Excitation and emission of H2, CO and H2O molecules in interstellar shock waves

Abstract

The dissipation of kinetic energy that occurs in interstellar shock waves is accompanied by the emission of radiation. In the case of shocks that are propagating into mainly molecular gas, the emission occurs principally in lines of the species H2, H, O, CO and H2O. The relative intensities of these emission lines are indicative of the type and speed of the shock wave and of the physical conditions in the ambient gas. We present the results of computations of the intensities of these lines, for small grids of models of C- and J-type shock waves, and compare with the results of previous calculations. Our results should serve to aid the interpretation of observations made with the Herschel and other satellites. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 RAS.