Diagnosing the conditions in molecular outflow sources: New developments in shock wave models with non-equilibrium chemistry

Abstract

The shock waves associated with molecular outflows may be of continuous (C) type or jump (J) type, depending on conditions in the preshock gas, notably the degree of ionization. Intermediate situations also exist, in which a J-discontinuity terminates or is embedded in a C-type flow. We consider the results of recent modelling of several important cases where shock waves will comprise both C and J components, namely: (1) in the evolution of a planar J into a planar C type shock wave, prior to the attainment of a stationary state; (2) at shock speeds exceeding the maximum value for a planar C type shock, when the cooling flow encounters a sonic point; (3) in a curved bowshock, when the shock speed at the apex exceeds the maximum value for a C type shock while the bow wings remain of C type. We show that proper allowance for the departure of the chemistry from equilibrium, particularly the dissociation/reformation of H2, is crucial for an accurate treatment of the C to J transition. All the possible modes of shock propagation need to be considered when interpreting observations of molecular outflow sources. An important diagnostic tool in this context is the H2 excitation diagram, which plots the logarithm of the column densities of the H2 rotational levels, divided by the statistical weights, against their excitation energies. There can be large differences between the dynamical and physical conditions implied by J type shocks (with and without a precursor), C type shocks, and bowshocks which best fit the observed excitation diagram. We discuss, by means of examples, the use of the excitation diagram, in conjunction with our sophisticated shock model, to constrain conditions in shocks propagating in molecular outflows.