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At least 721 records · Page 40
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DOE OSTI2010

HIGH-RESOLUTION STUDY OF THE MASSIVE STAR-FORMING REGION IRAS 06061+2151

We present observations of 3.6 cm continuum and water maser emission toward the high-mass star-forming region IRAS 06061+2151 (AFGL 5182), made at {approx}0.''3 and {approx}0.''1 resolution, respectively, using the Very Large Array (VLA) in the A configuration. Continuum and maser emission are not detected toward the center of AFGL 5182. However, we detected two groups of continuum sources located {approx}12'' and {approx}3' to the west and northeast of AFGL 5182, respectively. The first group, labeled as the G188.79+1.03 complex, is composed of three continuum sources in a region of about 6'' x 10'', while the second group, associated with the source G188.77+1.07, is composed of at least two continuum sources in a region {approx}1'' in diameter. The physical parameters estimated, based on the morphology and the continuum emission, suggest that all the continuum sources in both groups are ultracompact H II regions, associated with ZAMS B-type stars. Water maser emission is only detected toward the compact source VLA N2, which is located in the G188.79+1.03 complex. Accuracy in the relative positions between the radio continuum source and the water masers is of the order of 15 mas. In addition, the observed spatial and kinematical distribution of the water maser features has remained stable for several years, and we confirm that they are tracing a bipolar outflow, where the best candidate of the source powering the water masers and the outflow is VLA 2N.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

A BINARY ORBIT FOR THE MASSIVE, EVOLVED STAR HDE 326823, A WR+O SYSTEM PROGENITOR

The hot star HDE 326823 is a candidate transition-phase object that is evolving into a nitrogen-enriched Wolf-Rayet star. It is also a known low-amplitude, photometric variable with a 6.123 day period. We present new, high- and moderate-resolution spectroscopy of HDE 326823, and we show that the absorption lines show coherent Doppler shifts with this period while the emission lines display little or no velocity variation. We interpret the absorption line shifts as the orbital motion of the apparently brighter star in a close, interacting binary. We argue that this star is losing mass to a mass gainer star hidden in a thick accretion torus and to a circumbinary disk that is the source of the emission lines. HDE 326823 probably belongs to a class of objects that produce short-period WR+O binaries.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

A NEW CLASS OF GAMMA-RAY BURSTS FROM STELLAR DISRUPTIONS BY INTERMEDIATE-MASS BLACK HOLES

It has been argued that the long gamma-ray burst (GRB) of GRB 060614 without an associated supernova (SN) has challenged the current classification and fuel model for long GRBs, and thus a tidal disruption model has been proposed to account for such an event. Since it is difficult to detect SNe for long GRBs at high redshift, the absence of an SN association cannot be regarded as the solid criterion for a new classification of long GRBs similar to GRB 060614, called GRB 060614-type bursts. Fortunately, we now know that there is an obvious periodic substructure observed in the prompt light curve of GRB 060614. We thus use such periodic substructure as a potential criterion to categorize some long GRBs into a new class of bursts, which might have been fueled by an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) gulping a star, rather than a massive star collapsing to form a black hole. Therefore, the second criterion to recognize for this new class of bursts is whether they fit the tidal disruption model. From a total of 328 Swift GRBs with accurately measured durations and without SN association, we find 25 GRBs satisfying the criteria for GRB 060614-type bursts: seven of them are with known redshifts and 18 with unknown redshifts. These new bursts are {approx}6% of the total Swift GRBs, which are clustered into two subclasses: Type I and Type II with considerably different viscous parameters of accretion disks formed by tidally disrupting their different progenitor stars. We suggest that the two different kinds of progenitors are solar-type stars and white dwarfs: the progenitors for four Type I bursts with viscous parameter of around 0.1 are solar-type stars, and the progenitors for 21 Type II bursts with viscous parameter of around 0.3 are white dwarfs. The potential applications of this new class of GRBs as cosmic standard candles are discussed briefly.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

THE BOLOCAM GALACTIC PLANE SURVEY. III. CHARACTERIZING PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MASSIVE STAR-FORMING REGIONS IN THE GEMINI OB1 MOLECULAR CLOUD

