Bipolar molecular outflows have been observed and studied extensively in the past, but some recent observations of periodic variations in maser intensity pose new challenges. Even quasi-periodic maser flares have been observed and reported in the literature. Motivated by these data, we have tried to study situations in binary systems with specific attention to the two observed features, i.e., the bipolar flows and the variabilities in the maser intensity. We have studied the evolution of spherically symmetric wind from one of the bodies in the binary system, in the plane of the binary. Our approach includes the analytical study of rotating flows with numerical computation of streamlines of fluid particles using PLUTO code. We present the results of our findings assuming simple configurations, and discuss the implications.

We have carried out simultaneous 22 GHz H2O and 44 GHz Class I CH3OH maser line surveys of more than 1500 intermediate- and high-mass YSOs in the Galaxy using newly-constructed KVN 21-m telescopes. As the central (proto)stars evolve, the detection rates of the two masers rapidly decrease for intermediate-mass YSOs while the rates increase for high-mass YSOs. These results suggest that the occurrence of the two masers is closely related both to the evolutionary stage of the central objects and to the circumstellar environments. CH3OH masers always have very similar velocities (<10 km s−1) to the natal dense cores, whereas H2O masers often have significantly different velocities. The isotropic luminosities of both masers are well correlated with the bolometric luminosities of the central (proto)stars.

A recent polarimetric survey of OH masers in a large sample of AGB and post-AGB stars revealed widespread occurrence of polarized features. We made a statistical analysis of the polarization properties of this large data set. We discuss the alignment of polarization position angles between the extreme blue- and red-shifted parts of the 1612 MHz spectrum. The average polarization angle of OH masers from the opposite sides of the envelope agrees within 20° for 80% of the sources in the sample. For two objects monitored over ~6 years the polarization position angle at 1612 MHz is constant within measurement uncertainties: this suggests a stable and a very regular structure of the circumstellar magnetic fields. Alternatively, this could indicate a galactic origin of the field which may be amplified by the stellar wind in the outermost parts of the envelopes.

Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars (AGB) are evolved, mass losing red giants with tenuous molecular envelopes which have been the subject of much recent study using infrared and radio interferometers. In oxygen rich stars, radio SiO masers form in the outer regions of the molecular envelopes and are powerful diagnostics of the extent of these envelopes. Spectroscopically resolved infrared interferometry helps constrain the extent of various species in the molecular layer. We made VLBA 7 mm SiO maser, Keck Interferometer near IR and VLTI/MIDI mid IR high resolution observations of the stars U Ari, W Cnc, RX Tau, RT Aql, S Ser and V Mon. This paper presents evidence that the SiO is depleted from the gas phase and speculate that it is frozen onto Al2O3 grains and that radiation pressure on these grains help drive the outflow.

In 2011 February, a burst of the 22 GHz H2O maser in Orion KL was reported. In order to identify the bursting maser features, we have been carrying out observations of the 22 GHz H2O maser in Orion KL with VERA, a Japanese VLBI network dedicated for astrometry. The bursting maser turns out to consist of two spatially different features at 7.58 and 6.95 km s−1. We determine their absolute positions and find that they are coincident with the shocked molecular gas called the Orion Compact Ridge. We tentatively detect the absolute proper motions of the bursting features toward the southwest direction, perpendicular to the elongation of the maser features. It is most likely that the outflow from the radio source I or another young stellar object interacting with Compact Ridge is a possible origin of the H2O maser burst. We will also carry out observations with ALMA in the cycle 0 period to monitor the submillimeter H2O maser lines in the Orion Compact Ridge region. These follow-up observations will provide novel information on the physical and chemical properties of the mastering region.

Numerical modeling of molecular masers is necessary in order to understand their nature and diagnostic capabilities. Model construction requires elaboration of a basic description which allows computation, that is a definition of the parameter space and basic physical relations. Usually, this requires additional thorough studies that can consist of the following stages/parts: relevant molecular spectroscopy and collisional rate coefficients; conditions in and around the masing region (that part of space where population inversion is realized); geometry and size of the masing region (including the question of whether maser spots are discrete clumps or line-of-sight correlations in a much bigger region) and propagation of maser radiation. Output of the maser computer modeling can have the following forms: exploration of parameter space (where do inversions appear in particular maser transitions and their combinations, which parameter values describe a ‘typical’ source, and so on); modeling of individual sources (line flux ratios, spectra, images and their variability); analysis of the pumping mechanism; predictions (new maser transitions, correlations in variability of different maser transitions, and the like). Described schemes (constituents and hierarchy) of the model input and output are based mainly on the experience of the authors and make no claim to be dogmatic.

VLBI multi-epoch water maser observations are a powerful tool to study the gas very close to the central engine responsible for the phenomena associated with the early evolution of massive protostars. In this paper we present a summary of the main observational results obtained toward the massive star-forming regions of Cepheus A and W75N. These observations revealed unexpected phenomena in the earliest stages of evolution of massive objects (e.g., non-collimated “short-lived” pulsed ejections in different massive protostars), and provided new insights in the study of the dynamic scenario of the formation of high-mass stars (e.g., simultaneous presence of a jet and wide-angle outflow in the massive object Cep A HW2, similar to what is observed in low-mass protostars). In addition, with these observations it has been possible to identify new, previously unseen centers of high-mass star formation through outflow activity.

