Far‐Infrared and Submillimeter Emission from Galactic and Extragalactic Photodissociation Regions

Abstract

Photodissociation region (PDR) models are computed over a wide range of physical conditions, from those appropriate to giant molecular clouds illuminated by the interstellar radiation field to the conditions experienced by circumstellar disks very close to hot massive stars. These models use the most up-to-date values of atomic and molecular data, the most current chemical rate coefficients, and the newest grain photoelectric heating rates, which include treatments of small grains and large molecules. In addition, we examine the effects of metallicity and cloud extinction on the predicted line intensities. Results are presented for PDR models with densities over the range n = 10 1 -10 7 cm -3 and for incident far-ultraviolet radiation fields over the range G 0 = 10 -0.5 -10 6.5 (where G 0 is the far-ultravioliet [FUV] flux in units of the local interstellar value), for metallicities Z = 1 and 0.1 times the local Galactic value, and for a range of PDR cloud sizes. We present line strength and/or line ratio plots for a variety of useful PDR diagnostics: [C II] 158 μm, [O I] 63 μm and 145 μm, [C I] 370 μm and 609 μm, CO J = 1-0, J = 2-1, J = 3-2, J = 6-5, and J = 15-14, as well as the strength of the far-infrared continuum. These plots will be useful for the interpretation of Galactic and extragalactic far-infrared and submillimeter spectra observable with the Infrared Space Observatory ( ISO ), the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, the Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite , the Far Infrared and Submillimeter Telescope , and other orbital and suborbital platforms. As examples, we apply our results to ISO and ground-based observations of M82, NGC 278, and the Large Magellanic Cloud. Our comparison of the conditions in M82 and NGC 278 show that both the gas density and FUV flux are enhanced in the starburst nucleus of M82 compared with those in the normal spiral NGC 278. We model the high [C II]/CO ratio observed in the 30 Doradus region of the LMC and find that it can be explained either by lowering the average extinction through molecular clouds or by enhancing the density contrast between the atomic layers of PDRs and the CO-emitting cloud cores. The ratio L [CO]/ M [H 2 ] implied by the low extinction model gives cloud masses too high for gravitational stability. We therefore rule out low-extinction clouds as an explanation for the high [C II]/CO ratio and instead appeal to density contrast in A V = 10 clouds.