Formation Pumping of Molecular Hydrogen in the Messier 17 Photodissociation Region

We have imaged the emission from the near-infrared v=1-0 S(1), 1-0 S(7), 2-1 S(1) and 6-4 O(3) lines of molecular hydrogen in the N- and SW-Bars of M17, together with the hydrogen Br-gamma and Br-10 lines. This includes the first emission line image ever to be obtained of a line from the highly excited v=6 level of H2. In both Bars, the H2 emission is generally distributed in clumps along filamentary features. The 1-0 S(1) and 2-1 S(1) images have similar morphologies. Together with their relative line ratios, this supports a fluorescent origin for their emission, within a photodissociation region. The SW-Bar contains a clumpy medium, but in the N-Bar the density is roughly constant. The 1-0 S(7) line image is also similar to the 1-0 S(1) image, but the 6-4 O(3) image is significantly different to it. Since the emission wavelengths of these two lines are similar (1.748 to 1.733um), this cannot be due to differential extinction between the v=6 and the v=1 lines. We attribute the difference to the pumping of newly formed H2 into the v=6, or to a nearby, level. However, this also requires either a time-dependent photodissociation region (where molecule formation does not balance dissociation), rather than it to be in steady-state, and/or for the formation spectrum to vary with position in the source. If this interpretation of formation pumping of molecular hydrogen is correct, it is the first clear signature from this process to be seen.