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Masers and the massive star formation process: New insights through infrared observations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2005

James M. De Buizer
Affiliation:
Gemini Observatory, Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile email: jdebuizer@gemini.edu
James T. Radomski
Affiliation:
Gemini Observatory, Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile email: jdebuizer@gemini.edu Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601 USA
Charles M. Telesco
Affiliation:
Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32601 USA
Robert K. Piña
Affiliation:
Photon Research Associates, Inc., 5720 Oberlin Drive, San Diego, CA 92121 USA
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Abstract

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Our mid-infrared and near-infrared surveys over the last five years have helped to strengthen and clarify the relationships between water, methanol, and OH masers and the star formation process. Our surveys show that maser emission seems to be more closely associated with mid-infrared emission than cm radio continuum emission from UC HII regions. We find that masers of all molecular species surveyed trace a wide variety of phenomena and show a proclivity for linear distributions. The vast majority of these linear distributions can be explained by outflows or shocks, and in general do not appear to trace circumstellar disks as was previously thought. Some water and methanol masers that are not associated with radio continuum emission appear to trace infrared-bright hot cores, the earliest observable stage of massive stellar life before the onset of a UC HII region.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
© 2005 International Astronomical Union