CO J=1-DOUBLE-RIGHT-ARROW-0 MAPPING OF THE COMETARY NEBULA 1548C27

We have acquired CO J = 1 --> 0 mapping of a region 2 x 2 arcmin(2) ab out the cometary nebula and jet outflow source 1548c27. We find little evidence for interaction between the jet and molecular cloud, althoug h it is found that the reflection nebula is embedded within a neutral condensation of size congruent to 10(2) arcsec. Kinematic variations a cross the source suggest the presence of cloud rotation, a feature whi ch is used to estimate a lower limit cloud mass of similar to 58.2 M(. ), and corresponding mean densities n(H-2) similar to 1.44 10(3) cm(-3 ). Estimated values of extinction A(upsilon) similar to 5.2 mag throug h the cloud appear consistent with those attributed to both the centra l source IRS 1, and putative background sources in the vicinity of the nucleus. Finally, if the observed velocity gradient arises through ro tational equilibrium in the spheroidal cloud, then densities are likel y to be more-or-less constant. Similarly, given that asymmetry in the optical nebula arises through shadowing by a circumstellar accretion d isk, then the orientation of the disk axis is likely to be similar to the cloud angular momentum vector.