Discovery of large-scale methanol and hydroxyl maser filaments in W3(OH)

Images of the 6.7-GHz methanol maser emission from W3(OH) made at 50- and 100-mas angular resolution with the Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) are presented. The masers lie across the western face of the ultracompact H  ii region in extended filaments which may trace large-scale shocks. There is a complex interrelation between the 6.7-GHz methanol masers and hydroxyl (OH) masers at 1.7 and 4.7 GHz. Together the two species trace an extended filamentary structure that stretches at least 3100 au across the face of the ultracompact H  ii region. The dominant 6.7-GHz methanol emission coincides with the radio continuum peak and is populated by masers with broad spectral lines. The 6.7-GHz methanol emission is elongated at position angle 50° with a strong velocity gradient, and bears many similarities to the methanol maser disc structure reported in NGC 7538. It is surrounded by arcs of ground state OH masers at 1.7 GHz and highly excited OH masers at 13.44 GHz, some of which have the brightest methanol masers at their focus. We suggest that this region hosts the excitation centre for the ultracompact H  ii region.     

Periodic class II methanol masers in G9.62+0.20E

We present the light curves of the 6.7 and 12.2 GHz methanol masers in the star-forming region G9.62+0.20E for a time-span of more than 2600 d. The earlier reported period of 244 d is confirmed. The results of monitoring the 107 GHz methanol maser for two flares are also presented. The results show that flaring occurs in all three masing transitions. It is shown that the average flare profiles of the three masing transitions are similar. The 12.2 GHz masers are the most variable of the three masers with the largest relative amplitude having a value of 2.4. The flux densities for the different masing transitions are found to return to the same level during the low phase of the masers, suggesting that the source of the periodic flaring is situated outside the masing region, and that the physical conditions in the masing region are relatively stable. On the basis of the shape of the light curve we excluded stellar pulsations as the underlying mechanism for the periodicity. It is argued that a colliding wind binary can account for the observed periodicity and provide a mechanism to qualitatively explain periodicity in the seed photon flux and/or the pumping radiation field. It is also argued that the dust cooling time is too short to explain the decay time of about 100 d of the maser flare. A further analysis has shown that for the intervals from days 48 to 66 and from days 67 to 135 the decay of the maser light curve can be interpreted as due to the recombination of a thermal hydrogen plasma with densities of approximately  1.6 × 10⁶ cm⁻³  and  6.0 × 10⁵ cm⁻³  , respectively.     

Very Long Baseline Array imaging of a periodic 12.2-GHz methanol maser flare in G9.62+0.20E

The class II methanol maser source G9.62+0.20E undergoes periodic flares at both 6.7 and 12.2 GHz. The flare starting in 2001 October was observed at seven epochs over three months using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 12.2 GHz. High angular resolution images (beam size  ∼1.7 × 0.6 mas  ) were obtained, enabling us to observe changes in 16 individual maser components. It was found that while existing maser spots increased in flux density, no new spots developed and no changes in morphology were observed. This rules out any mechanism which disturbs the masing region itself, implying that the flares are caused by a change in either the seed or pump photon levels. A time delay of one to two weeks was observed between groups of maser features. These delays can be explained by light travel time between maser groups. The regularity of the flares can possibly be explained by a binary system.     

The association of OH and methanol masers in W3(OH)

We present single-baseline Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) measurements of excited OH 6.0-GHz masers and methanol 6.7-GHz masers for the source W3(OH). These allow us to compare the positions of individual maser spots of these two species to ∼15 mas accuracy for the first time, and to compare these with previously published positions of ground-state OH masers near 1.7 GHz and excited-state OH masers near 4.7 GHz. There is a strong association between OH 6035-MHz and 1665-MHz masers. OH and methanol have very similar distributions, but associations of individual masers are relatively rare: most methanol 6.7-GHz masers are within 100 mas of OH 6.0-GHz masers, but only four methanol masers are within 15 mas of an OH 6.0-GHz maser. There are no correspondences of either species with excited OH 4.7-GHz masers. Zeeman splitting of the 6.0-GHz OH lines indicates an ordered magnetic field ranging from 3.2 to 14.4 mG. The magnetic fields estimated from co-propagating masers such as 6035 and 1665 MHz are generally in good agreement with each other.     

