V. I. Slysh

Methanol radio emission at millimeter wavelengths: New masers at 1.3 and 2.8 millimeters

The results of a search for maser emission in the methanol lines 8−1-70E at 229.8 GHz, 3−2-4−1E at 230.0 GHz, 00-1−1E at 108.9 GHz, and in the J1-J0E series near 165 GHz in star-forming regions are reported. At least two masers and two candidates have been detected at 229.8 GHz. Thus, methanol masers have been detected in the 1-mm band for the first time. At 108.9 GHz, masers have been detected toward G345.01+1.79 and possibly toward M8E as well. Thermal emission was found toward 28 objects. The 229.8-GHz sources are class I masers, whereas the 108.9-GHz sources are class II masers. An analysis using a large velocity-gradient method shows that the 229.8-GHz masers can appear at densities of about 3×104 cm−3. The ratios of the flux densities in different class I lines toward DR 21(OH) and DR 21 West can be approximated in models with gas kinetic temperatures of about 50 K. Detection of the 108.9 GHz masers toward G345.01+1.79 and M8E may provide information about the geometry of these objects.

The brightest OH maser in the sky: A flare of emission in W75 N

A flare of maser radio emission in the 1665-MHz OH line with a flux density of about 1000 Jy was discovered in the star-forming region W75 N in 2003. At the time of its observations, it was the strongest OH maser in the entire history of research since the discovery of cosmic OH masers in 1965. The linear polarization of the flare emission reached 100%. A weaker flare with a flux density of 145 Jy was observed in this source in 2000–2001; this was probably a precursor of the intense flare. The intensity of two other spectral features decreased when the flare emerged. This change in the intensity of the emission from maser condensations (a brightening of some of them and a weakening of others) can be explained by the passage of a magnetohydrodynamic shock through regions of enhanced gas concentration.

Variations in the spectrum and spatial structure of the H2O maser in W75N

A probable model for the circumstellar envelope associated with the source VLA 2 in W75N has been constructed, based on H2O-maser monitoring toward W75N carried out on the 22-m radio telescope in Pushchino, as well as VLA maps for 1992, 1996, 1998, and 1999. The envelope has a complex hierarchical structure, including individual maser spots, clusters and chains of spots, inhomogeneous filaments, individual arc-shaped layers, and other complicated features. Most widespread are multi-link chains or filaments with sizes of 1–2 AU. This pattern arises due to the complex hierarchical structure of turbulent motions of material on various scales, from microturbulence to large-scale chaotic motions. No expansion of individual layers in the envelope of VLA 2 has been found. The appearance of the layers is due to the passage of MHD waves that excite the maser emission in consecutive shells in the envelope. This process is fairly cyclic, and is related to the flare activity of the star.

Polarization observations of the OH maser W75N on the Nançay radio telescope

Results of observations of the OH maser in W75N at 18 cm are reported. The observations were obtained on the radio telescope of the Nancay Radio Astronomy Observatory (France) from October 2007 to April 2009. The profiles of the Stokes parameters I, Q, U, and V in the 1665 and 1667 MHz OH lines have been measured. A technique taking into account instrumental polarization has been developed and applied. The emission in the OH lines is strongly polarized both linearly and circularly. The degree of polarization of some emission features reaches almost 100%. There were two flares of the maser emission in 2008–2009. During a flare at a radial velocity of +5.5 km/s, a Zeeman pattern was detected in the 1667 MHz line. The measured intensity of the line-of-sight component of the magnetic field was −1.1 mG, which corresponds to the field being directed away from the observer. The maser flares and the associated enhancement of the magnetic field could be associated with the compression of gas at a shock front.

