{
  "abstract": "We present near-infrared K-band ($1.94$--$2.52~μ$m) spectroscopy of the deeply embedded protostellar source HOPS\\,370, obtained with the TIFR--ARIES Near Infrared Spectrometer (TANSPEC) on the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT). The spectrum is dominated by prominent molecular hydrogen ($\\rm H_2$) ro-vibrational emission, with multiple transitions detected from the $1$--$0$ S, $2$--$1$ S, and $1$--$0$ Q branches. Using the intrinsically linked $\\rm H_2$ $1$--$0$ Q(3) and $1$--$0$ S(1) transitions, which arise from the same upper energy level, we derive a visual extinction of $A_V = 23.24 \\pm 1.25$ mag, corresponding to $A_K = 2.50 \\pm 0.13$ mag, consistent with the embedded Class~0/I nature of the source. The diagnostic line ratio $F(2$--$1~{\\rm S}(1))/F(1$--$0~{\\rm S}(1)) = 0.12 \\pm 0.01$ is consistent with thermal excitation and disfavors ultraviolet fluorescence as the dominant excitation mechanism. Assuming optically thin emission and local thermodynamic equilibrium, we derive an $\\rm H_2$ excitation diagram that yields an excitation temperature of $2078 \\pm 215$ K and a molecular hydrogen column density of $(1.93 \\pm 0.93)\\times10^{20}$ cm$^{-2}$. We further derive an ortho-to-para ratio of $2.45 \\pm 0.21$, indicating substantial shock-driven thermal processing while remaining below the high-temperature equilibrium value of 3. Taken together, these diagnostics indicate that the molecular hydrogen emission in HOPS\\,370 originates predominantly in warm, shock-heated gas most likely associated with its protostellar outflow. Our results demonstrate the diagnostic power of combined S- and Q-branch $\\rm H_2$ spectroscopy for constraining the physical conditions and excitation history of deeply embedded protostellar systems.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2610.38192",
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Somnath Dutta"
    },
    {
      "name": "Koshvendra Singh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Devendra K Ojha"
    },
    {
      "name": "Saurabh Sharma"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tarak Chand"
    },
    {
      "name": "Manojit Chakraborty"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kartik Gokhe"
    },
    {
      "name": "Joe P. Ninan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jyotirmoy Dey"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/aegjyj9pg8pa0.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2610.38192",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "aegjyj9pg8pa0",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.38192",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "astro-ph.GA"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.38192",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-28",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/aegjyj9pg8pa0.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:36:23Z",
      "native_id": "2610.38192",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.38192"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "arxiv:astro-ph.GA",
      "subfield": "galaxies"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Unveiling the Shock-Excited Molecular Environment in the Orion Protostar HOPS 370",
  "title_text": "Unveiling the Shock-Excited Molecular Environment in the Orion Protostar HOPS 370",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:20:44Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/aegjyj9pg8pa0",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}