A Deflected Molecular Jet in the Bipolar Outflow NGC 2264G

Recently published H 2 emission data for the bipolar molecular outflow NGC 2264G are compared to recent CO (2 → 1) observations and existing VLA images. Virtually all of the H 2 emission associated with this outflow is found either behind clumps of swept-up ambient material (i.e., closer to the central source of the outflow) or along the axis of the highest velocity CO emission. The highest velocity CO features appear to arise in jets that emerge from H 2 emission knots and generally follow a pattern consistent with a deflection of a jet at these points. These deflections appear to result in part from a temporal change in the direction of the bipolar axis of the outflowing material ejected from the central source. We propose that effects such as these play a role in degrading the collimation of jet-driven outflow lobes.