The Carina Nebula and Gum 31 molecular complex - I. Molecular gas distribution, column densities, and dust temperatures
Date Issued
2016
Author(s)
Rebolledo, David
•
Burton, Michael
•
Green, Anne
•
Braiding, Catherine
•
•
Wong, Graeme
•
Blackwell, Rebecca
•
•
Abstract
We report high-resolution observations of the 12CO(1-0) and 13CO(1-0) molecular lines in the Carina Nebula and the Gum 31 region obtained with the 22-m Mopra telescope as part of The Mopra Southern Galactic Plane CO Survey. We cover 8 deg2 from l = 285° to 290°, and from b = -1.5° to +0.5°. The molecular gas column density distributions from both tracers have a similar range of values. By fitting a grey-body function to the observed infrared spectral energy distribution from Herschel maps, we derive gas column densities and dust temperatures. The gas column density has values in the range from 6.3 × 1020 to 1.4 × 1023 cm-2, while the dust temperature has values in the range from 17 to 43 K. The gas column density derived from the dust emission is approximately described by a lognormal function for a limited range of column densities. A high-column-density tail is clearly evident for the gas column density distribution, which appears to be a common feature in regions with active star formation. There are regional variations in the fraction of the mass recovered by the CO emission lines with respect to the total mass traced by the dust emission. These variations may be related to changes in the radiation field strength, variation of the atomic to molecular gas fraction across the observed region, differences in the CO molecule abundance with respect to H2, and evolutionary stage differences of the molecular clouds that compose the Carina Nebula-Gum 31 complex.
Volume
456
Issue
3
Start page
2406
Issn Identifier
0035-8711
Ads BibCode
2016MNRAS.456.2406R
Rights
open.access
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