First spectrally-resolved H-2 observations towards HH 54 Low H2O abundance in shocks

Context. Herschel observations suggest that the H2O distribution in outflows from low-mass stars resembles the H-2 emission. It is still unclear which of the different excitation components that characterise the mid-and near-IR H-2 distribution is associated with H2O. Aims. The aim is to spectrally resolve the different excitation components observed in the H-2 emission. This will allow us to identify the H-2 counterpart associated with H2O and finally derive directly an H2O abundance estimate with respect to H-2. Methods. We present new high spectral resolution observations of H-2 0-0 S(4), 0-0 S(9), and 1-0 S(1) towards HH 54, a bright nearby shock region in the southern sky. In addition, new Herschel/HIFI H2O (2(12)-1(01)) observations at 1670 GHz are presented. Results. Our observations show for the first time a clear separation in velocity of the different H-2 lines: the 0-0 S(4) line at the lowest excitation peaks at -7 kms(-1), while the more excited 0-0 S(9) and 1-0 S(1) lines peak at -15 km s(-1). H2O and high-J CO appear to be associated with the H-2 0-0 S(4) emission, which traces a gas component with a temperature of 700-1000 K. The H2O abundance with respect to H-2 0-0 S(4) is estimated to be X(H2O