We have calculated 2448 interstellar cloud models to investigate the formation and destruction of high rotational level H2 according to the combinations of five physical conditions: the input UV intensity, the H2 column density, cloud temperature, total density, and the H2 formation rate efficiency. The models include the populations of all the accessible states of H2 with the rotational quantum number J < 16 as a function of depth through the model clouds, and assume that the abundance of H2 is in a steady state governed primarily by the rate of formation on the grain surfaces and the rates of destruction by spontaneous fluorescent dissociation following absorption in the Lyman and Werner band systems. The high rotational levels J = 4 and J = 5 are both populated by direct formation into these levels of newly created molecules, and by pumping from J = 0 and J = 1, respectively The model results show that the high rotational level ratio N(4)/N(0) is proportional to the incident UV intensity, and is inversely proportional to the H2 molecular fraction, as predicted in theory.

• KWANG-IL SEON(Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute)
• SOOJONG PAK(Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute)
• DAE-HEE LEE(Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute)