magnitude diagrams indicate that h & chi Per are accompanied by a halo population with roughly the same age and distance as the two dense clusters. The double cluster lacks any clear IR excess sources for J < 13.5 (~ 2.7 Msun). Therefore, disks around high-mass stars disperse prior to ~ 10^{7} yr. At least 2-3% of the fainter cluster stars have strong IR excess at both [5.8] and [8]. About 4-8% of sources slightly more massive than the Sun (~ 1.4 Msun) have IR excesses at [8]. Combined with the lack of detectable excesses for brighter stars, this result suggests that disks around lower-mass stars have longer lifetimes. The IR excess population also appears to be larger at longer IRAC bands ([5.8], [8]) than at shorter IRAC/2MASS bands ($K_{s}$, [4.5]), a result consistent with an inside-out clearing of disks., Comment: matched to published version, 26 pages, 18 figures: 2007, ApJ, 659, 599

Stars in open clusters are powerful probes of the intervening Galactic magnetic field, via background starlight polarimetry, because they provide constraints on the magnetic field distances. We use 2MASS photometric data for a sample of 31 clusters in the outer Galaxy, for which near-IR polarimetric data were obtained, to determine the cluster distances, ages, and reddenings via fitting theoretical isochrones to cluster color-magnitude diagrams. The fitting approach uses an objective chi^2 minimization technique to derive the cluster properties and their uncertainties. We found the ages, distances, and reddenings for 24 of the clusters, and the distances and reddenings for six additional clusters that were either sparse or faint in the near-IR. The derived ranges of log(age), distance, and E(B-V) were 7.25-9.63, ~670-6160 pc, and 0.02-1.46 mag, respectively. The distance uncertainties ranged from ~8 to 20%. The derived parameters were compared to previous studies, and most cluster parameters agree within our uncertainties. To test the accuracy of the fitting technique, synthetic clusters with 50, 100, or 200 cluster members and a wide range of ages were fit. These tests recovered the input parameters within their uncertainties for more than 90% of the individual synthetic cluster parameters. These results indicate that the fitting technique likely provides reliable estimates of cluster properties. The distances derived will be used in an upcoming study of the Galactic magnetic field in the outer Galaxy., Accepted to AJ, 17 pages, 14 figures

IC5146 is one of the filamentary clouds observed in Herschel Gould Belt Survey. Here we present our polarization observations toward IC5146 taken with AIMPOL, TRIPOL and Mimir. Our results reveal that the large scale structure of magnetic field is well perpendicular to the main filament, but is likely parallel to the sub-filaments, which are structure extended out from the main filaments. We have also conducted CO observations to reveal the gas kinematics along the filaments or magnetic field; this result suggests the gas is possibly confined by magnetic field in most of the region until reaching supercritical. Based on our results, we suggests that at least four types of filaments can be found in IC5146, behaving different physical properties and consistent with different formation mechanisms. Our conclusions reveal that filaments are a combination of a variety types of objects.

The Boston University-Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory Galactic Ring Survey is a new survey of Galactic 13CO (1-0) emission. The survey used the SEQUOIA multi pixel array on the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory 14 m telescope to cover a longitude range of l = 18 deg-55.7 deg and a latitude range of |b| < 1 deg, a total of 75.4 square degrees. Using both position-switching and On-The-Fly mapping modes, we achieved an angular sampling of 22 arcsec, better than half of the telescope's 46 arcsec angular resolution. The survey's velocity coverage is -5 to 135 km/s for Galactic longitudes l 40 deg. At the velocity resolution of 0.21 km/s, the typical rms sensitivity is sigma(TA*)~0.13 K. The survey comprises a total of 1,993,522 spectra. We show integrated intensity images (zeroth moment maps), channel maps, position-velocity diagrams, and an average spectrum of the completed survey dataset. We also discuss the telescope and instrumental parameters, the observing modes, the data reduction processes, and the emission and noise characteristics of the dataset. The Galactic Ring Survey data are available to the community at www.bu.edu/galacticring or in DVD form by request., Accepted ApJ. 21 pages (ApJ emulate style). 12 figures

A systematic and automated search of the extensive GLIMPSE mid-infrared survey data of the inner Galaxy was carried out to uncover new star clusters. This search has yielded 59 new clusters. Using our automated search algorithm, these clusters were identified as significant localized overdensities in the GLIMPSE point-source catalog (GLMC) and archive (GLMA). Subsequent visual inspection of the GLIMPSE image mosaics confirmed the existence of these clusters plus an additional 33 heavily embedded clusters missed by our detection algorithm, for a total of 92 newly discovered clusters. These previously uncataloged clusters range in type from heavily embedded to fully exposed clusters. More than half of the clusters have memberships exceeding 35 stars, and nearly all the clusters have diameters of 3' or less. The Galactic latitude distribution of the clusters reveals that the majority are concentrated toward the Galactic midplane. There is an asymmetry in the number of clusters located above and below the midplane, with more clusters detected below the midplane. We also observe an asymmetry in the number of clusters detected in the northern and southern halves of the Galaxy, with more than twice as many clusters detected in the south.

