A model for the infrared emission from an OB star cluster environment

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal. Supplement series Vol. 77; no. 4; pp. 451 - 471
• Main Author: Leisawitz, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Legacy CDMS University of Chicago Press 01.12.1991
• Subjects: Astronomy; Astrophysics; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Globular clusters in the milky way; Stellar clusters and associations; Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe; First type star; Dust grain; Theoretical model; H II region; Open cluster; Surface brightness; Distribution; Data table; Infrared radiation; Numerical simulation; OB star; Radiative transfer
• ISSN: 0067-0049; 1538-4365
• DOI: 10.1086/191613

A model for the infrared emission from the neighborhood of an OB star cluster is described. The distribution of gas and dust around the stars, properties of the dust, and the cluster and interstellar radiation fields are variable. The model can be applied to regions around clusters embedded to various degrees in their parental molecular clouds (i.e., compact H II regions, blister-type H II regions, and the tenuous H II regions ionized by naked O stars). The model is used to simulate IRAS observations of a typical blister H II region. Infrared surface brightness and spectral energy distributions are predicted and the impact of limited spatial resolution is illustrated. The model results are shown to be consistent with observations of the exemplary outer Galaxy OB cluster NGC 7380. It is planned to use the model as a diagnostic tool to probe the physical conditions and dust properties in star-formation regions and, ultimately, in an interpretation of the spectral energy distributions of spiral galaxies.