Abstract

We present an analysis of physical conditions in the Orion Veil, an atomic photon-dominated region (PDR) that lies just in front (≈2 pc) of the Trapezium stars of Orion. This region offers an unusual opportunity to study the properties of PDRs, including the magnetic field. We have obtained 21 cm H i and 18 cm (1665 and 1667 MHz) OH Zeeman effect data that yield images of the line-of-sight magnetic field strength B los in atomic and molecular regions of the Veil. We find B los ≈ −50 to −75 μG in the atomic gas across much of the Veil (25'' resolution) and B los ≈ −350 μG at one position in the molecular gas (40'' resolution). The Veil has two principal H i velocity components. Magnetic and kinematical data suggest a close connection between these components. They may represent gas on either side of a shock wave preceding a weak-D ionization front. Magnetic fields in the Veil H i components are 3–5 times stronger than they are elsewhere in the interstellar medium where N(H) and n(H) are comparable. The H i components are magnetically subcritical (magnetically dominated), like the cold neutral medium, although they are about 1 dex denser. Comparatively strong fields in the Veil H i components may have resulted from low-turbulence conditions in the diffuse gas that gave rise to OMC-1. Strong fields may also be related to magnetostatic equilibrium that has developed in the Veil since star formation. We also consider the location of the Orion-S molecular core, proposing a location behind the main Orion H+ region.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-24-2016

Notes/Citation Information

Published in The Astrophysical Journal, v. 825, no. 1, 2, p. 1-19.

© 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

The copyright holder has granted the permission for posting the article here.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.3847/0004-637X/825/1/2

Funding Information

This work has been supported in part by NSF grant AST 0908841 to T.H.T.

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