G. M. Larionov

A general catalog of class I methanol masers

A catalog of class I methanol masers discovered so far in the Southern and Northern hemispheres is presented. The catalog contains 160 sources. A statistical analysis shows that, within 2’ of the telescope pointing (which corresponds approximately to the field of view of single antennas used in search surveys), 50% of class I methanol masers are associated with objects characteristic of active starforming regions: IRAS sources, ultracompact HII regions, and dense gas—dust clouds, as well as OH and H2O interstellar masers. At the same time, bipolar outflows (which could play an active part in pumping the methanol masers) are associated with fewer than 25% of class I methanol masers. In 72% of cases, class I methanol masers are associated with class II methanol maser sources. These results suggest that methanol maser condensations are more appropriately classified by the transition type (that is, the pumping mechanism) than their association with other astronomical objects.

Class I methanol maser emission in infrared clouds and the third version of the Astro Space Center MMI/SFR catalog

We have revised the Astro Space Center catalog of Class I methanol masers detected in star-forming regions (MMI/SFR), mainly at 44 GHz, and created a new electronic version of the catalog. Currently, the catalog contains 206 objects, selected from publications through 2011 inclusive. The data from the survey of Chen et al. (2011), performed specifically for objects EGO, which form a new specific catalog, are not included. The MMI/SFR objects were identified with emission and absorption objects in the near IR, detected during the MSX and Spitzer space missions. Seventy-one percent of Class I methanol masers that emit at 44 GHz and fall within the Galactic longitude range surveyed by Spitzer (GLIMPSE) are identified with Spitzer Dark Clouds (SDCs), and 42% with Extended Green Objects (EGOs). It is possible that Class I methanol masers arise in isolated, self-gravitating clumps, such as SDCs, at certain stages of their evolution. A sample of SDCs is proposed as a new target list for Class I methanol maser searches. A detailed statistical analysis was carried out, taking into account the characteristics of the regions of MMI/SFR formation presented in the catalog.

Search for class I methanol maser emission in various types of objects in the interstellar medium

Observations of various types of objects in the northern sky were obtained at 44 GHz in the 70-61A+ methanol line on the 20-m Onsala radio telescope (Sweden), in order to search for Class I methanol maser emission in the interstellar medium: regions of formation of high-mass stars, dust rings around HII regions, and protostellar candidates associated with powerful molecular outflows and Galactic HII regions. Seven new Class Imethanolmasers have been discovered toward regions of formation of highmass stars, and the existence of two previously observed masers confirmed. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) neither the association of a bipolar outflow manifest in the wings of CO lines with a highmass protostellar object (HMPO) nor the presence of thermal emission in lines of complex molecules are sufficient conditions for the detection of Class I methanol emission; no association with HMPOs radiating at 44 GHz was found for EGOs (a new class of object tracing bipolar outflows); (2) the existence of H2O masers and Class II methanol masers in the region of aHMPOenhances the probability of detecting Class I methanol emission toward the HMPO; Class II methanol masers with stronger line fluxes are associated with Class I methanol masers.

OH 1720-MHz lines as tracers of bipolar outflows in the vicinity of Class I methanol masers

A sample of Class I methanol masers (MMI) has been surveyed at 1720 MHz to search for possible associations between MMI and 1720-MHz OH masers, which should be formed by the same collisional pumping mechanism. If the model for methanol masers is correct, the sample should contain a statistically significant number of 1720-MHz OH masers at the positions of MMI. The observations were conducted on the 70-meter radio telescope of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU). The results show that ∼50% of 72 MMI are associated with OH emission at 1720 MHz. In many sources, strong absorption lines are also observed. In most cases, the OH (1720) lines are narrow (linewidths of <2 km/s) suggesting they may be maser lines. The OH column densities obtained from Gaussian fitting of these narrow OH lines are, on average, 1.5 × 1017 cm−2. TheH2 density in the emitting medium reaches 107 cm−3 if the region of the OH (1720) emission has been subject to interaction with a bipolar-outflow front. This is sufficient to excite MMI, and the presence of narrow, possibly masing OH (1720) lines at the MMI velocities indicates the likely presence of shocks from bipolar outflows in the vicinity of the maser condensations, supporting models in which these molecules are collisionally pumped.

