  We aim to investigate the polarization properties of a starless core in a
very early evolutionary stage. Linear polarization data reveal the properties
of the dust grains in the distinct phases of the interstellar medium. Our goal
is to investigate how the polarization degree and angle correlate with the
cloud and core gas. We use optical, near infrared and submillimeter
polarization observations toward the starless object Pipe-109 in the Pipe
nebula. Our data cover a physical scale range of 0.08 to 0.4 pc, comprising the
dense gas, envelope and the surrounding cloud. The cloud polarization is well
traced by the optical data. The near infrared polarization is produced by a
mixed population of grains from the core border and the cloud gas. The optical
and near infrared polarization toward the cloud reach the maximum possible
value and saturate with respect to the visual extinction. The core polarization
is predominantly traced by the submillimeter data and have a steep decrease
with respect to the visual extinction. Modeling of the submillimeter
polarization indicates a magnetic field main direction projected onto the
plane-of-sky and loss of grain alignment for densities higher than
$6\times10^4$ cm$^{-3}$ (or $A_V > 30$ mag). Pipe-109 is immersed in a
magnetized medium, with a very ordered magnetic field. The absence of internal
source of radiation significantly affects the polarization efficiencies in the
core, creating a polarization hole at the center of the starless core. This
result supports the theory of dust grain alignment via radiative torques.