Spitzer IRAC 3.6-8 micron photometry obtained as part of the GLIMPSE survey has revealed mid-infrared excesses for 33 field stars with known spectral types in a 1.2 sq. degree field centered on the southern Galactic HII region RCW49. These stars comprise a subset of 184 stars with known spectral classification, most of which were pre-selected to have unusually red IR colors. We propose that the mid-IR excesses are caused by circumstellar dust disks that are either very late remnants of stellar formation or debris disks generated by planet formation. Of these 33 stars, 29 appear to be main-sequence stars based on optical spectral classifications. Five of the 29 main-sequence stars are O or B stars with excesses that can be plausibly explained by thermal bremsstrahlung emission, and four are post main-sequence stars. The lone O star is an O4V((f)) at a spectrophotometric distance of 3233+ 540- 535 pc and may be the earliest member of the Westerlund 2 cluster. Of the remaining 24 main-sequence stars, 18 have SEDs that are consistent with hot dusty debris disks, a possible signature of planet formation. Modeling the excesses as blackbodies demonstrates that the blackbody components have fractional bolometric disk-to-star luminosity ratios, LIR/L*, ranging from 10^-3 to 10^-2 with temperatures ranging from 220 to 820 K. The inferred temperatures are more consistent with asteroid belts rather than the cooler temperatures expected for Kuiper belts. Mid-IR excesses are found in all spectral types from late B to early K.

Examination of early, in-orbit checkout (IOC) images of a portion of the Galactic plane obtained by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed the presence of an extended emission nebula with internal structure. The Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) data show this nebula, located at l � 42 � and b � 0N5, contains bright point sources and two nonstellar regions. Ancillary data sets were used to help reveal the nature of this nebula and its exciting objects. In particular, 13 CO J ¼ 1 ! 0 line emission mapped by the Galactic Ring Survey (GRS) shows molecular gas associated with the infrared nebula. The 13 CO radial velocity yields a far-kinematic distance of 11.1 kpc to the nebula, since there is no evidence for H i self-absorption. At 11.1 kpc, the far-infrared luminosity of the nebula is 4:8;10 4 L� , and the mass of its molecular cloud is 1:1;10 4 M� . The spectral energy distribution rises steeply from 2.2 to 100 � m with an absorption feature at 10 � m, exhibiting the shape of a late Class 0 young stellar object (YSO). The radio continuum flux observed toward the nebula is consistent with the free-free emission from one or more massive YSOs (MYSOs) with spectral types in the range O9 to B0. This analysis demonstrates one technique the GLIMPSE team will use for revealing thousands of Galactic star formation regions.

We have imaged five dense molecular cores, selected from the Galactic Ring Survey (GRS), in the mid-infrared with the MIRAC3 instrument. We obtained high spatial resolution (~1'') images through narrowband filters at 12.5 and 20.6 μm. Four of the five cores show multiple compact sources, extended structure, or both. Lower resolution observations by the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) and the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) suggest that the fifth core is also surrounded by extended emission on large scales (2'). The extended mid-infrared structure is well-correlated with the radio continuum morphology in each of the five cores. This similarity suggests that the hot dust traced by the mid-infrared is located within the H II region, traced by the radio continuum, and not merely in a surrounding photodissociation region or molecular cloud. If a single exciting source is assumed for each core, estimates of the zero-age main-sequence spectral types based on the infrared luminosities are typically 1-2 spectral types earlier than those based on the radio free-free emission. However, allowing for multiple exciting sources and apportioning the far-infrared and radio fluxes to the component sources according to the mid-infrared flux distribution produces better agreement between the derived spectral types, with an average difference of less than half a spectral type.

