  We report the first detection of a Galactic source of OH+ line emission: the
Orion Bar, a bright nearby photon-dominated region. Line emission is detected
over ~1' (0.12 pc), tracing the Bar itself as well as the Southern tip of the
Orion Ridge. The line width of ~4 km/s suggests an origin of the OH+ emission
close to the PDR surface, at a depth of A_V ~0.3-0.5 into the cloud where most
hydrogen is in atomic form. Steady-state collisional and radiative excitation
models require unrealistically high OH+ column densities to match the observed
line intensity, indicating that the formation of OH+ in the Bar is rapid enough
to influence its excitation. Our best-fit OH+ column density of ~1x10^14 cm^-2
is similar to that in previous absorption line studies, while our limits on the
ratios of OH+/H2O+ (>~40) and OH+/H3O+ (>~15) are higher than seen before.
  The column density of OH+ is consistent with estimates from a thermo-chemical
model for parameters applicable to the Orion Bar, given the current
uncertainties in the local gas pressure and the spectral shape of the ionizing
radiation field. The unusually high OH+/H2O+ and OH+/H3O+ ratios are probably
due to the high UV radiation field and electron density in this object. In the
Bar, photodissociation and electron recombination are more effective destroyers
of OH+ than the reaction with H2, which limits the production of H2O+. The
appearance of the OH+ lines in emission is the result of the high density of
electrons and H atoms in the Orion Bar, since for these species, inelastic
collisions with OH+ are faster than reactive ones. In addition, chemical
pumping, far-infrared pumping by local dust, and near-UV pumping by Trapezium
starlight contribute to the OH+ excitation. Similar conditions may apply to
extragalactic nuclei where OH+ lines are seen in emission.
