Wide-Field Near-Infrared Polarimetry of Star Forming Regions: A Nest of Infrared Reflection Nebulae in the NGC 6334 Region

We report the results from SIRPOL on the IRSF 1.4 in telescope in South Africa. SIRPOL is a polarimeter with the capability to make JHK(s)-simultaneous imaging polarimetry. From the results of SIRPOL, we present the detection of 18 infrared reflection nebulae (IRNe) by linear polarimetry of the NGC 6334 massive star-forming complex, of which 16 IRNe are new discoveries. These IRNe are most likely associated with embedded young OB stars at different evolutionary phases, showing a variety of sizes, morphologies, and polarization properties, which can be divided into four categories. We argue that the different nebula characteristics are a possible evolutionary sequence of circumstellar structures around young massive stars.