Kinematic distance determinations in the inner Galaxy are hampered by the near-far kinematic distance ambiguity. Here we resolve the ambiguity for 49 H II region complexes with known recombination-line velocities in the first Galactic quadrant. We measured the 21 cm H I absorption spectrum toward each source with the Very Large Array in the C array. The maximum velocity of H I absorption was used to discriminate between the near and far kinematic distances. The number ratio of far to near sources, ~3, can be entirely explained as a geometrical effect. The kinematic distances that we derive are compared with previous determinations for the same sources. Although our distance determinations are largely in agreement with previous measurements, there are 22 discrepancies that we discuss. Using our distance determinations, we create a face-on Galactic map of the H II region complexes and compare it with a kinematically derived profile of the distribution of CO-traced molecular hydrogen. The H II region complexes delineate the large-scale features seen in the molecular gas. The 5 kpc molecular ring and the Sagittarius spiral arm are clearly evident, and a few H II region complexes lie in the Perseus arm.

We analyze 2 deg2 of the Galactic plane surveyed in CS J = 2 → 1 and 13CO J = 1 → 0 emission lines as a part of the Boston University-Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory Milky Way Galactic Ring Survey. Since the critical density of the CS molecule is large, strong CS emission originates only in dense molecular cloud cores. Yet, because high volume density regions traced by CS also tend to have large column densities, we find that 13CO is just as useful as, and much more efficient than, CS for identifying potential dense, star-forming cores. Sixty-five percent of the star-forming sites in the survey region, selected using color criteria for embedded IRAS point sources, are detected as bright 13CO clumps with emission above an integrated intensity of 15 K km s-1 (greater than 37 σ). The fraction of those infrared point sources detected as bright CS clumps above 1 K km s-1 (greater than 3 σ) is only 35%. The CS/13CO intensity ratio can be used as a measure of gas excitation conditions. We compared the observed CS and 13CO line intensities of the entire 2 deg2 field as well as the average line ratios from two molecular clouds with very different physical properties. The average intensity ratio for GRSMC 45.46+0.05, a high volume density, star-forming molecular cloud, calculated with a high (26 K km s-1) 13CO flux threshold, is Tmb(CS)/Tmb(13CO) = 0.17 ± 0.06, with a peak value of ~0.5 toward two of the CS emission maxima. The ratio for the same cloud calculated using all 13CO positions with flux above 3 σ is 0.06 ± 0.01. For GRSMC 45.60+0.30, a low-density, quiescent molecular cloud, this ratio is even lower, 0.03 ± 0.01. The average line ratio for the entire 2 deg2 field is 0.04 ± 0.01, similar to the value for the low-density cloud. Although the CS lines are brightest toward star-forming cores, ubiquitous, low-level CS emission dominates the emission in the survey region. This emission probably originates from subthermally excited, low-density gas.

We report on a three-dimensional (l, b, VLSR) physical association of H I self-absorption with 13CO emission toward the Galactic molecular cloud GRSMC 45.6+0.3. Photochemical models indicate that a significant column density of cool (T 25 K) H I exists in the skins (Av 2) of typical Galactic molecular clouds. The H I self-absorption can thus be produced by the cool cloud skin absorbing the warm (TSPIN ~ 100 K) background H I emission that is ubiquitously distributed throughout the Galaxy. Liszt, Burton, and Bania have suggested that because cool H I in a molecular cloud will absorb warmer H I background line emission, H I self-absorption can be used to resolve the kinematic distance ambiguity for molecular clouds in the inner Galaxy. Clouds at the near distance should show H I self-absorption, whereas clouds at the far distance will not since there is no background to absorb. The near kinematic distance of 1.8 kpc for the GRSMC 45.6+0.3 molecular cloud is independently confirmed by its morphological correlation with foreground optical extinction.

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). A total of 2022 background stars were detected in $R_{c}$-, $i'$-, $H$-, and/or $K$-bands to $A_V \lesssim 25$ mag. The ratio of the polarization percentage at different wavelengths provides an estimate of $\lambda_{max}$, the wavelength of peak polarization, which is an indicator of the small-size cutoff of the grain size distribution. The grain size distribution seems to significantly change at $A_V \sim$ 3 mag, where both the average and dispersion of $P_{R_c}/P_{H}$ decrease. In addition, we found $\lambda_{max}$ $\sim$ 0.6-0.9 $\mu$m for $A_V>2.5$ mag, which is larger than the $\sim$ 0.55 $\mu$m in the general ISM, suggesting that grain growth has already started in low $A_V$ regions. Our data also reveal that polarization efficiency (PE $\equiv P_{\lambda}/A_V$) decreases with $A_V$ as a power-law in $R_c$-, $i'$-, and $K$-bands with indices of -0.71$\pm$0.10, -1.23$\pm$0.10 and -0.53$\pm$0.09. However, $H$-band data show a power index change; the PE varies with $A_V$ steeply (index of -0.95$\pm$0.30) when $A_V < 2.88\pm0.67$ mag but softly (index of -0.25$\pm$0.06) for greater $A_V$ values. The soft decay of PE in high $A_V$ regions is consistent with the Radiative Aligned Torque model, suggesting that our data trace the magnetic field to $A_V \sim 20$ mag. Furthermore, the breakpoint found in $H$-band is similar to the $A_V$ where we found the $P_{R_c}/P_{H}$ dispersion significantly decreased. Therefore, the flat PE-$A_V$ in high $A_V$ regions implies that the power index changes result from additional grain growth., Comment: 31 pages, 17 figures, and 3 tables; accepted for publication in ApJ