A GLIMPSE-based search for 6.7-GHz methanol masers and the lifetime of their spectral features

The University of Tasmania Mt Pleasant 26-m and Ceduna 30-m radio telescopes have been used to search for 6.7-GHz class II methanol masers towards 200 GLIMPSE ( The Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire ) sources. The target regions were selected on the basis of their mid-infrared colours as being likely to be young high-mass star formation regions and are either bright at 8.0 μm, or have extreme [3.6]–[4.5] colour. Methanol masers were detected towards 38 sites, nine of these being new detections. The prediction was that approximately 20 new 6.7-GHz methanol masers would be detected within 3.5 arcmin of the target GLIMPSE sources, but this is the case for only six of the new detections. A number of possible reasons for the discrepancy between the predicted and actual number of new detections have been investigated. It was not possible to draw any firm conclusions as to the cause, but it may be because many of the target sources are at an evolutionary phase prior to that associated with 6.7-GHz methanol masers. Through comparison of the spectra collected as part of this search with those in the literature, the average lifetime of individual 6.7-GHz methanol maser spectral features is estimated to be around 150 yr, much longer than is observed for 22-GHz water masers.     

Statistical Properties of 6.7 GHz Methanol Maser Sources

We present a statistical analysis of 482 6.7 GHz methanol maser sources from the available literature, on their maser emission and the characteristics of their associated infrared sources. On the color-color diagram, more than 70% of the objects fall within a very small region (0.57 ≤ [25 - 12] ≤ 1.30 and 1.30 ≤[60 - 12] ≤ 2.50). This suggests that 6.7 GHz methanol maser emission occurs only within a very short evolutionary phase during the earliest stage of star formation. The velocity ranges of the masers belong to two main groups: one from 1 to 10 km s^-1, and one from about 11 to 20 km s^-1. These velocity ranges indicate that the masers are probably associated with both disks and outflows. The correlations between the maser and infrared flux densities, and between the maser and infrared luminosities, suggest that far-infrared radiation is a possible pumping mechanism for the masers which most probably originate from some outer molecular envelopes or disks.     

Maser Action in Methanol Transitions

We report the detection with the ATCA of 6.7 GHz methanol emission towards OMC-1. The source has a size between 40 and 90, is located to the south-east of Ori-KL and may coincide in position with the 25 GHz masers. The source may be an example of an interesting case recently predicted in theory where the transitions of traditionally different methanol maser classes show maser activity simultaneously. In addition, results of recent search for methanol masers from the 25 and 104.3 GHz transitions are reported.     

A Radiation Mechanism for Interstellar Methanol 6.7GHz Masers

All interstellar methanol maser sources can be divided into two classes. Their spectra are distinctive. In particular, the prominent Class II maser transitions, 6.7GHz and 12.2GHz lines show enhanced absorption toward Class I sources. We notice that the 6.7 and 12.2GHz methanol masers toward Class II sources are associated with each other and coexist toward ultracompact HII regions. Therefore we suggest a new pumping mechanism – methanol masers without population inversion. It can be used to explain the formation of 6.7GHz methanol masers while the 12.2GHz methanol masers are regarded as driving coherent microwave field. In this paper, we demonstrate that the new mechanism is associated with astronomical conditions and does not contradict with other mechanisms. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Detection of new sources of methanol emission at 95 GHz with the Mopra telescope

A southern hemisphere survey of methanol emission sources has been carried out using the Australia Telescope National Facility Mopra millimetre telescope. 85 sources, the majority of them masers, have been detected in the 8₀−7₁ A⁺ transition of methanol at 95 GHz. Together with a similar northern hemisphere survey, this completes the search for 95-GHz methanol emission from the Galactic plane. The previously found correlation between intensities of methanol emission at 44 and 95 GHz is confirmed here with the larger sample of sources. The results of large velocity gradient statistical equilibrium calculations confirm the classification of these sources as class I methanol masers pumped through collisional excitation.     

