We present in this paper the results of high spectral resolution (R = 88,100) spectroscopy at 4.7 μm with iSHELL/IRTF of hot molecular gas close to the massive binary protostar W3 IRS 5. The binary was spatially resolved, and the spectra of the two sources (MIR1 and MIR2) were obtained simultaneously for the first time. Hundreds of 12CO ν = 0–1, ν = 1–2 lines, and ν = 0–1 transitions of the isotopes of 12CO were detected in absorption and are blueshifted compared to the cloud velocity v LSR = −38 km s−1. We decompose and identify kinematic components from the velocity profiles and apply rotation diagram and curve-of-growth analyses to determine their physical properties. The temperatures and column densities of the identified components range from 30 to 700 K and 1021 to 1022 cm−2, respectively. Our curve-of-growth analyses consider two scenarios. One assumes a foreground slab with a partial covering factor, which well reproduces the absorption of most of the components. The other assumes a circumstellar disk with an outward-decreasing temperature in the vertical direction and reproduces the absorption of all of the hot components. We attribute the physical origins of the identified components to the foreground envelope (<100 K), post-J-shock regions (200–300 K), and clumpy structures on the circumstellar disks (∼600 K). We propose that the components with a J-shock origin are akin to water maser spots in the same region and complement the physical information of water masers along the direction of their movements.

We have performed a high-resolution 4–13 μm spectral survey of the hot molecular gas associated with the massive protostars AFGL 2591 and AFGL 2136. Here we present the results of the analysis of the ν 2 band of H2O, detected with the Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph on board the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy between wavelengths of 5 and 8 μm. All lines are seen in absorption. Rotation diagrams indicate that the gas is optically thick and lines are observed to saturate at 40% and 15% relative to the continuum for AFGL 2136 and AFGL 2591, respectively. We applied two curve of growth analyses to derive the physical conditions, one assuming a foreground origin and one a circumstellar disk origin. We find temperatures of 400–600 K. A foreground origin would require the presence of externally heated clumps that are smaller than the continuum source. The disk analysis is based on stellar atmosphere theory, which takes into consideration the temperature gradient in the disk. We discuss the challenges with each model, taking into consideration the properties of other species detected in the spectral survey, and conclude that further modeling efforts are required to establish whether the absorption has a disk or foreground origin. The main challenge to the foreground model is that molecules are expected to be observed in emission. The main challenges to the disk model are the midplane heating mechanism and the presence of narrow absorption lines shifted from the systemic velocity.

We present in this paper mid-infrared (5–8 μm) spectroscopy toward the massive young binary W3 IRS 5, using the Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (EXES) spectrometer in high-resolution mode (R ∼ 50,000) from the NASA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Many (∼180) ν 2 = 1–0 and (∼90) ν 2 = 2–1 absorption rovibrational transitions are identified. Two hot components over 500 K and one warm component of 190 K are identified through Gaussian fittings and rotation diagram analysis. Each component is linked to a CO component identified in the IRTF/iSHELL observations (R = 88,100) through their kinematic and temperature characteristics. Revealed by the large scatter in the rotation diagram, opacity effects are important, and we adopt two curve-of-growth analyses, resulting in column densities of ∼1019 cm−2. In one analysis, the model assumes a foreground slab. The other assumes a circumstellar disk with an outward-decreasing temperature in the vertical direction. The disk model is favored because fewer geometry constraints are needed, although this model faces challenges as the internal heating source is unknown. We discuss the chemical abundances along the line of sight based on the CO-to-H2O connection. In the hot gas, all oxygen not locked in CO resides in water. In the cold gas, we observe a substantial shortfall of oxygen and suggest that the potential carrier could be organics in solid ice.