The importance of the magnetic (B) field in the formation of infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and massive stars is an ongoing topic of investigation. We studied the plane-of-sky B field for one IRDC, G028.23-00.19, to understand the interaction between the field and the cloud. We used near-IR background starlight polarimetry to probe the B field and performed several observational tests to assess the field importance. The polarimetric data, taken with the Mimir instrument, consisted of H-band and K-band observations, totaling 17,160 stellar measurements. We traced the plane-of-sky B-field morphology with respect to the sky-projected cloud elongation. We also found the relationship between the estimated B-field strength and gas volume density, and we computed estimates of the normalized mass-to-magnetic flux ratio. The B-field orientation with respect to the cloud did not show a preferred alignment, but it did exhibit a large-scale pattern. The plane-of-sky B-field strengths ranged from 10 to 165 {\mu}G, and the B-field strength dependence on density followed a power law with an index consistent with 2/3. The mass-to-magnetic flux ratio also increased as a function of density. The relative orientations and relationship between the B field and density imply that the B field was not dynamically important in the formation of the IRDC. The increase in mass-to-flux ratio as a function of density, though, indicates a dynamically important B field. Therefore, it is unclear whether the B field influenced the formation of G28.23. However, it is likely that the presence of the IRDC changed the local B-field morphology., Comment: 34 pages, 19 figures, published

The L204 dark cloud complex is a nearby filamentary structure in Ophiuchus North that has no signs of active star formation. Past studies show that L204 is interacting with the nearby runaway O star, $\zeta$ Oph, and hosts a magnetic field that is coherent across parsec-length scales. Near-infrared $H$-band (1.6$\mu$m) linear polarization measurements were obtained for 3,896 background stars across a $1\deg \times 1.5\deg$ region centered on the dense Cloud 3 in L204, using the Mimir near-infrared instrument on the 1.8m Perkins Telescope. Analysis of these observations reveals both large-scale properties and small-scale changes in the magnetic field direction in Cloud 3. In the northern and western $\zeta$ Oph facing regions of the cloud, the magnetic field appears to be pushed up against the face of the cloud. This may indicate that the UV flux from $\zeta$ Oph has compressed the magnetic field on the western edge of L204. The plane-of-sky magnetic field strength is estimated to be $\sim 11 - 26$ $\mu$G using the Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. The polarimetry data also reveal that the polarization efficiency (PE $\equiv P_{\rm H}/A_{\rm V}$) steadily decreases with distance from $\zeta$ Oph ($-0.09 \pm 0.03 \% \, {\rm mag}^{-1} \, {\rm pc}^{-1}$). Additionally, power-law fits of PE versus $A_{\rm V}$ for localized samples of probe stars show steeper negative indices with distance from $\zeta$ Oph. Both findings highlight the importance of external illumination, here from $\zeta$ Oph, in aligning dust grains to embedded magnetic fields., Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, 1 table

The edge-on galaxy NGC 891 was probed using near-infrared (NIR) imaging polarimetry in the H-band (1.6 um) with the Mimir instrument on the 1.8 m Perkins Telescope. Polarization was detected with signal-to-noise ratio greater than three out to a surface brightness of 18.8 mag arcsec^-2. The unweighted average and dispersion in polarization percentage (P) across the full disk were 0.7% and 0.3%, respectively, and the same quantities for polarization position angle (P.A.) were 12 deg and 19 deg, respectively. At least one polarization null point, where P falls nearly to zero, was detected in the NE disk but not the SW disk. Several other asymmetries in P between the northern and southern disk were found and may be related to spiral structure. Profiles of P and P.A. along the minor axis of NGC 891 suggest a transition from magnetic (B) field tracing dichroic polarization near the disk mid-plane to scattering dominated polarization off the disk mid-plane. A comparison between NIR P.A. and radio (3.6 cm) synchrotron polarization P.A. values revealed similar B-field orientations in the central-northeast region, which suggests that the hot plasma and cold, star-forming interstellar medium may share a common B-field. Disk-perpendicular polarizations previously seen at optical wavelengths are likely caused by scattered light from the bright galaxy center and are unlikely to be tracing poloidal B-fields in the outer disk., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal (20140313); 16 pages, 8 figures

