OPTICAL POLARIMETRY AND HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF THE CHAMELEON-I DARK CLOUD

Magnitudes of linear polarization in the UBVRI bands have been mea sur ed for about 30 background stars in the direction of the Chamaeleon I dark cloud. In addition, high-resolution spectroscopic observations in the wavelength ranges of the atomic species Ca II and Ca I and of the molecular species CH and CH+ have been performed towards the highly r eddened and early-type stars selected from the polarimetry sample. The data have been used to study the magnetic-field structure, the relati on between polarization and extinction, and the relation between molec ular abundances and polarization properties in the cloud. In this cont ribution we present some of the results.