%0 Journal Article %T Near-Infrared Circular Polarization Survey in Star-Forming Regions: Correlations and Trends %A Jungmi Kwon %A Motohide Tamura %A James H. Hough %A Nobuhiko Kusakabe %A Tetsuya Nagata %A Yasushi Nakajima %A Phil W. Lucas %A Takahiro Nagayama %A Ryo Kandori %J Physics %D 2014 %I arXiv %R 10.1088/2041-8205/795/1/L16 %X We have conducted a systematic near-infrared circular polarization (CP) survey in star-forming regions, covering high-mass, intermediate-mass, and low-mass young stellar objects. All the observations were made using the SIRPOL imaging polarimeter on the Infrared Survey Facility 1.4 m telescope at the South African Astronomical Observatory. We present the polarization properties of ten sub-regions in six star-forming regions. The polarization patterns, extents, and maximum degrees of linear and circular polarizations are used to determine the prevalence and origin of CP in the star-forming regions. Our results show that the CP pattern is quadrupolar in general, the CP regions are extensive, up to 0.65 pc, the CP degrees are high, up to 20 %, and the CP degrees decrease systematically from high- to low-mass young stellar objects. The results are consistent with dichroic extinction mechanisms generating the high degrees of CP in star forming regions. %U http://arxiv.org/abs/1410.2947v1