{
  "abstract": "We present a multiwavelength study of three molecular clouds, L1346, L1388, and L1598, combining R -band polarimetric and archival photometric data to investigate their magnetic field morphology, physical characteristics, and dust grain alignment properties. Using a Near Infrared Photometric Technique, we estimate distances of 687 ± 26 pc (L1346), 414 ± 42 pc (L1388), and 642 ± 34 pc (L1598). Extinction mapping via the PNICER approach yields mean visual extinctions of 1.7, 1.4, and 2.0 mag, corresponding to column densities of 1.61, 1.33, and 1.92 × 10 ²¹ cm ⁻² . Complementary Herschel SPIRE observations provide mean dust temperatures of 13.35 K (L1346) and 14.48 K (L1598), with clump masses of ∼16 M ⊙ and ∼11 M ⊙ . The virial parameter of L1598 ( α vir = 0.86–1.04) confirms it as a gravitationally bound structure. Polarimetric observations, primarily probing the envelope regions, reveal mean polarization degrees of 4.46% (L1346), 3.34% (L1388), and 2.64% (L1598), with polarization angles closely aligned with the Galactic plane. Unlike L1598, the optical polarization vectors in L1346 and L1388 qualitatively agree with the large-scale Planck magnetic-field morphology. Applying the classical Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi (DCF) method, we derive approximate plane-of-sky (POS) magnetic field strength of ≈73 μ G (L1346), ≈17 μ G (L1388), and ≈23 μ G (L1598). A monotonic decrease in polarization rate with distance and a declining polarization efficiency with increasing extinction are observed in L1346 and L1388. Critical grain sizes of ≈0.069–0.102 μ m across L1346 and L1388, smaller than typical diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) values, indicate that alignment may be constrained by radiation field attenuation within the clouds. Taken together, these findings are compatible with the radiative torque alignment (RAT-A) theory.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Assam University",
    "Ramkrishna Nagar College",
    "Karimganj College",
    "Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences",
    "Gauhati University",
    "Department of Physics",
    "Gurucharan University"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 14,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sanchali Nath Mazumdar",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-5380-3509"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Himadri Sekhar Das",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0262-7264"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Biki Prasad",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-5728-0312"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Boinao Meikam",
      "orcid": "0009-0004-5155-5249"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Dipankar Paul",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-8604-269X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Rajat Subhra Paul",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-1317-752X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Jeewan C. Pandey",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4331-1867"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Biman J. Medhi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3448-8150"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Gulafsha B. Choudhury",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6497-9439"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Bhaskarjyoti Barman",
      "orcid": "0009-0006-7902-1200"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Nambram Niroda Devi",
      "orcid": "0009-0006-0810-3225"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Monoswini Chakravorty",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-0202-4801"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Abinash Suklabaidya",
      "orcid": "0009-0006-8513-077X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Bhaskar Goswami",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6928-3035"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/br0jvrf16n8cc.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/ae9f42",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "br0jvrf16n8cc",
  "issns": [
    "0004-637X",
    "1538-4357"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9f42",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies"
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  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9f42/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-30",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/br0jvrf16n8cc.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/ae9f42",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9f42"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "openalex:3103|Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies",
      "subfield": "stellar"
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  ],
  "title": "Interplay of Magnetic Fields, Dust Extinction, and Grain Alignment in Three Molecular Clouds",
  "title_text": "Interplay of Magnetic Fields, Dust Extinction, and Grain Alignment in Three Molecular Clouds",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/br0jvrf16n8cc",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": []
}