We present the 1.1 mm Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) observations of the Gemini OB1 molecular cloud complex, and targeted NH{sub 3} observations of the BGPS sources. When paired with molecular spectroscopy of a dense gas tracer, millimeter observations yield physical properties such as masses, radii, mean densities, kinetic temperatures, and line widths. We detect 34 distinct BGPS sources above 5{sigma} = 0.37 Jy beam{sup -1} with corresponding 5{sigma} detections in the NH{sub 3}(1,1) transition. Eight of the objects show water maser emission (20%). We find a mean millimeter source FWHM of 1.12 pc and a mean gas kinetic temperature of 20 K for the sample of 34 BGPS sources with detections in the NH{sub 3}(1,1) line. The observed NH{sub 3} line widths are dominated by non-thermal motions, typically found to be a few times the thermal sound speed expected for the derived kinetic temperature. We calculate the mass for each source from the millimeter flux assuming the sources are isothermal and find a mean isothermal mass within a 120'' aperture of 230 {+-} 180 M{sub sun}. We find a total mass of 8400 M{sub sun} for all BGPS sources in the Gemini OB1 molecular cloud, representing 6.5% of the cloud mass. By comparing the millimeter isothermal mass to the virial mass calculated from the NH{sub 3} line widths within a radius equal to the millimeter source size, we find a mean virial parameter (M{sub vir}/M {sub iso}) of 1.0 {+-} 0.9 for the sample. We find mean values for the distributions of column densities of 1.0 x 10{sup 22} cm{sup -2} for H{sub 2}, and 3.0 x 10{sup 14} cm{sup -2} for NH{sub 3}, giving a mean NH{sub 3} abundance of 3.0 x 10{sup -8} relative to H{sub 2}. We find volume-averaged densities on the order of 10{sup 3}-10{sup 4} cm{sup -3}. The sizes and densities suggest that in the Gem OB1 region the BGPS is detecting the clumps from which stellar clusters form, rather than smaller, higher density cores where single stars or small multiple systems form.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

COLD MOLECULAR GAS IN MASSIVE, STAR-FORMING DISK GALAXIES AT z = 1.5

We report the detection of the CO J = 1-0 emission line in three near-infrared selected star-forming galaxies at z {approx} 1.5 with the Very Large Array and the Green Bank Telescope. These observations directly trace the bulk of molecular gas in these galaxies. We find H{sub 2} gas masses of 8.3 {+-} 1.9 x 10{sup 10} M {sub sun}, 5.6 {+-} 1.4 x 10{sup 10} M{sub sun}, and 1.23 {+-} 0.34 x 10{sup 11} M{sub sun} for BzK-4171, BzK-21000, and BzK-16000, respectively, assuming a conversion {alpha}{sub CO} = 3.6 M {sub sun} (K km s{sup -1} pc{sup 2}){sup -1}. We combined our observations with previous CO 2-1 detections of these galaxies to study the properties of their molecular gas. We find brightness temperature ratios between the CO 2-1 and CO 1-0 emission lines of 0.80{sup +0.35}{sub -0.22}, 1.22{sup +0.61}{sub -0.36}, and 0.41{sup +0.23}{sub -0.13} for BzK-4171, BzK-21000, and BzK-16000, respectively. At the depth of our observations it is not possible to discern between thermodynamic equilibrium or sub-thermal excitation of the molecular gas at J = 2. However, the low temperature ratio found for BzK-16000 suggests sub-thermal excitation of CO already at J = 2. For BzK-21000, a large velocity gradient model of its CO emission confirms previous results of the low excitation of the molecular gas at J = 3. From a stacked map of the CO 1-0 images, we measure a CO 2-1 to CO 1-0 brightness temperature ratio of 0.92{sup +0.28}{sub -0.19}. This suggests that, on average, the gas in these galaxies is thermalized up to J = 2, has star formation efficiencies of {approx}100 L {sub sun} (K km s{sup -1} pc{sup 2}){sup -1}, and gas consumption timescales of {approx}0.4 Gyr, unlike submillimeter galaxies and quasi-stellar objects at high redshifts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

