Looking for Pure Rotational H2 Emission from Protoplanetary Disks
Abstract
We report on a limited search for pure-rotational molecular hydrogen emission associated with young, pre-main-sequence stars. We looked for H2 v=0 J = 3->1 and J = 4->2 emission in the mid-infrared using the Texas Echelon-Cross-Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES) at NASA's 3m Infrared Telescope Facility. The high spectral and spatial resolution of our observations lead to more stringent limits on narrow line emission close to the source than previously achieved. One star, AB Aur, shows a possible (2sigma) H2 detection, but further observations are required to make a confident statement. Our non-detections suggest that a significant fraction, perhaps all, of previously reported H2 emission towards these objects could be extended on scales of 5" or more.
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