2023ApJ...946..113Z

In protostellar cores, sulfur species are effective probes for the energetic environments, such as shocked regions. With the majority of sulfur depleted on dust grains, sulfur-bearing molecules could be liberated back to gas phase by shocks associated with accretion and outflow activities. Therefore, the gas-phase abundance of these molecules may be correlated to the change of dust properties, which can be investigated through polarization observations. Here we present a comparison study of sulfur species and dust polarization at ∼100 au scale for nine protostars in the Perseus Molecular Cloud. Overall, the emission of sulfur-bearing molecules correlates with the high and disordered polarization in the extended continuum of eight sources, indicating intense physical conditions (e.g., high temperature) and/or change of dust properties within these regions, while no clear correlation is seen for Per-emb-14. For the more evolved sources with clear disk structures (Per-emb-50 and -18), the enhanced SO/SO₂ emission overlaps with the stark contrast of polarization in the shocked regions near the centrifugal barriers. In the six sources with more extended CS and SO emission, such as Per-emb-11 and -5, the polarization enhancement correlates with the outer edge of outflow cavities and other filaments probed by sulfur-bearing molecules, revealing soft shocks along the outflows and envelopes. Such comparison studies could provide additional diagnostics of the physical properties and activities in star-forming processes, especially for the shocked regions.