The Nature of the High Velocity Flow in CRL 618

Extract

Using the IRAM interferometer, we have mapped with a 2″.4 = 3″.4 resolution the J = 1 → 0 HCN line emission in the proto–planetary nebula CRL 618. Our maps resolve the 200 kms⁻¹ molecular outflow (Cernicharo et al. 1989), as well as the slowly expanding circumstellar envelope (Bujarrabal et al. 1988), allowing a very precise positioning (≤ 0″.1) of these components with respect to the central HII region. 70% of the HCN envelope emission comes from a very compact, spherically symmetric core of size ≃ 3″.2. The core surrounds the high velocity gas which appears localized in a number of small ‘clumps’ (≤ 0″.5) – see figure. The large range of velocities observed in the ‘clumps’ suggests that we are not observing a decelerating molecular flow, but the impacts of a bipolar outflow on the slowly moving core, close to the HII region. The collision of a neutral gas outflow with high density regions (the ‘clumps’) results in the generation of dissociative shock-waves pushing and tearing the inner surface of the envelope. CRL 618 appears to have reached the stage where the stellar winds begin to disrupt and to scrape through the massive envelope, shortly before it evolves towards a Planetary Nebula.