Protostars and Planets VI, Heidelberg, July 15-20, 2013
Poster 1S051
Cloud structure and feedback effects in the Carina Nebula Complex
Roccatagliata, Veronica (USM Munich)
Preibisch, Thomas (USM Munich)
Gaczkowski, Benjamin (USM Munich)
Ratzka, Thorsten (USM Munich)
Abstract:
The star formation process in large clusters/associations can be strongly influenced by the feedback from high mass stars. Whether the resulting net effect of the feedback is predominantly negative (cloud dispersal) or positive (triggering of star formation due to cloud compression) is still an open question. The Carina Nebula complex (CNC) represents one of the most massive star-forming regions in our Galaxy. We use our Herschel far-infrared observations to study the properties of the clouds over the entire CNC and LABOCA/APEX telescope on the central part of the CNC.Our Herschel maps resolve, for the first time, the small-scale structure of the dense clouds over the entire spatial extent of the CNC. Several particularly interesting regions, including the prominent pillars south of eta Car, are analyzed in detail. Our maps also reveal a peculiar ’wave’-like pattern in the northern part of the Carina Nebula. The total mass of the clouds seen by Herschel in the central region is about 656 000 Msun. We derive the global spectral energy distribution in the mid-infrared to mm wavelength range and derive a total mass of < 890 000 Msun. We find that the density and temperature structure of the clouds in most parts of the CNC is dominated by the strong feedback from the numerous massive stars, rather than random turbulence. Comparing the cloud mass and the star formation rate derived for the CNC to other Galactic star forming regions suggests that the CNC is forming stars very efficiently. We suggest this to be a consequence of triggered star formation by radiative cloud compression.In our LABOCA sub-mm map, we identify about 600 individual clumps. We analyze and interpret the clump initial mass function (CIMF) as signature of turbulent pre-stellar clouds or star-forming clouds.
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