We present a study of the structure of four molecular clouds from the Milky Way Galactic Ring Survey (GRS), a Boston University and Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory collaboration. The GRS is a new high-resolution survey in the 13CO J = 1 → 0 spectral line of the inner Galaxy and the 5 kpc ring, the Milky Way's dominant star-forming structure. Because of the smaller line widths of 13CO compared to 12CO, we can avoid velocity crowding and establish accurate kinematic distances to the clouds. The kinematic distance ambiguity in the first Galactic quadrant is resolved using self-absorption in complementary high-resolution atomic hydrogen data. The four clouds are selected to span a large range of star formation activity, from the quiescent cloud GRSMC 45.60+0.30, which shows no signs of high-mass star formation, to W49, the most luminous star-forming region in the Galaxy. We use a three-dimensional Gaussian clump decomposition to identify clumps in the clouds and to investigate their properties. Each cloud has the same clump mass spectrum, dN/dM ∝ M-1.8, independent of star formation activity. We do not find significant differences in the slopes of the relations of density, line width, and clump mass as a function of clump size among the clouds. The size-density and size-line width relations show considerable scatter. Compared to the conventional Larson scaling laws, we find systematically flatter slopes for the size-density and size-line width relations and a higher power-law index for the size-mass relation. In particular, the clump line widths for the most quiescent cloud GRSMC 45.60+0.30 are independent of clump size. While the clouds as a whole are gravitationally bound, most of the clumps are not; only a small fraction of the total number of clumps is self-gravitating. The active star-forming clouds have a higher fraction of gravitationally bound clumps and a higher mean cloud volume density than the more quiescent clouds. The gravitationally unbound clumps are possibly confined by the weight of the self-gravitating complex. The pressures needed to bind these clumps are largest for the active star-forming clouds, which have a much higher weight than the quiescent clouds. Alternatively, a high number of the gravitationally unbound clumps may be transient.

We report the discovery of two distant embedded young stellar clusters located far in the outer Galaxy. The clusters are resolved in near-infrared images and seen as enhancements in the surface density of IR-excess stars centered close to IRAS 07255-2012. The clusters are embedded in a molecular cloud containing a CS dense core. The molecular cloud, as traced by CO (J = 1-0) is elongated and extends over a region of 15 × 6 pc2. From the millimeter observations, we derive a kinematic distance of 10.2 kpc and a Galactocentric distance of 16.5 kpc, making these clusters among the most distant embedded clusters in the Galaxy. The main (richer) cluster is well confined to a region of about 1.2 pc in radius. Down to our detection limit of about 1-2 M☉ at this distance, it contains at least 30 members. The smaller cluster contains at least five stars. They all exhibit near-infrared color excesses consistent with young stellar objects having circumstellar and/or envelope material. We estimate that the star formation efficiency of this molecular cloud is about 4%-10%.

We have performed a CO, 13CO, and CS survey of a dense core region (GF 9–Core) and a diffuse filamentary region (GF 9–Fila) within the dark cloud GF 9 (LDN 1082). Spectra in each line were obtained toward 120 positions within each region covering areas of 8' × 10'. GF 9–Core is associated with the Class 0 protostar IRAS PSC 20503+6006, while GF 9–Fila has no associated IRAS point sources. The median CO excitation temperature of the core region is 7.2 ± 0.5 K; for the filament region, the median temperature is 7.8 ± 0.5 K. The mass derived from the LTE isothermal analysis of 13CO is 53 ± 8 and 40 ± 6 M⊙ for GF 9–Core and GF 9–Fila, respectively. Using near-infrared extinction data to trace the H2 column density, the isothermal LTE assumptions for 13CO appear to break down at AV 3 mag. The near-infrared extinction data are used to correct the derived 13CO column densities, yielding mass estimates that are ~20% larger than the LTE-derived masses. The average H2 volume densities for GF 9–Core and GF 9–Fila are ~5000 ± 700 and ~1700 ± 200 cm-3. Each region contains a 15 ± 3 M⊙ centrally condensed CS core, which is approximately 3 times more dense than the ambient 13CO regions. In GF 9–Core, the high-density gas core appears to be physically associated with the IRAS point source. Both high-density cores appear to be in virial equilibrium; however, the CS line widths in GF 9–Core are almost twice as large as those measured in GF 9–Fila. Because GF 9–Core is associated with the Class 0 protostar PSC 20503+6006, the CS line widths may be enhanced by outflow or infall motion. The additional nonturbulent line-broadening component caused by outflow/infall motion required to explain the line width implies a supersonic velocity of at least 0.3 km s-1 (Mach 1.5).

