A High Spatial Resolution Study of the &lambda;=3 mm Continuum of
  Orion-KL
  Recent interferometric observations have called into question the traditional
view of the Orion-KL region, which displays one of the most well-defined cases
of chemical differentiation in a star-forming region. Previous,
lower-resolution images of Orion-KL show emission signatures for oxygen-bearing
organic molecules toward the Orion Compact Ridge, and emission for
nitrogen-bearing organic molecules toward the Orion Hot Core. However, more
recent observations at higher spatial resolution indicate that the bulk of the
molecular emission is arising from many smaller, compact clumps that are
spatially distinct from the traditional Hot Core and Compact Ridge sources. It
is this type of observational information that is critical for guiding
astrochemical models, as the spatial distribution of molecules and their
relation to energetic sources will govern the chemical mechanisms at play in
star-forming regions. We have conducted millimeter imaging studies of Orion-KL
with various beam sizes using CARMA in order to investigate the continuum
structure. These \lambda;=3mm observations have synthesized beam sizes of
~0.5"-5.0". These observations reveal the complex continuum structure of this
region, which stands in sharp contrast to the previous structural models
assumed for Orion-KL based on lower spatial resolution images. The new results
indicate that the spatial scaling previously used in determination of molecular
abundances for this region are in need of complete revision. Here we present
the results of the continuum observations, discuss the sizes and structures of
the detected sources, and suggest an observational strategy for determining the
proper spatial scaling to accurately determine molecular abundances in the
Orion-KL region.
