Program: GS-2022B-Q-101

Globulettes are tiny molecular clouds seen silhouetted on the bright Halpha emission in HII regions. They are formed by Radiation Driven Implosion (RDI) of molecular cloudlets residing in the regions. Gemini GSAOI GEMS observations will be used study the structure of the HII region/PDR transition layer interface of two globulettes, RN114 and S1, in the Rosette nebula. The aim of the GSAI observations is to spatially resolve the thickness of PDR layer which is not resolved in the SOFI NIR H2 S(1) 1-0 images. GSAOI imaging will improve the SOFI resolution from 0.9" to 0.09" or 1.5kAU to 150 AU. Observations of both the H2 S(1) 1-0 and 2-1 lines allows to estimate the H2 excitation, the density and temperature in the PDR. This new information can be used in combination with the results from existing ALMA and NTT SOFI NIR imaging to model the structure of Globulettes, their formation mechanism (RDI) and the HII region globulette interface, the PDR, using 3D-PDR MonteCarlo radiative transfer code. The study sheds light on process which triggers the collapse of static molecular clouds via RDI which may result in star/planet formation. An embedded object in S1 is seen in the IRAC and MIPS images. In addition to H2 lines GEMS H band observations will be used to probe the presence of an molecular outflow in S1. The Gemini GSAOI H2 observations were approved (GS-2020B-Q-102-12) but not observed due to the pandemia.