We have conducted an HCN (J = 1–0) survey of 37 star-forming and quiescent dense cloud cores. HCN emission was detected toward 31 of the 33 cores containing embedded point sources, with only weak or no HCN detection among four starless sources. We find that the J = 1–0 transition of the HCN molecule is particularly well suited for revealing the early stages of star formation in molecular clouds. In the sample of star-forming cores, there is excellent spatial coincidence (better than 7'') between the position of the peak integrated HCN emission and the location of the associated young stellar object (YSO). Furthermore, emission strength in this HCN transition is well correlated with the YSO class: Class 0 and Class I YSOs are preferentially detected. Detecting strong (>1 K km s-1) HCN emission from a molecular cloud core indicates the presence of an embedded YSO and thus, indirectly, of a collapsing core. In addition, detection of very strong (>3 K km s-1) HCN emission implies an 80% likelihood of the presence of an embedded Class 0 YSO.

We present the results of a survey for CS emission toward a sample of 47 Bok globules selected from the catalog of Clemens & Barvainis. The globules were observed at the FCRAO 14 m, the SEST 15 m, and the IRAM 30 m telescopes in the CS J = 2 → 1 transition. Additionally, higher spatial resolution (11''-30'') observations in the CS J = 3 → 2 and 5 → 4 lines, as well as the C34S J = 2 → 1 and 3 → 2 lines, were carried out toward a subsample of 20 globules using the IRAM 30 m and the CSO 10 m telescopes. Two-thirds of the globules were detected in the CS J = 2 → 1 line. The detection rate was higher in globules with IRAS sources (72%) than in globules without IRAS sources (44%). The detection rate was 100% for globules with embedded Class 0 and Class I infrared sources, dropping to 60% for Class II-D sources and to 40% for Class II sources. These results support the association of dense cores with IRAS point sources in Bok globules and indicate that the dense gas is most apparent in the early stages. We present CS maps of 12 globule cores and derive sizes for nine CS cores. The results of the CS survey are compared with the results of surveys of other lines and of dust continuum emission. The integrated intensities of the CS lines correlate with those of C18O J = 2 → 1, but the line widths and FWHM sizes tend to be somewhat larger than those of C18O. The mean FWHM size of those sources with reasonable distance estimates is 0.41 ± 0.18 pc, and the mean virial mass is 60 ± 52 M☉. The mean size places them intermediate between cores in Taurus and cores associated with water masers and massive star formation.

A new method for determining distances to dark clouds and small Bok globules based on broadband optical photometry has been developed. The method exploits the fact that M dwarf stars do not redden into the colors of other main-sequence stars. Consequently, from analysis of color-color diagrams of V-I versus B-V, spectral types and extinctions of faint M dwarf stars located in front of and behind the molecular clouds can be established. For sufficiently deep observations (B ≈ 20–24 mag), distances to clouds closer than about 1 kpc can be bracketed to a higher degree of precision (10–40 pc) than previously possible. Photometric data for the Bok globule CB 24 are used in this paper to demonstrate this method, yielding a maximum distance of 360 pc.

We have performed a near-infrared JHK survey of a dense core and a diffuse filament region within the filamentary dark cloud GF 9 (LDN 1082). The core region is associated with the IRAS point source PSC 20503+6006 and is suspected of being a site of star formation. The diffuse filament region has no associated IRAS point sources and is likely quiescent. We find that neither the core nor the filament region appears to contain a Class I or Class II young stellar object. As traced by the dust extinction, the core and filament regions contain 26 and 22 solar mass, respectively, with an average H2 volume density for both regions of approximately 2500/cu cm. The core region contains a centrally condensed extinction maximum with a peak extinction of A(sub v) greater than or approximately equal to 10 mag that appears to be associated with the IRAS point source. The average H2 volume density of the extinction core is approximately 8000/cu cm. The dust within the filament, however, shows no sign of a central condensation and is consistent with a uniform-density cylindrical distribution.

