We present the spectral and spatial evolution of H2O masers associated with IRAS 18043–2116, a well-known water fountain hosting a high-velocity collimated jet, which has been found in the observations with the 45 m telescope of Nobeyama Radio Observatory and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. We found new highest velocity components of the H2O masers, with which the resulting velocity spread of ≃ 540 km s−1 breaks the speed record of fast jets/outflows in this type of sources.

We have investigated the spectral evolutions of H2O and SiO masers associated with 12 “water fountain” sources in our FLASHING (Finest Legacy Acquisitions of SiO-/H2O-maser Ignitions by Nobeyama Generation) project. Our monitoring observations have been conducted using the Nobeyama 45 m telescope every 2 weeks–2 months since 2018 December except during summer seasons. We have found new extremely high velocity H2O maser components, breaking the records of jet speeds in this type of sources. Systematic line-of-sight velocity drifts of the H2O maser spectral peaks have also been found, indicating acceleration of the entrained material hosting the masers around the jet. Moreover, by comparing with previous spectral data, we can find decadal growths/decays of H2O maser emission. Possible periodic variations of the maser spectra are further being inspected in order to explore the periodicity of the central stellar system (a pulsating star or a binary). Thus we expect to see the real-time evolution/devolutions of the water fountains over decades.

We report new detections of SiO ν = 1 and ν = 2 J = 1 → 0 masers in the “water fountain” source IRAS 16552-3050, which was observed with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope from March 2021 to April 2023. Water fountains are evolved stars whose H2O maser spectra trace high-velocity outflows of >100 Km s−. This is the second known case of SiO masers in a water fountain, after their prototypical source, W 43A. The line-of-sight velocity of the SiO masers are blue-shifted by ∼25 km s−1 from the systemic velocity. This velocity offset imply that the SiO masers are associated with nozzle structure formed by a jet penetrating the circumstellar envelope, and that new gas blobs of the jet erupted recently. Thus, the SiO masers imply this star to be in a new evolutionary stage.

We briefly introduce the VLBI maser astrometric analysis of IRAS 18043–2116 and IRAS 18113–2503, two remarkable and unusual water fountains with spectacular bipolar bow shocks in their high-speed collimated jet-driven outflows. The 22 GHz H2O maser structures and velocities clearly show that the jets are formed in very short-lived, episodic outbursts, which may indicate episodic accretion in an underlying binary system.

Post-Asymptotic giant branch (post-ABG) sources with high-velocity spectral features of H2O maser emission detected toward their circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) are known as Water Fountain (WF) nebulae. These are low- or intermediate-mass Galactic stellar sources that are undergoing the late stages of an intense mass-loss process. The velocity and the spatial distribution of the H2O maser spectral features can provide information about the kinematics of the molecular gas component of their CSEs. Hence, observational studies toward WF nebulae could help to better understand the formation of the asymmetric structures (hundred to thousand AUs) commonly seen toward Planetary nebulae (PNe). Here we present preliminary results of observations done toward the WF IRAS 15445-5449 using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Very Large Telescope (SINFONI/VLT). Assuming that the pumping of the H2O maser transitions is a consequence of shocks between different velocity winds, the spatial distribution of the emission shed light on the scales of the regions affected by the propagation of the shock-fronts.

We present the results of the first detection of submillimeter water maser emission toward water-fountain nebulae. Using APEX we found emission at 321.226 GHz toward two sources: IRAS 18043−2116, and IRAS 18286−0959. The submillimeter H2O masers exhibit expansion velocities larger than those of the OH masers, suggesting that these masers, similarly to the 22 GHz masers, originate in fast bipolar outflows. The 321 GHz masers in IRAS 18043−2116 and IRAS 18286−0959, which figure among the sources with the fastest H2O masers, span a velocity range similar to that of the 22 GHz masers, indicating that they probably coexist. The intensity of the submillimeter masers is comparable to the 22 GHz masers, implying that the kinetic temperature of the region where the masers originate is Tk>1000 K. We propose a simple model invoking the passage of two shocks through the same gas that creates the conditions for explaining the strong high-velocity 321 GHz masers coexisting with the 22 GHz masers in the same region.

We present a distance measurement to the semi-regular variable star RX Bootis (RX Boo). Using the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) telescope, we conducted astrometric observations of a water maser spot associated with RX Boo, as well as of the continuum reference source J1419+2706. Based on monitoring observations covering a full year, the annual parallax of RX Boo was measured at 7.31 ± 0.50 mas, corresponding to a distance of 136+10−9 pc. This distance uncertainty is smaller by a factor of two than those previously published, allowing us to determine the object's stellar properties more accurately. Using our distance, we can determine the absolute magnitude and discuss more precisely the locus of RX Boo on the period–luminosity (PL) relation. RX Boo exhibits two simultaneous pulsation periods and is located on the fundamental and first overtone Mira sequences of the PL relation. In addition, we calculated the radius and mass of the star.

It has been suggested that the presence of disks or tori around the central stars of pre Planetary Nebulae and Planetary Nebulae is related to the collimation of the jet that are frequently observed in these sources. These disks or tori can be traced by the maser emission of some molecules such as water. In this work we present Very Large Array (VLA) observations of the water maser emission at 22 GHz toward the PN IRAS 18061–2505, for which the masers appear located on one side of the central star. For comparison with the observations, we present a simple kinematical model of a disk rotating and expanding around the central star. The model matches qualitatively the observations. However, since the masers appear only on one side of the disk, these results are not conclusive.

We report the results of multi-epoch very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) water (H2O) maser observations carried out with the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) toward the HW3d object within the Cepheus A star-forming region. We measured proper motions of 30 water maser features, tracing a compact bipolar outflow. This outflow is highly collimated, extending through ~400 mas (290 AU), and having a typical proper motion velocity of ~6 mas yr−1 (~21 km s−1). The dynamical timescale of the outflow was estimated to be ~100 years, showing that the outflow is tracing a very early star-formation phase. Our results provide strong support that the HW3d object harbors an internal massive protostar, as previous observations suggested. In addition, we have analyzed Very Large Array (VLA) archive 1.3 cm continuum data of the 1995 and 2006 epochs obtained towards Cepheus A. These results indicate possible different protostars around HW3d and/or strong variability in its radio continuum emission.

A trigonometric parallax distance is measurable for a planetary nebula if it harbors H2O (or OH) maser spots. We have demonstrated it for H2O maser sources, K3-35, IRAS 19312+1950 and IRAS 18286-0959 using the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA). They are post-AGB stars and exhibit peculiar morpho-kinematical structures like a bipolar planetary nebula or a bipolar molecular jet (water fountain). The luminosities and secular motions of these sources derived from the trigonometric distances and proper motions of the H2O masers suggest that their parental stars may be intermediate-mass (2M⊙ < M* < 8 M⊙) evolved stars.

We present a general three-dimensional model of multipolar planetary nebulae (PNe). By rotating to different viewing angles and adjusting the angles between the multiple lobes, we demonstrate that the model is able to reproduce HST Hα images of 20 multipolar young PNe. Though this model only considers the geometrical projection effects, it significantly unifies the selected PNe and can be considered as a first-order fundamental model of the “multipolar” morphological class. This kind of model reduces complexity and is essential to pursuing of the shaping mechanism. In addition, we illustrate that under some special conditions, i.e. in certain viewing angles, or with low sensitivity, it will be hard to imagine that the projected image originates from a multipolar-lobed model.