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Context. The north-west photo-dissociation region (PDR) in the reflection nebula NGC7023 displays a complex structure. Filamentlike condensations at the edge of the cloud can be traced via the emission of the main cooling lines, offering a great opportunity to study the link between the morphology and energetics of these regions. Aims. We study the spatial variation of the far-infrared fine-structure lines of [CII] (158 μm) and [OI] (63 and 145 μm). These lines trace the local gas conditions across the PDR. We also compare their emission with molecular tracers including rotational and rovibrational lines of H2 and high-rotational lines of CO. Methods. We used observations from the Herschel/PACS instrument to map the spatial distribution of these fine-structure lines. The observed region covers a square area of about 110″ × 110″ with an angular resolution that varies from 4″ to 11″. We compared this emission with ground-based and Spitzer observations of H2 lines, Herschel/SPIRE observations of CO lines, and Spitzer/IRAC 3.6 μm images that trace the emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We used a PDR code to model the [OI]145 μm line and infer the physical conditions in the region. Results. The [CII] (158 μm) and [OI] (63 and 145 μm) lines arise from the warm cloud surface where the PDR is located and the gas is warm, cooling the region. We find that although the relative contribution to the cooling budget over the observed region is dominated by [OI]63 μm (>30%), H2 contributes significantly in the PDR (~35%), as does [CII]158 μm outside the PDR (30%). Other species contribute little to the cooling ([OI]145 μm 9%, and CO 4%). Enhanced emission of these far-infrared atomic lines trace the presence of condensations, where high-excitation CO rotational lines and dust emission in the submillimetre are detected as well. The [OI] maps resolve these condensations into two structures and show that the peak of [OI] is slightly displaced from the molecular H2 emission. The size of these structures is about 8″ (0.015 pc) and in surface cover about 9% of the PDR emission. We have tested whether the density profile and peak densities that were derived in previous studies to model the dust and molecular emission can predict the [O i]145 μm emission. We find that the model with a peak density of 106 cm-3, and 2 × 104-5 cm-3 in the oxygen emitting region predicts an [OI]145 μm line that is only 30% lower than the observed emission. Finally, we did not detect emission from [NII]122 μm, suggesting that the cavity is mostly filled with non-ionised gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The determination of the physical conditions in molecular clouds is a key step towards our understanding of their formation and evolution of associated star formation. We investigate the density, temperature, and column density of both dust and gas in the photodissociation regions (PDRs) located at the interface between the atomic and cold molecular gas of the NGC 7023 reflection nebula. We study how young stars affect the gas and dust in their environment. Aims. Several Herschel Space Telescope programs provide a wealth of spatial and spectral information of dust and gas in the heart of PDRs. We focus our study on Spectral and Photometric Image Receiver (SPIRE) Fourier-Transform Spectrometer (FTS) fully sampled maps that allow us for the first time to study the bulk of cool/warm dust and warm molecular gas (CO) together. In particular, we investigate if these populations spatially coincide, if and how the medium is structured, and if strong density and temperature gradients occur, within the limits of the spatial resolution obtained with Herschel. Methods. The SPIRE FTS fully sampled maps at different wavelengths are analysed towards the northwest (NW) and the east (E) PDRs in NGC 7023. We study the spatial and spectral energy distribution of a wealth of intermediate rotational 12CO 4 ⩽ Ju ⩽ 13 and 13CO 5 ⩽ Ju ⩽ 10 lines. A radiative transfer code is used to assess the gas kinetic temperature, density, and column density at different positions in the cloud. The dust continuum emission including Spitzer, the Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS), and SPIRE photometric and the Institute for Radio Astronomy in the Millimeter Range (IRAM) telescope data is also analysed. Using a single modified black body and a radiative transfer model, we derive the dust temperature, density, and column density. Results. The cloud is highly inhomogeneous, containing several irradiated dense structures. Excited 12CO and 13CO lines and warm dust grains localised at the edge of the dense structures reveal high column densities of warm/cool dense matter. Both tracers give a good agreement in the local density, column density, and physical extent, leading to the conclusion that they trace the same regions. The derived density profiles show a steep gradient at the cloud edge reaching a maximum gas density of 105-106 cm-3 in the PDR NGC 7023 NW and 104-105 cm-3 in the PDR NGC 7023 E and a subsequent decrease inside the cloud. Close to the PDR edges, the dust temperature (30 K and 20 K for the NW and E PDRs, respectively) is lower than the gas temperature derived from CO lines (65-130 K and 45-55 K, respectively). Further inside the cloud, the dust and gas temperatures are similar. The derived thermal pressure is about 10 times higher in NGC 7023 NW than in NGC 7023 E. Comparing the physical conditions to the positions of known young stellar object candidates in NGC 7023 NW, we find that protostars seem to be spatially correlated with the dense structures. Conclusions. Our approach combining both dust and gas delivers strong constraints on the physical conditions of the PDRs. We find dense and warm molecular gas of high column density in the PDRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]