Contents of: VI/111/./abstract/MHARWIT_MHARWIT.abs

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SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT
Earth's atmosphere is so rich in water vapor, that radiation having
wavelengths anywhere near a low-lying water vapor transition is completely
absorbed in relatively thin layers of air.  With ISO well above these
atmospheric layers, we propose to search for low-lying transitions of water
vapor in interstellar clouds, particularly in shocked regions, and in the
extended atmospheres of oxygen-rich stars.  Such regions are characterized by
densities and temperatures sufficiently high to (1) chemically drive a large
fraction of the available oxygen into water, and (2) excite high-lying
transitions.  Detecting a high abundance of water in interstellar molecular
clouds could account for the surprisingly low oxygen-to-carbon ratio observed
in other chemical species in those clouds, and thereby resolve a major puzzle
of cosmic chemical abundance ratios.  For M42 and VY CMa on a spring launch,
or alternatively W49 and W Hya, for a launch in the fall, we will also seek to
measure the abundance of molecular oxygen.

OBSERVATION SUMMARY
We will make use of Fabry-Perot observations, at short wavelengths, as well as
long, making use of AOTs LWS04 and SWS07.

With LWS, we will establish a continuum base by observing four elements each
side of the line, and make observations at two steps per resolution element. 
We will aim for a signal to noise ratio of about 10 on individual spectral
lines, but will set a maximum duration on the observation of individual scans
of about 18000 sec.  For stellar observations, line strength variability may
be expected and the observations on any given star will need to be
concatenated, so as to fall within a given 24 hour orbit.  Since pointing at
precisely the same location may be a problem on successive orbits, and shocked
regions are complex, we will also concatenate the line observations for any
given shocked region.  In no case, however, will the duration of a
concatenated observation exceed a period of the order of two hours.

For stellar spectra, we have selected four water vapor LWS lines, respectively
at 95.627, 99.493, 100.983 and 113.538 microns.  For SWS we have chosen two
lines, again respectively, at 22.639 and 23.194 microns.  Where observations
seem dominated primarily by overheads, we have set a minimum observing time
for 15 sec for each LWS Fabry-Perot position.  Generally, that increases the
observing time by about a factor of two, but assures us flexibility in case
the source is somewhat weaker than anticipated.  

For the SWS07 observations, we will be simultaneously observing the near-
infrared continuum in the grating mode, with grating position fixed for the
duration of each of the F-P wavelength coverage.  For the duration of the
22.639 micron observations the grating will remain fixed at a position at 5.1
microns.  For the 23.194 micron observations the wavelength falling on the
detectors will be shifted one spectral resolution element longward.

For H_2 shocks, we will be searching for a whole series of lines.  The ortho
(O) and para (P) lines to be observed, in all cases are the 179.527(O),
174.624(O), 138.527(P), 125.356(P), 108.073(O), 99.493(O), 95.627(P),
89.989(P), 83.283(P), 82.032(P), 63.458(P), 56.816(O), a combination of
51.445(O) and 51.461(P) centered on 51.453 microns, as well as the 47.973(O),
46.608(O) and 45.111 micron lines.  These will all be observed with the LWS
Fabry-Perot instrument.  The first seven will always be included in the first
AOT listed, while the other nine will be in the second AOT on the lists given
below.

Expected flux levels are highly uncertain.  However, for shocked regions the
projected observing times for water vapor lines are based on the best shock
models available, and the most detailed transition probability and level
cascade studies.  Even if those were to prove faulty, significant
astrophysical information would still be derived through the proposed
observations, since the sensitivities to be achieved for the listed lines
would be of the order of or below the line strengths expected in far-infrared
OH transitions, which are well observed and documented in Orion. If no water
vapor cooling were observed at our expected sensitivities, we would conclude
water to be a less effective coolant than OH for shocked regions, at least as
judged from present data on shocked OH/H_2 line ratios in Orion.  

For two of the stars and two of the shocked regions, we have undertaken to
observe two of the molecular oxygen lines, each, and to spend of the order of
an hour for each line observation.  The stars are VY CMa and WHya,
respectively for the spring and autumn launches.  The shocked regions are the
Orion BN/KL region and W 49, again respectively for the spring and autumn
launches.  These observations are indicated by the designation "O_2" on the
source lists below.  As half of these sources fall into the unobservable
holes, we spend two hours on a shocked region and two on a star, in either
launch window.  We felt it reasonable to devote four hours of observing time
to a search for molecular oxygen, since O_2 could constitute a