OH Masers as Diagnostics of Physical Conditions in Star-forming Regions. II. Effects of Large Velocity Gradients and Infrared Radiation

Abstract

We have studied the pumping of OH masers in star-forming regions by introducing four pumping mechanisms one at a time. The four mechanisms are collisions, local line overlap, nonlocal line overlap, and external infrared radiation field. The first two have been investigated in a previous paper (Paper I). Here we study the effects of nonlocal line overlap and of an external infrared radiation field. As in Paper I, we have used the most accurate collision rates of OH with ortho- and para-H<SUB>2</SUB>, which became available recently, and we have taken the effects of line overlap into account as accurately as possible using a recently developed formalism. We have found that, despite the significant change in the collision rates, the effects of nonlocal line overlap and of an external infrared radiation field are necessary for the explanation of the main lines in the ground state of OH. The same is true for the explanation of the general qualitative behavior of H II/OH masers. Our calculations have revealed a number of diagnostics of the physical conditions in star-forming regions. These diagnostics are enumerated in our conclusions.