Program: GS-2012B-SV-401

Title:The Explosive Orion OMC1 Outflow
PI:John Bally
Co-I(s): Adam Ginsburg

Abstract

We propose a GeMS Science Verification proposal to obtain an AO corrected, diffraction-limited mosaic of the OMC1 outflow, the nearest active site of massive star birth, in narrow-band filters centered on the 2.122 micron molecular hydrogen (H2), 1.644 micron [Fe II], and the narrow-band Ks continuum filters. The Orion OMC1 outflow produces the brightest H2 emission in the sky. The proposed observations will test the hypothesis that the explosive OMC1 outflow was generated by the disruption of non-hierarchical system of massive stars 500 years ago which ejected the Becklin-Neugebauer (BN) object, radio source I, and source n with speeds of 10 to 30 km/s (Menten & Reid 1995, Gomez et al. 2005, Bally et al. 2011, Goddi et al. 2011). The origin of this remarkable outflow will shed critical light on the physical processes involved in the formation of massive stars, the interactions of such stars with their environment, and the ejection of high-velocity run-away stars. We will combine ~0.1 arcseccond resolution GeMS images with archived HST images and AO images obtained between 2007 and 2009 with NIRI with LGS and the Altair AO system on Gemini North to measure proper motions of H2 and [FeII] knots with unprecedented precision to determine the point of origin and dynamic age of the OMC 1 outflow. Comparison with AO-assisted Gemini North and HST images will demonstrate the quality of the GeMS systems and will provide exciting scientific results which may provide for an excellent public outreach opportunity. This program will also complement a proposed ALMA Cycle 1 program to map the molecular hydrogen fingers in sub-mm emission lines of carbon monoxide with arcsecond resolution by providing accurate proper motions and shock morphology constraints.

Publications using this program's data