Near-infrared Polarimetric Study of N159/N160 Star Forming Regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We observed two star forming regions, N159 and N160, in the Large Magellanic Cloud with SIRPOL, the polarimeter of the Infrared Survey Facility (IRSF) in South Africa. The photometric and polarimetric observations are done in three near-infrared bands, J, H, and Ks. We measured Stokes parameters of point sources and calculated their degrees of polarization and polarization angles. The polarization vector map shows complex features associated with dust and gas structures. Overall features of the magnetic field in N159 and N160 regions are different from each other and appear to be related to local environments, such as interior and boundary of shell structure, existence of star-forming HII regions, and boundaries between HII regions and dense dark clouds. We discuss the relation between the structure of magnetic field and the local properties of dust and gas in N159 and N160 regions by comparing our polarization vector map with images of $H{\alpha}$, mid-infrared, and $^{12}CO$ emissions, respectively by WFI of MPG/ESO telescope, Spitzer IRAC, and NANTEN.