A deep HAWK-I near-infrared survey of the Carina Nebula

We used HAWK-I at the ESO VLT 8m telescope to perform a deep near-infrared survey of the central 0.36 square-degree area of the Carina Nebula. The outline of the survey field can be seen on the right image. The HAWK-I data reveal more than 600 000 individual infrared sources down to magnitudes as faint as J ~ 23, H ~ 22, and Ks ~ 21. They are deep enough to detect the full low-mass stellar population in Carina, i.e. stars with masses as low as ~0.1 Msun and for extinctions up to Av ~ 15 mag.
These observations are part of our Carina Multiwavelength Project. The combination of the photometry derived from the HAWK-I data with the results of the recent deep X-ray survey in the Chandra Carina Complex Project allows us to study the properties of the young stellar populations in the Carina Complex.

The main scientific results from the HAWK-I observations are published in:
- Deep wide-field near-infrared survey of the Carina Nebula,
Th. Preibisch, T. Ratzka, B. Kuderna, H. Ohlendorf, R.R. King, S. Hodgkin, M. Irwin, J.R. Lewis, M.J. McCaughrean, H. Zinnecker, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 530, A34 (2011) preprint
- Near-Infrared properties of the X-ray emitting young stellar objects in the Carina Nebula,
Th. Preibisch, S. Hodgkin, M. Irwin, J.R. Lewis, R.R. King, M.J. McCaughrean, H. Zinnecker, L. Townsley, P. Broos, Astrophysical Journal Supplements, 194, 10 (2011) preprint

Another highlight is a serendipitously detected very large circumstellar disk around a massive young stellar object in Carina . Further work is in progress.

Some spectacular images resulting from our HAWK-I survey are published in the ESO Photo Release 1208.


Below we present a collection of interesting images resulting from our HAWK-I data.

The RGB image (red=Ks, green=H, blue=J) below shows the central part of the complex, from just north of eta Car (lower left edge) to the cluster Tr14 near the center.

The images below show a detailed comparison of the HAWK-I H-band images to 2MASS H-band images of the same field of view.

The next RGB image provides a view of the Keyhole Nebula (just north of eta Car).

The images below show some interesting details of irradiated clouds in the Keyhole Nebula.

New results will continuously be added as they become available.

In the Carina multi-wavelength project the Young Stars and Star Formation Group at Munich Observatory is observing the Carina Nebula in a wide range of different wavelengths, from X-rays to the radio regime.

Publications related to this project

The mysterious Sickle Object in the Carina Nebula: A stellar wind induced bow shock grazing a clump?,
J. Ngoumou, Th. Preibisch, Th. Ratzka, A. Burkert, Astrophysical Journal, in press (2013) preprint
Herschel far-infrared observations of the Carina Nebula Complex III: Detailed cloud structure and feedback effects,
V. Roccatagliata, Th. Preibisch, Th. Ratzka, B. Gaczkowski, Astronomy & Astrophysics, in press (2013) preprint
Discovering young stars in the Gum 31 region with infrared observations,
H. Ohlendorf, Th. Preibisch, B. Gaczkowski, Th. Ratzka, J. Ngoumou, V. Roccatagliata, R. Grellmann, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 552, A14 (2013) preprint
The Clump Mass Function of the Dense Clouds in the Carina Nebula Complex,
S. Pekruhl, Th. Preibisch, F. Schuller, K. Menten, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 550, A29 (2013) preprint
Herschel far-infrared observations of the Carina Nebula complex II: The embedded young stellar and protostellar population,
B. Gaczkowski, Th. Preibisch, Th. Ratzka, V. Roccatagliata, H. Ohlendorf, H. Zinnecker, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 549, A67 (2013) preprint
Herschel far-infrared observations of the Carina Nebula complex: Introduction and global cloud structure,
Th. Preibisch, V. Roccatagliata, B. Gaczkowski, T. Ratzka, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 541, A132 (2012) (preprint)
Jet-driving protostars identified from infrared observations of the Carina nebula complex,
H. Ohlendorf, Th. Preibisch, B. Gaczkowski, Th. Ratzka, R. Grellmann, A. F. McLeod, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 540, A81 (2012) preprint
Detection of a large massive circumstellar disk around a high-mass young stellar object in the Carina Nebula,
Th. Preibisch, T. Ratzka, T. Gehring, H. Ohlendorf, H. Zinnecker, R.R. King, M.J. McCaughrean, J.R. Lewis, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 530, A40 (2011) preprint
Deep wide-field near-infrared survey of the Carina Nebula,
Th. Preibisch, T. Ratzka, B. Kuderna, H. Ohlendorf, R.R. King, S. Hodgkin, M. Irwin, J.R. Lewis, M.J. McCaughrean, H. Zinnecker, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 530, A34 (2011) preprint
Near-Infrared properties of the X-ray emitting young stellar objects in the Carina Nebula,
Th. Preibisch, S. Hodgkin, M. Irwin, J.R. Lewis, R.R. King, M.J. McCaughrean, H. Zinnecker, L. Townsley, P. Broos, Astrophysical Journal Supplements, 194, 10 (2011) preprint
An Introduction to the Chandra Carina Complex Project,
L. Townsley, P. Broos, M.F. Corcoran, and further 30 co-authors including Th. Preibisch, Astrophysical Journal Supplements, 194, 1(2011) preprint
The Chandra Carina Complex Project View of Trumpler 16,
S.J. Wolk, P. Broos, K.V. Getman, E.D. Feigelson, Th. Preibisch, L. Townsley, J. Wang, K.G. Stassun, R.R. King, M.J. McCaughrean, A.F.J. Moffat, H. Zinnecker, Astrophysical Journal Supplements, 194, 12 (2011) preprint
A Chandra ACIS Study of the Young Star Cluster Trumpler 15 in Carina and Correlation with Near-Infrared Sources,
J. Wang, E.D. Feigelson, L. Townsley, P. Broos, K.V. Getman, S.J. Wolk, Th. Preibisch, K.G. Stassun, A.F.J. Moffat, G. Garmire, R.R. King, M.J. McCaughrean, H. Zinnecker, Astrophysical Journal Supplements, 194, 11 (2011) preprint
A Catalog of Chandra X-ray Sources in the Carina Nebula,
P. Broos, L. Townsley, E.D. Feigelson, K.V. Getman, G. Garmire, Th. Preibisch, N. Smith, B.L. Babler, S. Hodgkin, R. Indebetouw, M. Irwin, R.R. King, J. Lewis, S.R. Majewski, M.J. McCaughrean, M.R. Maede, H. Zinnecker, Astrophysical Journal Supplements, 194, 2 (2011) preprint
X-ray Star Clusters in the Carina Complex,
E.D. Feigelson, K.V. Getman, L. Townsley, P. Broos, M.S. Povich, G. Garmire, R.R. King, T. Montmerle, Th. Preibisch, N. Smith, K.G. Stassun, J. Wang, S. Wolk, H. Zinnecker, Astrophysical Journal Supplements, 194, 9 (2011) preprint
A deep wide-field sub-mm survey of the Carina Nebula complex,
Th. Preibisch, F. Schuller, H. Ohlendorf, S. Pekruhl, K.M. Menten, H. Zinnecker, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 525, A92 (2011) preprint


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