Investigating high-mass star formation through maser surveys

Abstract

Interstellar masers are unique probes of the environments in which they arise. In studies of high-mass star formation their primary function has been as signposts of these regions and they have been used as probes of the kinematics and physical conditions in only a few sources. With a few notable exceptions, we know relatively little about the evolutionary phase the different maser species trace, nor their location with respect to other star formation tracers. While detailed studies of a small number of maser regions can reveal much about them, other information can only be obtained through large, systematic searches. In particular, such surveys are vital in efforts to determine an evolutionary sequence for the common maser species, and there is growing evidence that methanol masers may trace an earlier phase than the other common maser species of OH and water.

5 pages, invited presentation at IAU242 "Astrophysical Masers and their environments"

References in corpus (8)

• High-Mass Proto-Stellar Candidates - I : The Sample and Initial Results
• Methanol masers : Reliable tracers of the early stages of high-mass star formation
• Class I methanol masers in the outflow of IRAS 16547-4247
• A Survey of the Galactic Plane for 6.7-GHz Methanol Masers I: l = 325.0 - 335.0 ; b = -0.53 - 0.53
• Observations of Massive Star Forming Regions with Water Masers: Mid-Infrared Imaging
• The Relationship between Class I and Class II Methanol Masers
• Multi-transition study and new detections of class II methanol masers
• A Class of Interstellar OH Masers Associated with Protostellar Outflows

Cited by in corpus (23)

• Southern class I methanol masers at 36 and 44 GHz
• GASKAP -- The Galactic ASKAP Survey
• New 9.9-GHz methanol masers
• Different evolutionary stages in massive star formation. Centimeter continuum and H2O maser emission with ATCA
• Water masers accompanying OH and methanol masers in star formation regions
• Masers associated with high-mass star formation regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Survey of intermediate/high-mass star-forming regions at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths
• A search for water masers associated with class II methanol masers - II. Longitude range 341${}^{\circ }$ to 6${}^{\circ }$
• A search for water masers associated with class II methanol masers - I. Longitude range 6 to 20 degrees
• A multi-transition methanol maser study of the accretion burst source G358.93-0.03-MM1
• VLA observations of water masers towards 6.7 GHz methanol maser sources
• ATLASGAL -- Relationship between dense star forming clumps and interstellar masers
• The Evolutionary Status of Protostellar Clumps Hosting Class II Methanol Masers
• Star Formation Sites toward the Galactic Center Region: The Correlation of CH3OH Masers, H2O Masers, and Near-IR Green Sources
• The first high-resolution observations of 19.9-GHz methanol masers
• The physical parameters of clumps associated with class I methanol masers
• The first high-resolution observations of 37.7-, 38.3- and 38.5-GHz methanol masers
• Formaldehyde and H110a observations towards 6.7 GHz methanol maser sources
• Methanol and water maser observations separate disc and outflow sources in IRAS 19410+2336
• OH maser toward IRAS 06056+2131: polarization parameters and evolution status
• Multiwavelength study of low-luminosity 6.7-GHz methanol masers
• Detections of Compact Radio Continuum toward Methanol Maser Rings Using the VLA
• Survey of (sub)mm water masers in low-mass star-forming regions