H2 emission from shocks in molecular outflows: the significance of departures from a stationary state

We have computed the time dependence of the H2 rovibrational emission spectrum from molecular outflows. This emission arises in shock waves generated by the impact of jets, associated with low-mass star formation, on molecular gas. The shocks are unlikely to have attained a state of equilibrium, and so their structure will exhibit both C- and J-type characteristics. The rotational excitation diagram is found to provide a measure of the age of the shock; in the case of the outflow observed in Cepheus A West by the ISO satellite, the shock age is found to be approximately 1.5×103 yr. Emission by other species, such as NH3 and SiO, is also considered, as are the intensities of the fine-structure transitions of atoms and ions.