Description
IRAS 19410+2336 is a young massive star forming region with an intense outflow activity. Outflows are frequently studied in the near-infrared (NIR) since the H_2_ emission in this wavelength range often traces the shocked molecular gas. However, the mechanisms behind the H_2_ emission detected in IRAS 19410+2336 have not been clarified yet. We present here spatially resolved NIR spectroscopy which allows us to verify whether the H_2_ emission originates from thermal emission in shock fronts or from fluorescence excitation by non-ionizing UV photons. Moreover, NIR spectroscopy also offers the possibility of studying the characteristics of the putative driving source(s) of the H_2_ emission by the detection of photospheric and circumstellar spectral features, and of the environmental conditions (e.g. extinction). We obtained long-slit, intermediate-resolution, NIR spectra of IRAS 19410+2336 using LIRIS, the NIR imager/spectrographer mounted on the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope. As a complement, we also obtained J, H and Ks images with the Las Campanas 2.5m Du Pont Telescope, and archival mid-infrared (MIR) Spitzer-images at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0um.
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