FAINT EXTENDED OH EMISSION FROM THE LOCAL INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM IN THE DIRECTION l ≈ 108°, b ≈ 5°

We have mapped faint 1667 OH line emission (T-A approximate to 20-40 mK in our approximate to 30' beam) along many lines of sight in the Galaxy covering an area of approximate to 4 degrees x 4 degrees in the general direction of l approximate to 108 degrees, b approximate to 5 degrees. The OH emission is widespread, similar in extent to the local Hi (r less than or similar to 2 kpc) both in space and in velocity. The OH profile amplitudes show a good general correlation with those of Hi in spectral channels of approximate to 1 km s(-1); this relation is described by T-A(OH) approximate to 1.50 x 10(-4) T-B (H I) for values of T-B(H I) less than or similar to 60-70 K. Beyond this the H I line appears to saturate, and few values are recorded above approximate to 90 K. However, the OH brightness continues to rise, by a further factor approximate to 3. The OH velocity profiles show multiple features with widths typically 2-3 km s(-1), but less than 10% of these features are associated with CO(1-0) emission in existing surveys of the area smoothed to comparable resolution.