The Parkes 64-m telescope was used to study the OH mainline polarisation properties at 1665 and 1667 MHz for a sample of 36 evolved stars, identified by their far-infrared and OH 1612 MHz maser properties as likely post-AGB stars.

We present the results of SiO maser observations at 43 GHz toward two AGB stars using the VLBA. Our preliminary results on the relative positions of the different J=1–0 SiO masers (v=1,2 and 3) indicate that the current ideas on SiO maser pumping could be wrong at some fundamental level. A deep revision of the SiO pumping models could be necessary.

We present the results of simultaneous observations of SiO v = 1, 2, 29SiO v = 0, J = 1−0 and H2O 616-523 maser lines toward 318 known stellar SiO and/or H2O maser sources using the Yonsei 21-m radio telescope of the Korean VLBI Network. Toward 166 known SiO and H2O maser sources, both SiO and H2O maser emissions were detected from 112 sources giving a detection rate of 67.5 %. On the other hand, toward 152 known H2O-only maser sources, both SiO and H2O maser emissions were detected from 62 sources, giving a detection rate of 40.8 %. Characteristics of all observed sources in the IRAS two-color diagram is investigated including their evolutionary sequence and mutual relations between SiO and H2O maser properties.

We present a brief review of Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of water masers in the so-called water fountain pre-planetary nebulae, and report on new VLBA and Very Large Array (VLA) data for the water masers in the prototypical water fountain source IRAS16342–3814, taken approximately monthly in 2008–2009. A new and very strong water maser is found at an LSR velocity of −3 km s−1, which is offset from the central (likely stellar) velocity. The new VLBA observations still show a similar general structure as was observed in 2002, but there are details which are difficult to explain.

The bright 25 GHz series of methanol masers is formed in highly energetic regions of massive star formation and provides a natural signpost of shocked gas surrounding newly forming stars. A systematic survey for the 25 GHz masers has only recently been carried out. We present the preliminary results from the interferometric follow up of 51 masers at 25 GHz in the southern sky.

The Hubble constant H0 describes not only the expansion of local space at redshift z ~ 0, but is also a fundamental parameter determining the evolution of the universe. Recent measurements of H0 anchored on Cepheid observations have reached a precision of several percent. However, this problem is so important that confirmation from several methods is needed to better constrain H0 and, with it, dark energy and the curvature of space. A particularly direct method involves the determination of distances to local galaxies far enough to be part of the Hubble flow through water vapor (H2O) masers orbiting nuclear supermassive black holes. The goal of this article is to describe the relevance of H0 with respect to fundamental cosmological questions and to summarize recent progress of the ‘Megamaser Cosmology Project’ (MCP) related to the Hubble constant.

The Australia Telescope Compact Array has been used to observe all the 603 6.7 GHz methanol masers detected in the Methanol Multi-Beam survey between l = 310° - 20°. To date we have measured positions with arcsecond accuracy for all the observations in the l = 6° - 20°.

To understand the origin of the CH3OH maser emission, we map the distribution and excitation of the thermal CH3OH emission in a sample of 14 relatively nearby (<6 kpc) high-mass star forming regions that are identified through 6.7 GHz maser emission. The images are velocity-resolved and allow us to study the kinematics of the regions. Further, rotation diagrams are created to derive rotation temperatures and column densities of the large scale molecular gas. The effects of optical depth and subthermal excitation are studied with population diagrams. For eight of the sources in our sample the thermal CH3OH emission is compact and confined to a region <0.4 pc and with a central peak close (<0.03 pc) to the position of the CH3OH maser emission. Four sources have more extended thermal CH3OH emission without a clear peak, and for the remaining two sources, the emission is too weak to map. The compact sources have linear velocity gradients along the semi-major axis of the emission of 0.3 – 13 kms−1 pc−1. The rotation diagram analysis shows that in general the highest rotation temperature is found close to the maser position. The confined and centrally peaked CH3OH emission in the compact sources indicates a single source for the CH3OH gas and the velocity fields show signs of outflow in all but one of the sources. The high detection rate of the torsionally excited vt = 1 line and signs of high-K lines at the maser position indicate radiative pumping, though the general lack of measurable beam dilution effects may mean that the masing gas is not sampled well and originates in a very small region.

Our Working Group (WG) studies massive, luminous stars, both individually and in resolved and unresolved populations, with historical focus on early-type (OB) stars, A-supergiants, and Wolf-Rayet stars. Our group also studies lower mass stars (e.g., central stars of planetary nebulae and their winds) which display features similar or related to those present in massive stars, and thus may improve our understanding of the physical processes occurring in massive stars. In recent years, massive red supergiants that evolve from hot stars have been included into our activities as well. We emphasize the role of massive stars in other branches of astrophysics, particularly regarding the First Stars, long duration Gamma-Ray bursts, formation of massive stars and their feedback on star formation in general, pulsations of massive stars, and starburst galaxies.

The WG was created in 2008 to progress UNESCO's Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative (AWHI) jointly with the World Heritage Centre, following the signing of a formal Memorandum of Understanding between the IAU and UNESCO.