A shock that can be studied in detail, using a very limited amount of Herschel time, is the Herbig-Haro object HH54 located in the nearby Chamaeleon II cloud at a distance of 180 pc. The shocked region has an angular extent of roughly 30. and is not contaminated with emission from other nearby objects. The gas, traced by H2O and CO, emits radiation predominantly in the far-infrared regime. For that reason, this program can only be executed using the instruments aboard the Herschel Space Observatory.
We propose spectroscopy of rotational H2O and CO transitions, falling in the wavelength range covered by SPIRE and PACS. These observations will allow us to stratify the shocked region in different physical/kinematical components. We will also improve our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for water production and destruction. Given the relatively large angular extent of the region, we will determine the types of shock responsible for the emission in different positions along the shocked surface. We also propose HIFI observations of selected CO and H2O transitions. A bullet feature has previously been observed in several CO line profiles. Using HIFI, we will constrain the origin and physical properties of the region responsible for this emission.
Publication
Resolving the shocked gas in HH 54 with Herschel. CO line mapping at high spatial and spectral resolution . Bjerkeli P. et al. . Astronomy & Astrophysics, Volume 571, id.A90, 6 pp. . 571 . 10.1051\/0004-6361\/201424789 . 2014A&A...571A..90B ,
Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth 'cornerstone' mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities.