The Torun catalogue of 6.7 GHz methanol masers

We report the observations of 289 methanol maser sources at 6.7 GHz obtained over a two month period with the Torun 32 m telescope. The data form a catalogue of all objects north of δ = –22° brighter than 7.5 Jy in the peak emission. The positions of sub‐arcsecond accuracy are updated for 76 % of the objects. We find that about one third of the sources show changes in the peak fluxes by a factor of two or more on time scales of 8.5–9.5 years (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Class II maser candidates in substituted methanol: CH3OD, 13CH3OH, CH318OH and CH3SH

We investigate the possibility of interstellar masers in transitions of the methanol isotopomers CH₃OD, ¹³CH₃OH and CH₃¹⁸OH, and of CH₃SH. The model used, in which masers are pumped through the first and second torsionally excited states by IR radiation, has accounted successfully for the Class II masers in main species methanol, ¹²CH₃¹⁶OH. Several potential maser candidates are identified for CH₃OD, their detectability depending on the enrichment of this species in star-forming regions. In ¹³CH₃OH and CH₃¹⁸OH the best maser candidates are direct counterparts of the well-known 6.7- and 12.2-GHz methanol masers, but the lower interstellar abundance of these substituted species means that the expected brightness is greatly reduced. The maser candidates in CH₃SH are also weak. By comparing these species we find that the large b -component of the dipole moment in methanol plays a significant role in its propensity to form masers, as does the strong torsion–rotation interaction due to the light hydroxyl frame. Thus the exceptional brightness of interstellar methanol masers is due to a favourable combination of molecular properties as well as high interstellar abundance.     

Detection of new sources of methanol emission at 107 and 108 GHz with the Mopra telescope

A southern hemisphere survey of methanol emission sources in two millimetre-wave transitions has been carried out using the ATNF Mopra millimetre telescope. 16 emission sources have been detected in the 3₁–4₀ A⁺ transition of methanol at 107 GHz, including six new sources exhibiting class II methanol maser emission features. Combining these results with the similar northern hemisphere survey, a total of eleven 107-GHz methanol masers have been detected. A survey of the methanol emission in the 0₀–1₋₁ E transition at 108 GHz has resulted in the detection of 16 sources; one of them showing maser characteristics. This is the first methanol maser detected at 108 GHz, presumably of class II. The results of large velocity gradient statistical equilibrium calculations confirm the classification of these new sources as class II methanol masers.     

Australia Telescope Compact Array 1.2-cm observations of the massive star-forming region G305.2+0.2

We report on Australia Telescope Compact Array observations of the massive star-forming region G305.2+0.2 at 1.2 cm. We detected emission in five molecules towards G305A, confirming its hot core nature. We determined a rotational temperature of 26 K for methanol. A non-local thermodynamic equilibrium excitation calculation suggests a kinematic temperature of the order of 200 K. A time-dependent chemical model is also used to model the gas-phase chemistry of the hot core associated with G305A. A comparison with the observations suggest an age of between  2 × 10⁴  and  1.5 × 10⁵ yr  . We also report on a feature to the south-east of G305A which may show weak Class I methanol maser emission in the line at 24.933 GHz. The more evolved source G305B does not show emission in any of the line tracers, but strong Class I methanol maser emission at 24.933 GHz is found 3 arcsec to the east. Radio continuum emission at 18.496 GHz is detected towards two H  ii regions. The implications of the non-detection of radio continuum emission towards G305A and G305B are also discussed.     

The excitation mechanism of the interstellar 6.7 GHz methanol maser

We notice that the second kind of astronomical methanol maser with strong emission always coexists at both 6.7 GHz and 12.2 GHz and in association with compact H II regions and we are led to propose a new excitation mechanism —maser amplification of the 6.7 GHz maser wothout population inversion. We show that this mechanism is compatible with the astronomical conditions and that it and other mechanisms are not mutually exclusive, rather it may serve as a useful complement.     

Methanol masers at 107.0 and 156.6 GHz

From a search of more than 80 southern class II methanol maser sites, we report measurements of 22 masers at 107.0 GHz and four at 156.6 GHz, mostly new discoveries. Class II sites, recognized by their strong emission at the 6.6-GHz methanol transition, are indirect indicators of new-born massive stars, and several hundred have been documented; only a handful of these had previously been found to exhibit maser emission at the 107.0- or 156.6-GHz transition. The present survey increases the number of known 107.0-GHz masers to 25, providing a sufficiently large sample to assess their general properties. For the stronger ones, our position measurements confirm that, to an accuracy of 5 arcsec, they coincide with the dominant maser emission at 6.6 GHz. Intensity variations exceeding 50 per cent have occurred in some 107.0-GHz maser features that we observed in both 1996 October and 1998 June.
We find that masers are rare at the 156.6-GHz transition. Two new detections increase the total now known to four. Each 156.6-GHz maser is substantially weaker than its corresponding 107.0-GHz maser. Despite the scarcity of masers, our 156.6-GHz spectra at most observed sites show emission, but apparently of a quasi-thermal variety; it is usually accompanied by somewhat weaker thermal emission at 107.0 GHz, and the intensity ratio of the transitions allows us to begin exploration of the physical characteristics of the small molecular clouds (diameter less than 60 mpc) at these sites. The thermal emission thus provides estimates of the environmental conditions that are needed to support strong masing from spots that are apparently embedded within these clouds.     

