  A detailed study of interstellar polarization efficiency toward molecular
clouds is used to attempt discrimination between grain alignment mechanisms in
dense regions of the ISM. Background field stars are used to probe polarization
efficiency in quiescent regions of dark clouds, yielding a dependence on visual
extinction well-represented by a power law. No significant change in this
behavior is observed in the transition region between the diffuse outer layers
and dense inner regions of clouds, where icy mantles are formed, and we
conclude that mantle formation has little or no effect on the efficiency of
grain alignment. Young stellar objects generally exhibit greater polarization
efficiency compared with field stars at comparable extinctions, displaying
enhancements by factors of up to 6. Of the proposed alignment mechanisms, that
based on radiative torques appears best able to explain the data. The
attenuated external radiation field accounts for the observed polarization in
quiescent regions, and radiation from the embedded stars themselves may enhance
alignment in the lines of sight to YSOs. Enhancements in polarization
efficiency observed in the ice features toward several YSOs are of greatest
significance, as they demonstrate efficient alignment in cold molecular clouds
associated with star formation.
