Interstellar extinction, polarization, and grain alignment in the Sh
  2-185 (IC 59 and IC 63) region
  Optical and infrared continuum polarization from the interstellar medium is
driven by radiative processes aligning the grains with the magnetic field.
While a quantitative, predictive theory of Radiative Alignment Torques (RAT)
exists and has been extensively tested, several parameters of the theory remain
to be fully constrained. In a recent paper, \citet{medan2019} showed that the
polarization efficiency (and therefore grain alignment efficiency) at different
locations in the wall of the Local Bubble (LB) could be modeled as proportional
to the integrated light intensity from the surrounding stars and OB
associations. Here we probe that relationship at high radiation field
intensities by studying the extinction and polarization in the two reflection
nebulae IC\,59 and IC\,63 in the Sh 2-185 H II region, illuminated by the B0 IV
star $\gamma$ Cassiopeia. We combine archival visual polarimetry with new
7-band photometry in the Vilnius system, to derive the polarization efficiency
from the material. We find that the same linear relationship seen in the Local
Bubble wall also applies to the Sh 2-185 region, strengthening the conclusion
from the earlier study.