Search for class I methanol maser emission toward several supernova remnants

Observations at 44 GHz in the 70−61A+ methanol line have been carried out on the 20-m telescope of the Onsala Space Observatory (Sweden) in the directions of the poorly studied region G27.4–0.2 and of several supernova remnants, at the coordinates of the OH(1720) maser satellite emission, with the aim of searching for Class I methanol maser emission in these sources. The region G27.4–0.2 has beenmapped, and contains maser sources and two supernova remnants with similar coordinates and radial velocities, which may accelerate condensation of the ambient gas-dust medium. This may play a role in enhancing the probability of methanol formation and maser emission. This is the first detection of 44 GHz maser emission in this source, and this maser is among the 10% of the strongest Class I methanol masers, within the uncertainties in the integrated flux (of a total of 198 currently knownmasers). A 27′ × 27′ region around the maser has been mapped at 44 GHz in steps of 1′. The 44-GHz emission forms only within the previously known maser region. Further studies in water lines are needed to estimate the influence of shocks from supernovae. No 44-GHz Class I methanol maser emission was detected at the 3σ level at the coordinates of the OH(1720) satellite emission in six supernova remnants; i.e., the presence of OH(1720) emission is not a sufficient condition for the detection of Class I methanol masers.

A study of three massive star-forming regions in CS lines

We have mapped three star-forming regions (G265.14+1.45, G269.16−1.14, G291.27−0.71) in the CS(3–2) and C34S(2–1) lines using the 15 m SEST telescope (Chile), and analyzed the relative positions of methanol and H2O masers, IRAS sources, and emission maxima in the CS lines. In most cases, the maser positions are close to those of the IRAS sources. We compared the radial velocities of the maser sources and high-density CS cores, and estimated the CS column densities assuming LTE. The sizes, densities, and masses of the dense core are estimated; the masses obtained in the LTE approximation agree with the virial masses.

Study of the star-forming region L379 IRS3 in CH3OH and CS

A molecular cloud and high-velocity outflow associated with the star-forming region L379 IRS3 have been mapped in the 6−1-50E methanol and CS (3-2) lines using the 12-meter Kitt Peak telescope. The estimated CS column density and abundance in the molecular cloud are 8×1014 cm−2 and 4×10−9, respectively. LVG modeling of the methanol emission constrains the gas density in the cloud to (1–4)×105 cm−3 and the gas kinetic temperature to 20–45 K. The upper limit on the density of the high-velocity gas is 105 cm−3.

An unusually prolonged outburst in the blazar 3C 454.3

Data from long-term multi-frequency monitoring of the Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) and blazar 3C 454.3 are analyzed. An unusually prolonged outburst in 2013–2017 had a duration that was twice the possible orbital period of the companion of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) located at the center of the host galaxy. It is proposed that the shape and duration of this outburst in 3C 454.3 could be the result of a coincidence between the plane of the accretion disk (AD) and the orbital plane of the companion. As a consequence, a prolonged energy release with enhanced intensity can be observed as the companion passes through the dense medium of the AD of the central SMBH. The presence of a 1.55-year orbital period in the variations of the emission of 3C 454.3 during this outburst also supports this hypothesis, as opposed to the possibility that the outburst was due to variations in γ and the Doppler factor. Small-scale flux-density fluctuations can arise during the outburst due to matter inhomogeneities with characteristic scales of about 1015 cm or more in the AD of the central SMBH and surrounding areas.

Methanol maser groups and class I emission: Flux density distribution

A search for a relationship between class I and class II methanol maser flux densities has been carried out. A large sample of mixed-type sources has been studied, with each source in the sample radiating as a class I and class II maser simultaneously. In methanol maser groups for which the positions of prominent spectral features at different radial velocities coincide at different frequencies, the fluxes are anticorrelated, and are related as log S6.7+12.2 = (−1.68 ± 0.38) × log S44 + (4.01 ± 0.60). For group I, which includes sources with preferred pumping for masers emitting at 6.7 GHz, the relationship between the 6.7 GHz masers and 44 GHz masers is less steep than for group II, which contains sources with normal pumping of class II masers. This implies that class I methanol masers that correspond to group I are suppressed more strongly.

Mapping of bipolar outflows and methanol masers in the CS(2-1)line

Eighteen regions (bipolar outflows and methanol masers) are mapped in the CS(2-1) line using the 20-m Onsala radio telescope. The coordinates of the CS emission peaks are refined. The sizes and masses of dense regions are estimated for 13 maps. Measurement of the angular sizes of regions of emission indicates that all the sources were resolved by the Onsala radio telescope. The lower limit for the linear dimensions of the CS condensations studied is 0.2–2.1 pc. The hydrogen densities and masses of the CS condensations are estimated to be n(H2)=(0.3–13.1)×104 cm−3 and (M ≈ 7–2800M⊙). Methanol masers are associated with denser and more massive regions, whether or not the maser condensation is connected with a bipolar outflow.