We have conducted an HCN (J = 1–0) survey of dense cores in a sample of 24 star-forming and quiescent Bok globules. HCN emission was detected toward 11 of 13 globules containing embedded point sources, with no HCN detection among 11 starless globules. As in other dark clouds, the J = 1–0 hyperfine line intensity ratios vary from globule to globule and also with position toward the same globule, suggesting the presence of either a scattering envelope surrounding the core or a complex density structure. We find that the J = 1–0 transition of the HCN molecule can be used effectively to search for early stages of star formation in small molecular clouds: in the sample of star-forming cores, for three (of five) sources mapped, there is good spatial coincidence (better than 6'') between the position of the peak integrated HCN emission and the location of the associated embedded source. Furthermore, this transition is well correlated with the young stellar object (YSO) class, detecting preferentially class I YSOs. Our results indicate that detecting strong (>1 K km s-1) HCN emission from a molecular cloud core seems to imply the presence of an embedded protostar and thus, indirectly, that of a collapsing core.

We present a study of the morphological aspects of H2 jets and knots seen toward the small dark cloud Sandqvist 136. Near-infrared images of this cloud in the J, H, and K bands and in the 2.12 μm v = 1-0 S(1) molecular hydrogen line were obtained. The images reveal the presence of a near-infrared nebula with a conical shape. The location of the apex of the cone, in the K-band image, coincides with the position of an IRAS Point Source Catalogue source. This source, possibly a class 0 young stellar object, is likely to be the illuminator of the nebula. The position and orientation of the conical nebula coincide with those of the blueshifted lobe of the previously found molecular outflow associated with Sandqvist 136. Near-infrared jets and knots were found positionally associated with the high-velocity molecular outflow. The knots seem to be tracing the walls of a cavity excavated by the molecular outflow. Unlike most outflows commonly associated with class 0 sources, the outflow associated with this source appears to be poorly collimated.

We present the first high angular resolution observations in the nearinfrared H-band (1.6 microns) of the Luminous Blue Variable star P Cygni. We obtained six-telescope interferometric observations with the CHARA Array and the MIRC beam combiner. These show that the spatial flux distribution is larger than expected for the stellar photosphere. A two component model for the star (uniform disk) plus a halo (two-dimensional Gaussian) yields an excellent fit of the observations, and we suggest that the halo corresponds to flux emitted from the base of the stellar wind. This wind component contributes about 45% of the H-band flux and has an angular FWHM = 0.96 mas, compared to the predicted stellar diameter of 0.41 mas. We show several images reconstructed from the interferometric visibilities and closure phases, and they indicate a generally spherical geometry for the wind. We also obtained near-infrared spectrophotometry of P Cygni from which we derive the flux excess compared to a purely photospheric spectral energy distribution. The H-band flux excess matches that from the wind flux fraction derived from the two component fits to the interferometry. We find evidence of significant near-infrared flux variability over the period from 2006 to 2010 that appears similar to the variations in the H-alpha emission flux from the wind. Future interferometric observations may be capable of recording the spatial variations associated with temporal changes in the wind structure., 34 pages, 5 tables, 8 figures, accepted to ApJ

Few normal galaxies have been probed using near-infrared polarimetry, even though it reveals magnetic fields in the cool interstellar medium better than either optical or radio polarimetry. Deep H-band (1.6um) linear imaging polarimetry toward Taurus serendipitously included the galaxy 2MASX J04412715+2433110 with adequate sensitivity and resolution to map polarization across nearly its full extent. The observations revealed the galaxy to be a steeply inclined (~75 deg) disk type with a diameter, encompassing 90% of the Petrosian flux, of 4.2 kpc at a distance of 53 Mpc. Because the sight line passes through the Taurus Molecular Cloud complex, the foreground polarization needed to be measured and removed. The foreground extinction Av of 2.00+/-0.10 mag and reddening E(H-K) of 0.125 +/- 0.009 mag were also assessed and removed, based on analysis of 2MASS, UKIDSS, Spitzer, and WISE photometry using the NICE, NICER, and RJCE methods. Corrected for the polarized foreground, the galaxy polarization values range from zero to 3%. The polarizations are dominated by a disk-parallel magnetic field geometry, especially to the northeast, while either a vertical field or single scattering of bulge light produces disk-normal polarizations to the southwest. The multi-kpc coherence of the magnetic field revealed by the infrared polarimetry is in close agreement with short wavelength radio synchrotron observations of edge-on galaxies, indicating that both cool and warm interstellar media of disk galaxies may be threaded by common magnetic fields., Comment: To be published in The Astronomical Journal; 37 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables

