The Trumpier 14 photodissociation region in the Carina Nebula

Abstract

We report the results of observations of the fine-structure emission lines [C II] 158 μm and [O I] 63 μm using FIFI on the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) and the Long Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS) on board ISO, towards the molecular cloud associated with the stellar cluster Trumpler 14 (Tr 14) in the Carina Nebula. These data are compared with selected CO and CS transitions obtained with the SEST as well as IRAS and MSX images to produce a detailed view of the morphology and the physical conditions prevailing in the photodissociation region (PDR) at the interface between the ionized gas and the molecular dust lane. The relative intensity distribution observed for the various tracers is consistent with the stratification expected for a molecular cloud seen edge-on and exposed to a radiation field of ≈ 104 G0, which is dominated by the most massive stars of Tr 14. The grain photoelectric heating efficiency, ∈, is estimated to be ≈ 5 × 10-3 and is comparable to other galactic PDRs. The molecular gas has a complicated velocity structure with a high velocity dispersion resulting from the impact of the stellar winds arising from Tr 14. There is evidence of small-scale clumping with a very low volume filling factor. Despite the rich concentration of massive O stars in Tr 14 we find that the parameters of the PDR are much less-extreme than those of the Orion and M 17 massive star-forming regions.