Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 1991
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1991apj...367..162k&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 367, Jan. 20, 1991, p. 162-167.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
26
Infrared Astronomy, Interstellar Gas, Molecular Clouds, Orion Nebula, Water Vapor, Line Spectra, Rotational Spectra, Vapor Phases
Scientific paper
Infrared observations of interstellar gas-phase H2O in the spectrum of the BN object in Orion are reported. There are absorptions (S/N = 2-5) at the positions of four of the strong lines in the 000-001 nu3 vibration-rotation band. With an estimated excitation temperature of 150 K, the column density of gaseous H2O toward BN in the OMC-1 cloud is (2 + or - 1) x 10 to the 17th/sq cm. The intensities of the lines imply an ortho/para ratio of 1 + or - 0.5 indicating recent sublimation of H2O from low-temperature grains. The results give gas-phase abundance ratios of H2O/CO roughly 0.03 + or - 0.02 and HDO/H2O = 0.001-0.0001 toward BN. The velocities of the H2O absorptions agree with those of the ridge source and CO outflow, but the position along the line of sight is not well constrained. The gas/solid ratio is H2O(gas)/H20(ice) = 0.05 or less. Less than 1 percent of the oxygen is in H2O gas (assuming total cosmic abundance). Most of the H2O in the line of sight to BN, and by inference in quiescent regions of molecular clouds generally, is frozen on grains.
Knacke Roger F.
Larson Harold P.
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