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Do the Infrared Emission Features Need Ultraviolet Excitation? The PAH Model in UV-Poor Reflection Nebulae

Aigen Li·B. T. Draine
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Abstract

One of the major challenges to identification of the 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3um interstellar IR emission bands with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules has been the recent detection of these bands in regions with little UV illumination, since small, neutral PAH molecules have little or no absorption at visible wavelengths and therefore require UV photons for excitation. We show here that our "astronomical" PAH model, incorporating the experimental result that the visual absorption edge shifts to longer wavelength upon ionization and/or as the PAH size increases, can closely reproduce the observed infrared emission bands of vdB 133, a UV-poor reflection nebula. It is also shown that single-photon heating of ``astronomical'' PAHs in reflection nebulae near stars as cool as T_eff=3000K can result in observable emission at 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, and 11.3um. Illustrative mid-IR emission spectra are also calculated for reflection nebulae illuminated by cool stars with T_eff=3500, 4500, 5000K. These will allow comparison with future Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) observations of vdB 135 (T_eff=3600K), vdB 47 (T_eff=4500K), and vdB 101 (T_eff=5000K). It is also shown that the dependence of the 12um IRAS emission relative to the total far-IR emission on the effective temperature of the exciting star is consistent with the PAH model expectation for 3000K < T_eff < 30000K.

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Aigen Li, B. T. Draine. 2002-01-04. Do the Infrared Emission Features Need Ultraviolet Excitation? The PAH Model in UV-Poor Reflection Nebulae. https://doi.org/10.1086/340285

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