Milliarcsecond structure and variability of methanol maser emission in three high-mass protostars

{The variability study of 6.7\,GHz methanol masers has become a useful way to improve our understanding of the physical conditions in high-mass star-forming regions.} {Based on the single-dish monitoring using the Irbene telescopes, we selected three sources with close sky positions.} {We imaged them using the European Very Long Baseline Interferometer Network and searched available data on VLBI archives to follow detailed changes in their structures and single maser spot variability.} {All three targets show a few groups of maser cloudlets of a typical size of 3.5\,mas and the majority of them show linear or arched structures with velocity gradients of order 0.22\kms\,mas$^{-1}$. The cloudlets and overall source morphologies are remarkably stable on time scales of 7-15\,yr supporting a scenario of variability due to changes in the maser pumping rate.}Comment: 20 page

New ex-OH maser detections in the northern celestial hemisphere

Aims.Molecular masers, including methanol and hydroxyl masers, and in particular the ones in excited rotational states (ex-OHmasers), are one of the most informative tools for studying star-forming regions. So, the discovery, of new maser sources in theseregions is of great importance. Many studies and surveys of ex-OH maser sources have been carried out in the southern celestialhemisphere, but only a few have been done in the northern hemisphere. The specific aim of this work is to close this gap.Methods.The star-forming regions in the northern hemisphere with known active methanol masers were observed to search for newex-OH maser sources with the 32 m and 16 m radio telescopes of the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC).Results.Three OH maser lines in the excited state at the 6035 MHz in three northern hemisphere star-forming regions are detected.The maser 189.030+0.783 was previously known, but we suggest this maser is a possible variable. We confirm recent detections ofthe ex-OH masers 85.41+0.00 and 90.92+1.49 by other authors. The magnetic field strength in the masering regions is estimated byusing right circular polarization (RCP) and left circular polarization (LCP) pair splitting. The high-velocity resolution provides uswith an estimation of a comparatively small magnetic field strength for the 189.030+0.783 and 90.92+1.49 star-forming regionsComment: 6 pages 1 figure 4 table

Maser Emission, Spectral and Photometric Variability of V 645 Cyg and LkHα 234

Maser variability in young stellar objects can be related to episodic accretion outbursts. Among the young objects associated with maser sources, V 645 Cyg and LkH 234 are few of those that can be investigated in the optical range. We report their infrared and optical photometric variability, variation of optical spectral lines (H ), and check for their possible correlation with the maser activity.Переменность мазеров может быть связана с аккрецией вещества на молодой звездный объект. Среди молодых объектов, связанных с мазерными источниками, V 645 Cyg и LkH 234 немногие из тех, излучение которых проявляется в оптическом диапазоне. Исследована их инфракрасная (ИК) и оптическая фотометрическая переменность, переменность линий оптической части спектра (Н ), а также возможная корреляция с мазерной активностью.Работа А. П. Бисяриной по обработке и анализу спектральных данных и данных ИК наблюдений выполнена при финансовой поддержке РФФИ в рамках научного проекта №18-32-00314. Работа А. М. Соболева и А. П. Бисяриной по организации и анализу сопутствующих мазерных наблюдений, а также работа С.Ю. Горды по получению и обработке данных оптических наблюдений выполнена при поддержке гранта РНФ (№ 18-12-00193)

A Keplerian disk with a four-arm spiral birthing an episodically accreting high-mass protostar

High-mass protostars (M⋆ > 8M⊙) are thought to gain the majority of their mass via short, intense bursts of growth. This episodic accretion is thought to be facilitated by gravitationally unstable and subsequently inhomogeneous accretion disks. Limitations of observational capabilities, paired with a lack of observed accretion burst events, have withheld affirmative confirmation of the association between disk accretion, instability and the accretion burst phenomenon in high-mass protostars. Following its 2019 accretion burst, a heatwave driven by a burst of radiation propagated outward from the high-mass protostar G358.93-0.03-MM1. Six very long baseline interferometry observations of the radiatively pumped 6.7 GHz methanol maser were conducted during this period, tracing ever increasing disk radii as the heatwave propagated outward. Concatenating the very long baseline interferometry maps provided a sparsely sampled, milliarcsecond view of the spatio-kinematics of the accretion disk covering a physical range of ~50–900 AU. We term this observational approach ‘heatwave mapping’. We report the discovery of a Keplerian accretion disk with a spatially resolved four-arm spiral pattern around G358.93-0.03-MM1. This result positively implicates disk accretion and spiral arm instabilities into the episodic accretion high-mass star formation paradigm

Recent updates on the Maser Monitoring Organisation

The Maser Monitoring Organisation (M2O) is a research community of telescope operators, astronomy researchers and maser theoreticians pursuing a joint goal of reaching a deeper understanding of maser emission and exploring its variety of uses as tracers of astrophysical events. These proceedings detail the origin, motivations and current status of the M2O, as was introduced at the 2021 EVN symposium

Recent updates on the Maser Monitoring Organisation

The Maser Monitoring Organisation (M2O) is a research community of telescope operators, astronomy researchers and maser theoreticians pursuing a joint goal of reaching a deeper understanding of maser emission and exploring its variety of uses as tracers of astrophysical events. These proceedings detail the origin, motivations and current status of the M2O, as was introduced at the 2021 EVN symposium

Millimeter methanol emission in the high-mass young stellar object G24.33+0.14

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>In 2019 September, a sudden flare of the 6.7???GHz methanol maser was observed toward the high-mass young stellar object (HMYSO) G24.33+0.14. This may represent the fourth detection of a transient mass accretion event in an HMYSO after S255IR??NIRS3, NGC??6334I-MM1, and G358.93???0.03-MM1. G24.33+0.14 is unique among these sources as it clearly shows a repeating flare with an 8???yr interval. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), we observed the millimeter continuum and molecular lines toward G24.33+0.14 in the pre-flare phase in 2016 August (ALMA Cycle??3) and the mid-flare phase in 2019 September (ALMA Cycle??6). We identified three continuum sources in G24.33+0.14, and the brightest source, C1, which is closely associated with the 6.7???GHz maser emission, shows only a marginal increase in flux density with a flux ratio (Cycle??6$/$Cycle??3) of 1.16 ?? 0.01, considering an additional absolute flux calibration uncertainty of $10\%$. We identified 26 transitions from 13 molecular species other than methanol, and they exhibit similar levels of flux differences with an average flux ratio of 1.12 ?? 0.15. In contrast, eight methanol lines observed in Cycle??6 are brighter than those in Cycle??3 with an average flux ratio of 1.23 ?? 0.13, and the higher excitation lines tend to show a larger flux increase. If this systematic increasing trend is real, it would suggest radiative heating close to the central HMYSO due to an accretion event which could expand the size of the emission region and/or change the excitation conditions. Given the low brightness temperatures and small flux changes, most of the methanol emission is likely to be predominantly thermal, except for the 229.759???GHz (8???1???70??E) line known as a class??I methanol maser. The flux change in the millimeter continuum of G24.33+0.14 is smaller than in S255IR??NIRS3 and NGC??6334I-MM1 but is comparable with that in G358.93???0.03-MM1, suggesting different amounts of accreted mass in these events.</jats:p&gt