TRIGONOMETRIC PARALLAXES OF MASSIVE STAR-FORMING REGIONS. IX. THE OUTER ARM IN THE FIRST QUADRANT

We report a trigonometric parallax measurement with the Very Long Baseline Array for the water maser in the distant high-mass star-forming region G75.30+1.32. This source has a heliocentric distance of 9.25{sup +0.45}{sub -0.40} kpc, which places it in the Outer arm in the first Galactic quadrant. It lies 200 pc above the Galactic plane and is associated with a substantial H I enhancement at the border of a large molecular cloud. At a Galactocentric radius of 10.7 kpc, G75.30+1.32 is in a region of the Galaxy where the disk is significantly warped toward the North Galactic Pole. While the star-forming region has an instantaneous Galactic orbit that is nearly circular, it displays a significant motion of 18 km s{sup -1} toward the Galactic plane. The present results, when combined with two previous maser studies in the Outer arm, yield a pitch angle of about 12 Degree-Sign for a large section of the arm extending from the first quadrant to the third.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

SEARCH FOR CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS AND RADIO JETS IN THE MASSIVE STAR-FORMATION REGION IRAS 23033+5951

We present radio continuum (1.3 and 3.6 cm) and H{sub 2}O maser observations toward the high-mass star-forming region IRAS 23033+5951 carried out with the VLA-EVLA (in transition phase) in the A configuration. Three radio continuum sources are detected at 3.6 cm, which are aligned in the east-west direction. However, no continuum emission is detected in the region at 1.3 cm. Based on the continuum information, we find that the two continuum sources detected in the region could be consistent with ultracompact H II regions harboring ZAMS B2 and B2.5 stars; however, we do not rule out that they could be associated with a radio jet. In addition, nine water maser spots are detected toward IRAS 23033+5951, which are clustered in two groups and located about 2'' to the south of the continuum sources. The spatio-kinematical distribution of the water masers suggests that they are tracing a circumstellar disk associated with a central star ZAMS B0, which could be the least evolved source in the region and has not developed an H II region yet. Moreover, as the circumstellar disk seems to be associated with the CO molecular outflow observed in the region, this conforms to a disk-YSO-outflow system, similar to that found in low-mass stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

PRECISE IDENTIFICATIONS OF SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES: MEASURING THE HISTORY OF MASSIVE STAR-FORMING GALAXIES TO z > 5 {sup ,} {sup ,}

We carried out extremely sensitive Submillimeter Array (SMA) 340 GHz (860 {mu}m) continuum imaging of a complete sample of SCUBA 850 {mu}m sources (>4{sigma}) with fluxes >3 mJy in the GOODS-N. Using these data and new SCUBA-2 data, we do not detect 4 of the 16 SCUBA sources, and we rule out the original SCUBA fluxes at the 4{sigma} level. Three more resolve into multiple fainter SMA galaxies, suggesting that our understanding of the most luminous high-redshift dusty galaxies may not be as reliable as we thought. 10 of the 16 independent SMA sources have spectroscopic redshifts (optical/infrared or CO) up to z = 5.18. Using a new, ultradeep 20 cm image obtained with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (rms of 2.5 {mu}Jy), we find that all 16 of the SMA sources are detected at >5{sigma}. Using Herschel far-infrared (FIR) data, we show that the five isolated SMA sources with Herschel detections are well described by an Arp 220 spectral energy distribution template in the FIR. They also closely obey the local FIR-radio correlation, a result that does not suffer from a radio bias. We compute the contribution from the 16 SMA sources to the universal star formation rate (SFR) per comoving volume. With individual SFRs in the range 700-5000 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}, they contribute {approx}30% of the extinction-corrected ultraviolet-selected SFR density from z = 1 to at least z = 5. Star formation histories determined from extinction-corrected ultraviolet populations and from submillimeter galaxy populations only partially overlap, due to the extreme ultraviolet faintness of some submillimeter galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

HADRON-QUARK CROSSOVER AND MASSIVE HYBRID STARS WITH STRANGENESS

Using the idea of smooth crossover from hadronic matter with hyperons to quark matter with strangeness, we show that the maximum mass (M {sub max}) of neutron stars with quark matter cores can be larger than those without quark matter cores. This is in contrast to the conventional softening of the equation of state due to exotic components at high density. The essential conditions for reaching our conclusion are that (1) the crossover takes place at relatively low densities, around three times the normal nuclear density and (2) the quark matter is strongly interacting in the crossover region. From these, the pressure of the system can be greater than that of purely hadronic matter at a given baryon density in the crossover density region and leads to M {sub max} greater than 2 solar mass. This conclusion is insensitive to the different choice of the hadronic equation of state with hyperons. We remark upon several implications of this result to the nuclear incompressibility, the hyperon mixing, and the neutrino cooling.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THREE-DIMENSIONAL ADAPTIVE MESH REFINEMENT SIMULATIONS OF LONG-DURATION GAMMA-RAY BURST JETS INSIDE MASSIVE PROGENITOR STARS