Structure of the class I methanol masers OMC-2 and NGC 2264

Results of interferometric observations of the class I methanol masers OMC-2 and NGC 2264 in the 70-61A+ and 80-71A+ lines at 44 and 95 GHz, respectively, are presented. The maser spots are distributed along the arcs bent toward infrared sources, which are young stellar objects. The distributions of the maser spots at 44 and 95 GHz are virtually identical, and the fluxes from the brightest spots are similar. The measured sizes of the maser spots at 44 GHz are, on average, about 50 AU. The brightness temperature of the strongest components at 44 GHz is 1.7 × 107 K and 3.9 × 107 K for OMC-2 and NGC 2264, respectively. A simple model for the excitation of Class I methanol masers is proposed; it yields an estimate of the limiting brightness temperature of the emission. The model is based solely on the properties of the methanol molecule without invoking the physical parameters of the medium. Using it, we showed that the emission opening angles for NGC 2264 and OMC-2 do not exceed 3° and 4.5°, respectively. The depth of the masing region is about 1000 AU. The emission directivity is naturally realized in the model of of maser consisting of a thermalized core and a thin inverted envelope, probably, with an enhanced methanol abundance. The maser emission has the greatest intensity in the direction tangential to the envelope. The size of the masing envelope estimated from the measured depth and spot extens is ∼2 × 104 AU, or 0.15 pc. This size is close to the sizes of the dense molecular cores surrounding the young stellar objects IRS 4 in OMC-2 and IRS 1 in NGC 2264.

Thermal emission of methanol and other molecules at millimeter wavelengths

The paper reports the results of a survey of Galactic star-forming regions in the methanol lines 8−1–70E at 229.8 GHz, 3−2–4−1E at 230.0 GHz, 00–1−1E at 108.9 GHz, and a series of J1–J0E lines near 165 GHz. In addition to the methanol lines, lines of methyl cyanide (CH3CN), cyanoacetylene (HC3N), methyl formate (HCOOCH3), and sulphur dioxide (SO2) were detected. Analysis of the data indicates that the methanol emission arises in warm (30–50 K) gas.

A magnetized disk around an O star in W75N. A VLBI map of the OH maser

W75N is a star-forming region containing ultracompact H II regions as well as OH, H2O, and methanol masers. The VLBA maps obtained show that the masers are located in a thin disk rotating around an O star, which is the exciting star for the ultracompact H II region VLA1. A separate group of maser spots is associated with the ultracompact H II region VLA2. The radial velocity of the maser spots varies across the disk from 3.7 to 10.9 km/s. The disk diameter is 4000 AU. The maser spots revolve in Keplerian orbits around the O9 star.

Variability of the spectrum and spatial structure of the H2O maser in W75N-VLA 1

A model of the source associated with VLA 1 in W75N is constructed based on monitoring of the H2O maser carried out on the 22-m radio telescope of the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory and NRAO VLA maps of the source at epochs 1992, 1996, 1998, and 1999. The source has a complex hierarchical structure. Individual maser spots form compact clusters in the form of filaments or chains, as well as more extended arc-like clusters. There are radial-velocity gradients in the chains and filaments. All these structures are arranged in a very elongated disk. This complex configuration could arise due to various-scale turbulent motions of the emitting material, from microturbulence to large-scale turbulence. The strong elongation could be due to an outflow of material from the star. No radial motions of individual clusters of spots with respect to the central source in VLA 1 have been found. The presence of these spots at various epochs could be due to the passage of MHD waves, which excite the maser emission in corresponding zones of the maser source. This process could have a cyclic character, and be associated with the flare activity of the central star.

Spatial structure of the class I methanol maser DR21(OH) at 44 GHz in 2003

We present the results of VLA observations of the class I methanol maser DR21(OH) at 44 GHz. The observations, retrieved from the NRAO archive (USA), were carried out in 2003. The maser has 18 spatial components, 17 of them confined to two clusters and one isolated component. In general, this spatial structure is similar to the structure observed earlier by other authors; the detected differences are too small to enable us to derive proper motions of the components: no proper motions exceeding the uncertainties were detecting during the 8 years since 1995. Amaser flare was observed in one of the spectral features for the first time. This is the first brightening detected for a class I methanol maser.

A magnetized disk around an O star: Polarization of the OH maser emission

W75N is one of the first OH masers in which 100% linear polarization has been observed in several spots. Two spots contain Zeeman pairs, corresponding to magnetic fields of 5.2 and 7.7 mG. Another Zeeman pair consisting of two linearly polarized components was tentatively detected in one spot. The linearly polarized spots are σ components for the case when the magnetic field is perpendicular to the line of sight. For these spots, the magnetic field is perpendicular to the plane of the circumstellar disk, though a correction for Galactic Faraday rotation may considerably modify this conclusion.