ETA-CARINAE - A NEW MODEL

Eta Car is surrounded by a thick shell of dust whose infrared emission is close to 5 x 10(6) L.. We propose a new model for eta Car, in which cosmic rays originate in a central object and stream out, losing energy in the gas and dust. This energy is subsequently radiated by the dust grains, with most of the energy coming from cosmic-ray protons having kinetic energies 1 MeV < E < 10 MeV. Assuming for the cosmic-ray protons a differential kinetic energy spectrum of the form E-2.5, the infrared spectrum can be very well fitted for wavelengths between 5 mum and 175 mum. The visual continuum exhibits features that strongly suggest the synchrotron mechanism. Tests of the model are provided through predicted fluxes of high- and low-energy gamma rays that will be produced through proton collisions in the gas and dust of the nebula.