Near and Mid Infrared Observations of Ultracompact HII Regions

Abstract

This review discussed near- and mid- infrared observations of ultracompact (UC) HII regions. The importance of ISO mid-IR fine-structure nebular lines is emphasised since only a small fraction of UCHII regions are observed directly in the near-IR. The reliability of contemporary atmospheric models for such indirect diagnostics is discussed, whilst a revised Spectral Type-Temperature calibration is presented for Galactic O3 to B3 dwarfs. In particular, fine-structure line derived properties of G29.96-0.02 differ from the direct near-IR spectroscopic result and represents a serious discrepancy which needs to be addressed. Mid-IR MSX and Spitzer imaging permits the identification of those UCHII regions for which far-IR IRAS fluxes are reliable, relevant to the single versus cluster nature of individual sources. High spatial resolution imaging with ground-based 8m telescopes allows more direct tests, as recently applied to G70.29+1.60. Finally, recent Spitzer mid-IR observations of Giant HII regions are briefly discussed.

8 pages, 3 figures, invted review for Proc IAU Symp 227, Massive Star Birth: A Crossroads of Astrophysics, (Cesaroni R., Churchwell E., Felli M., Walmsley C. editors)