Adaptive optics integral field spectroscopy of the young stellar objects in LkH alpha 225

Progress in understanding the embedded stars in LkH alpha 225 has been hamp ered by their variability, making it hard to compare data taken at differen t times, and by the limited resolution of the available data, which cannot probe the small scales between the two stars. In an attempt to overcome the se difficulties, we present new near-infrared data on this object taken usi ng the adaptive optics with a laser for astronomy adaptive optics system wi th the MPE 3D integral field spectrometer and the near-infrared camera Omeg a-Cass. The stars themselves have K-band spectra which are dominated by war m dust emission, analogous to classes I-II for low-mass young stellar objec ts (YSOs), suggesting that the stars are in a phase where they are still ac creting matter. On the other hand, the ridge of continuum emission between them is rather bluer, suggestive of extinct and/or scattered stellar light rather than direct dust emission. The compactness of the CO emission seen t oward each star argues for accretion disks (which can also account for much of the K-band veiling) rather than a neutral wind. In contrast to other YS Os with CO emission, LkH alpha 225 has no detectable Br gamma emission. In addition, there is no H-2 detected on the northern star, although we do con firm that the strongest H-2 emission is on the southern star, where we find it is excited primarily by thermal mechanisms. A second knot of H-2 is obs erved to its northeast, with a velocity shift of -75 km s(-1) and a higher fraction of nonthermal emission. This is discussed with reference to the H2 O maser, the molecular outflow, and [S II] emission observed between the st ars.