Vibrationally excited HCN around AFGL 2591: A probe of protostellar structure

Vibrationally excited molecules with submillimeter rotational transitions are potentially excellent probes of physical conditions near protostars. This study uses observations of the v = 1 and v = 2 ro-vibrational modes of HCN (4-3) to probe this environment. The presence or absence and relative strengths of these ro-vibrational lines probe the gas excitation mechanism and physical conditions in warm, dense material associated with protostellar disks. We present pilot observations from the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope and follow-up observations from the Submillimeter Array. All vibrationally excited HCN (4-3) v = 0, v = 1, and v = 2 lines were observed. The existence of the three v = 2 lines at approximately equal intensity imply collisional excitation with a density of greater than (10¹⁰ cm^-3) and a temperature of >1000 K for the emitting gas. This warm, high-density material should directly trace structures formed in the protostellar envelope and disk environment. Further, the line shapes of the v = 2 emission may suggest a Keplerian disk. This Letter demonstrates the utility of this technique which is of particular interest due to the recent inauguration of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array.