Far-infrared (35-175 microns) mapping and photometry are presented of the Carina I and II H II regions in the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372). The far-infrared source associated with Carina I has a half-power width of 2.7 arcmin and has no compact high-surface-brightness condensations, unlike many northern H II regions such as W51 or W49. The peak emission region is offset from the radio continuum peak in the direction of a dust lane to the west. It is proposed that the H II regions and far-IR source are both powered by the O-star cluster Tr 14 about 4 arcmin to the east. The H II region then represents an ionization front at the boundary of the dense cloud west of Tr 14, and the far-infrared emission is due to thermal radiation from the heated dust in the dark cloud. A similar model may also be applicable to the Carina II region.
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Harvey et al. (1979) studied this question.