We present near-infrared spectropolarimetric data between 0.9 and 4.2 mu m for T Tauri. The data clearly show two polarization components: one has a position angle of similar to 90 degrees at wavelengths shortward of similar to 1.6 mu m, while the other has a position angle of similar to 20 degrees at wavelengths longward of similar to 1.6 mu m. The degree of polarization of the former component decreases as the wavelength increases, while the reverse occurs for the latter component. Because the polarization position angle rotates gradually from 1.4 to 1.8 mu m. the rotation can probably be explained by a combination of several scattering components andior dichroic extinction.
In addition, an enhancement of the polarization of the longer wavelength component was clearly observed in 1990 January, when T Tau's infrared companion, T Tau S, was in the outburst phase. The polarization increased to about 3 times that of the quiescent phase at 1.4-2.4 mu m. The enhancement of the polarization in the brighter phase of T Tau S means that T Tau S is a highly polarized source. We estimate the polarization of T Tau S in the K band (2.2 mu m) at 5.7% +/- 1.30%, assuming that the polariaation is constant in both the quiescent and the outburst phase. This high polarization suggests that the polarization originates from scattering by a compact nebulosity in the vicinity of T Tau S. In view of the high polarization resulting from the scattering, we suggest that the infrared companion T Tau S is an embedded protostellar object.