ISO Detection of CO⁺ toward the protostar IRAS 16293-2422

In this letter we report the detection of eight high-N rotational transitions of CO+ towards a low mass protostar, IRAS 16293-2422. The source was observed with the Long Wavelength Spectrometer on board the Infrared Space Observatory. This is the first time that CO+ has been detected in a low luminosity source and the first time that high-N lines have been detected in any source. The detection of these lines was not predicted by models and consequently, their interpretation is a challenge. We discuss the possibility that the observed CO+ emission originates in the dense inner regions illuminated by the UV field created in the accretion shock (formed by infalling material), and conclude that this is an improbable explanation. We have also considered the possibility that a strong, dissociative J-shock at ~ 500 AU from the star is the origin of the CO+ emission. This model predicts CO+ column densities in rough agreement with the observations if the magnetic field is ~ 1 mG and the shock velocity is 100 km s-1