High Velocity Gas in the Orion Nebula

Abstract

Observations at both millimeter and infrared wavelengths reveal energetic activity within the core of the Orion molecular cloud in the vicinity of the KL-BN cluster. New observations of the high velocity CO emission at 2.6-mm with improved angular resolution (HPBW = 44″) show that the source diameter averages 4 × 1017 cm and the center of mass is displaced 10-12″ north of the Kleinmann-Low nebula to a position close to the Becklin-Neugebauer object. The total mass of high velocity gas in the core region is ∼10 M⊙ (assuming 10% of the carbon is in CO); the present kinetic energy is 4 × 1047 ergs. Further evidence that BN may be the ultimate source of this energy is provided by high resolution infrared spectra which show both ionized and high temperature (Tk ≳ 3000 K) neutral gas in this source. CO bandhead emission (v = 2 → 0, 3 → 1, and 4 → 2) seen in BN is thought to arise from collisional excitation at high temperatures in a very dense (nH > 1010 cm−3) region only 1 AU in size. And high spectral resolution profiles of the Br α and γ recombination lines show that the HII region previously detected in BN apparently has motions over 100 km s−1.