Methanol masers and their environment at high resolution

We have used the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) to make high-resolution images of the 6.7-GHz 5₁ → 6₀A⁺ maser transition of methanol towards 33 sources in the Galactic plane. Including the results from 12 methanol sources in the literature, we find that 17 out of 45 sources have curved or linear morphology. Most of the 17 have a velocity gradient along the line, which is consistent with masers lying in an edge-on circumstellar disc surrounding a massive star. We also made simultaneous continuum observations of the sources at 8.6 GHz, in order to image any associated H  ii region. 25 of the sources are associated with an ultracompact H  ii region, with a detection limit of ∼0.5 mJy beam⁻¹. We argue that the methanol sources without an associated H  ii region represent less massive embedded stars, not an earlier stage in the lifetime of the star, as previously suggested.     

Observations of methanol masers in star-forming regions

We present VLBI observations of 6.7 and 12.2 GHz methanol masers in three star-forming regions, NGC7538, W75N and S252. Our results reveal linear structures in the VLBI maps and monotonic velocity gradients in the three sources. All these results are consistent with Keplerian disks of diameter of 1000–2000 AU around young stars of mass (10–30) M.     

Infrared emission from 6.7-GHz methanol maser sources

Near-infrared photometry was performed on 56 southern 6.7-GHz methanol maser sources. A simple spherically symmetric model of the radiative transfer through a dust shell was developed and used to study the conditions in the dust cloud in which the masers are produced. The parameters investigated were the size of the cloud, the spectral type of the embedded star, the optical depth of the dust cloud and the dust density distribution. It was found that the infrared colours of the models have a complex dependence on the parameters and that no unique combination of parameter values explains the spectral energy distribution of any particular source. The model effectively reproduces the far-infrared ( IRAS ) colours but cannot simultaneously explain the near-infrared colours for any of the observed sources.     

Analysis of the thin layer of Galactic warm ionized gas in the range

We present an analysis of the thin layer of Galactic warm ionized gas at an angular resolution ∼10 arcmin. This is carried out using radio continuum data at 1.4, 2.7 and 5 GHz in the coordinate region     . For this purpose, we evaluate the zero level of the 2.7- and 5-GHz surveys using auxiliary data at 2.3 GHz and 408 MHz. The derived zero-level corrections are   T _zero(2.7 GHz) = 0.15 ± 0.06 K  and   T _zero(5 GHz) = 0.1 ± 0.05 K  . We separate the thermal (free–free) and non-thermal (synchrotron) component by means of a spectral analysis performed adopting an antenna temperature spectral index −2.1 for the free–free emission, a realistic spatial distribution of indices for the synchrotron radiation and by fitting, pixel-by-pixel, the Galactic spectral index. We find that at 5 GHz, for  | b | = 0°  , the fraction of thermal emission reaches a maximum value of 82 per cent, while at 1.4 GHz, the corresponding value is 68 per cent. In addition, for the thermal emission, the analysis indicates a dominant contribution of the diffuse component relative to the source component associated with discrete H  ii regions.     

Near-infrared imaging of the environment of 6.7-GHz methanol masers

Near-infrared (NIR) images at I , J , H and K bands were made of 12 southern 6.7-GHz methanol maser sources. Astrometry accurate to 0.5 arcsec was obtained. The positions of known H  ii regions, water masers, hydroxyl masers, and mid- and far-infrared objects in the region are examined in order to try to determine the nature of the methanol maser source. Deeply embedded NIR sources were found close to seven out of 14 maser sites. In three cases, no NIR source, H  ii region, water maser or hydroxyl maser could be found in likely association with the methanol masers.