1,005 research outputs found
Water vapor and silicon monoxide maser observations in the protoplanetary nebula OH 231.8+4
OH 231.8+4.2 is a well studied preplanetary nebula (pPN) around a binary
stellar system that shows a remarkable bipolar outflow. To study the structure
and kinematics of the inner 10-80 AU nebular regions we performed
high-resolution observations of the HO 6--5 and SiO
=2, =1--0 maser emissions with the Very Long Baseline Array. The absolute
position of both emission distributions were recovered using the phase
referencing technique, and accurately registered in HST optical images. HO
maser clumps are found to be distributed in two areas of 20 mas in size
spatially displaced by 60 milli-arcseconds along an axis oriented nearly
north-south. SiO masers are tentatively found to be placed between the two
HO maser emitting regions, probably indicating the position of the Mira
component of the system. The SiO maser emission traces an inner equatorial
component with a diameter of 12 AU, probably a disk rotating around the M-type
star. Outwards, we detect in the HO data a pair of polar caps, separated by
80 AU. We believe that the inner regions of the nebula probably have been
altered by the presence of the companion, leading to an equator-to-pole density
contrast that may explain the lack of HO masers and strong SiO maser
emission in the denser, equatorial regions.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, A&A accepte
Relative astrometry of the J=1-0, v=1 and v=2 SiO masers towards R Leonis Minoris using VERA
Oxygen-rich Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are intense emitters of SiO
and HO maser lines at 43 (J=1-0, v=1 and 2) and 22 GHz, respectively. VLBI
observations of the maser emission provides a unique tool to sample the
innermost layers of the circumstellar envelopes in AGB stars. Nevertheless, the
difficulties in achieving astrometrically aligned v=1 and v=2 SiO maser maps
have traditionally prevented a unique interpretation of the observations in
terms of physical underlying conditions, which depend on the nature of the SiO
pumping mechanism.
We have carried out observations of the SiO and HO maser emission towards
RLMi, using the astrometric capabilities of VERA. Due to the too-weak emission
of the reference calibrator we had to develop a special method to accurately
relate the coordinates for both transitions. We present relative
astrometrically aligned v=1 and v=2 J=1-0 SiO maser maps, at multiple epochs,
and discuss the astrophysical results. The incorporation of astrometric
information into the maps of SiO masers challenges the weak points in the
current theoretical models, which will need further refinements to address the
observations results.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Mapping the circumstellar SiO maser emission in R Leo
The study of the innermost circumstellar layers around AGB stars is crucial
to understand how these envelopes are formed and evolve. The SiO maser emission
occurs at a few stellar radii from the central star, providing direct
information on the stellar pulsation and on the chemical and physical
properties of these regions. Our data also shed light on several aspects of the
SiO maser pumping theory that are not well understood yet. We aim to determine}
the relative spatial distribution of the 43 GHz and 86 GHz SiO maser lines in
the oxygen-rich evolved star R Leo. We have imaged with milliarcsecond
resolution, by means of Very Long Baseline Interferometry, the 43 GHz (28SiO
v=1, 2 J=1-0 and 29SiO v=0 J=1-0) and 86 GHz (28SiO v=1 J=2-1 and 29SiO v=0
J=2-1) masing regions. We confirm previous results obtained in other
oxygen-rich envelopes. In particular, when comparing the 43 GHz emitting
regions, the 28SiO v=2 transition is produced in an inner layer, closer to the
central star. On the other hand, the 86 GHz line arises in a clearly farther
shell. We have also mapped for the first time the 29SiO v=0 J=1-0 emission in R
Leo. The already reported discrepancy between the observed distributions of the
different maser lines and the theoretical predictions is also found in R Leo.Comment: accepted for publication in A&
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