The galaxy M51 was observed using the Mimir instrument on the Perkins telescope to constrain the resolved H-band (1.6 $��$m) polarization across the galaxy. These observations place an upper limit of $P_H, 4 pages, 2 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJL

This work combines new observations of NIR starlight linear polarimetry with previously simulated observations in order to constrain dynamo models of the Galactic magnetic field. Polarimetric observations were obtained with the Mimir instrument on the Perkins Telescope in Flagstaff, AZ, along a line of constant Galactic longitude (\ell = 150\circ) with 17 pointings of the 10' \times 10' field of view between -75\circ < b < 10\circ, with more frequent pointings towards the Galactic midplane. A total of 10,962 stars were photometrically measured and 1,116 had usable polarizations. The observed distribution of polarization position angles with Galactic latitude and the cumulative distribution function of the measured polarizations are compared to predicted values. While the predictions lack the effects of turbulence and are therefore idealized, this comparison allows significant rejection of A0-type magnetic field models. S0 and disk-even halo-odd magnetic field geometries are also rejected by the observations, but at lower significance. New predictions of spiral-type, axisymmetric magnetic fields, when combined with these new NIR observations, constrain the Galactic magnetic field spiral pitch angle to -6\circ \pm 2\circ., 11 pages, 10 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ

The relative alignments of mid-infrared traced Galactic bubbles are compared to the orientation of the mean Galactic magnetic field in the disk. The orientations of bubbles in the northern Galactic plane were measured and are consistent with random orientations - no preferential alignment with respect to the Galactic disk was found. A subsample of HII region driven Galactic bubbles was identified, and as a single population they show random orientations. When this subsample was further divided into subthermal and suprathermal HII regions, based on hydrogren radio recombination linewidths, the subthermal HII regions showed a marginal deviation from random orientations, but the suprathermal HII regions showed significant alignment with the Galactic plane. The mean orientation of the Galactic disk magnetic field was characterized using new near-infrared starlight polarimetry and the suprathermal HII regions were found to preferentially align with the disk magnetic field. If suprathermal linewidths are associated with younger HII regions, then the evolution of young HII regions is significantly affected by the Galactic magnetic field. As HII regions age, they cease to be strongly linked to the Galactic magnetic field, as surrounding density variations come to dominate their morphological evolution. From the new observations, the ratios of magnetic-to-ram pressures in the expanding ionization fronts were estimated for younger HII regions., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figues, 3 tables; Accepted for publication in ApJ

We present the first resolved map of plane-of-sky magnetic field strength for a quiescent molecular cloud. GRSMC 45.60+0.30 subtends 40 x 10 pc at a distance of 1.88 kpc, masses 16,000 M_sun, and exhibits no star formation. Near-infrared background starlight polarizations were obtained for the Galactic Plane Infrared Polarization Survey using the 1.8 m Perkins telescope and the Mimir instrument. The cloud area of 0.78 deg2 contains 2684 significant starlight polarizations for Two Micron All Sky Survey matched stars brighter than 12.5 mag in the H band. Polarizations are generally aligned with the cloud's major axis, showing an average position angle dispersion of 15 \pm 2{\deg} and polarization of 1.8 \pm 0.6%. The polarizations were combined with Galactic Ring Survey 13CO spectroscopy and the Chandrasekhar-Fermi method to estimate plane-of-sky magnetic field strengths, with an angular resolution of 100 arcsec. The average plane-of-sky magnetic field strength across the cloud is 5.40 \pm 0.04 {\mu}G. The magnetic field strength map exhibits seven enhancements or "magnetic cores." These cores show an average magnetic field strength of 8.3 \pm 0.9 {\mu}G, radius of 1.2 \pm 0.2 pc, intercore spacing of 5.7 \pm 0.9 pc, and exclusively subcritical mass-to-flux ratios, implying their magnetic fields continue to suppress star formation. The magnetic field strength shows a power-law dependence on gas volume density, with slope 0.75 \pm 0.02 for n_{H_2} >=10 cm-3. This power-law index is identical to those in studies at higher densities, but disagrees with predictions for the densities probed here., Comment: 11 pages, 15 figures, published in ApJ (2012, 755, 130)