We carried out optical polarimetry of five dense cores, (IRAM 04191, L1521F, L328, L673-7, and L1014) which are found to harbour very low luminosity objects (VeLLOs; Lint<~0.1L_{sun}_). This study was conducted mainly to understand the role played by the magnetic field in the formation of very low and substellar mass range objects. Light from the stars, while passing through the dust grains that are aligned with their short axis parallel to an external magnetic field, becomes linearly polarised. The polarisation position angles measured for the stars can provide the plane-of-the sky magnetic field orientation. Because the light in the optical wavelength range is most efficiently polarised by the dust grains typically found at the outer layers of the molecular clouds, optical polarimetry mostly traces the magnetic field orientation of the core envelope.

Cone search capability for table J/A+A/573/A34/table1 (List of studied sources)

Cone search capability for table J/A+A/573/A34/table4 (Optical polarisation results of the stars observed in the direction of five dense cores with Very Low Luminosity Objects)