Multiwavelength observations of N 66 in the SMC: unveiling photodissociation interfaces and star formation

We present new observations of the major star– forming region N 66 in the Small Magellanic Cloud and of its surroundings, which add to those presented in Contursi et al. (2000, Paper I). High–sensitivity CO observations allowed the detection of molecular gas associated with the H ii region, for which a high–resolution image in [O iii ] λ 5007 is presented. We also present images in the v(1-0) S(1) line of H2 at 2.12 μm and in the adjacent continuum. This material reveals an interesting photodissociation region. We show that the molecular gas that has not yet been photodissociated by the UV radiation of the stars is in hot, dense clumps with a very small surface filling factor. We discovered several embedded stars or stellar associations, and suggest that three successive stellar generations have already taken place in less than 3 million years.