We present the results of special relativistic, adaptive mesh refinement, 3D simulations of gamma-ray burst jets expanding inside a realistic stellar progenitor. Our simulations confirm that relativistic jets can propagate and break out of the progenitor star while remaining relativistic. This result is independent of the resolution, even though the amount of turbulence and variability observed in the simulations is greater at higher resolutions. We find that the propagation of the jet head inside the progenitor star is slightly faster in 3D simulations compared to 2D ones at the same resolution. This behavior seems to be due to the fact that the jet head in 3D simulations can wobble around the jet axis, finding the spot of least resistance to proceed. Most of the average jet properties, such as density, pressure, and Lorentz factor, are only marginally affected by the dimensionality of the simulations and therefore results from 2D simulations can be considered reliable.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE LANDSCAPE OF THE NEUTRINO MECHANISM OF CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVAE: NEUTRON STAR AND BLACK HOLE MASS FUNCTIONS, EXPLOSION ENERGIES, AND NICKEL YIELDS

If the neutrino luminosity from the proto-neutron star formed during a massive star core collapse exceeds a critical threshold, a supernova (SN) results. Using spherical quasi-static evolutionary sequences for hundreds of progenitors over a range of metallicities, we study how the explosion threshold maps onto observables, including the fraction of successful explosions, the neutron star (NS) and black hole (BH) mass functions, the explosion energies (E {sub SN}) and nickel yields (M {sub Ni}), and their mutual correlations. Successful explosions are intertwined with failures in a complex pattern that is not simply related to initial progenitor mass or compactness. We predict that progenitors with initial masses of 15 ± 1, 19 ± 1, and ∼21-26 M {sub ☉} are most likely to form BHs, that the BH formation probability is non-zero at solar-metallicity and increases significantly at low metallicity, and that low luminosity, low Ni-yield SNe come from progenitors close to success/failure interfaces. We qualitatively reproduce the observed E {sub SN}-M {sub Ni} correlation, we predict a correlation between the mean and width of the NS mass and E {sub SN} distributions, and that the means of the NS and BH mass distributions are correlated. We show that the observed mean NS mass of ≅ 1.33 M {sub ☉} implies that the successful explosion fraction is higher than 0.35. Overall, we show that the neutrino mechanism can in principle explain the observed properties of SNe and their compact objects. We argue that the rugged landscape of progenitors and outcomes mandates that SN theory should focus on reproducing the wide ranging distributions of observed SN properties.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

A CATALOG OF CH{sub 3}OH 7{sub 0}-6{sub 1} A {sup +} MASER SOURCES IN MASSIVE STAR-FORMING REGIONS. II. MASERS IN NGC 6334F, G8.67-0.36, AND M17

We present Very Large Array (VLA) observations of the 7{sub 0}-6{sub 1} A {sup +} methanol maser transition at 44 GHz toward NGC 6334F, G8.67-0.36, and M17. These arcsecond resolution observations complete a previous, larger VLA survey of this maser transition in high-mass, star-forming regions reported by Kurtz et al. We confirm the presence of 44 GHz methanol maser emission in all 3 sources, detecting 8 distinct maser components in NGC 6334F, 12 components in G8.67-0.36, and 1 in M17.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

EQUATION OF STATE FOR MASSIVE NEUTRON STARS

Using the relativistic Hartree-Fock approximation, we investigate the properties of neutron-star matter in detail. In the present calculation, we consider not only the tensor coupling of vector mesons to octet baryons and the form factors at interaction vertices but also the change in the internal (quark) structure of baryons in dense matter. The relativistic Hartree-Fock calculations are performed in two ways: one with coupling constants determined by SU(6) (quark model) symmetry and the other with coupling constants based on SU(3) (flavor) symmetry. For the latter case, we use the latest Nijmegen (ESC08) model. Then, it is very remarkable that the particle composition of the core matter in SU(3) symmetry is completely different from that in SU(6) symmetry. In SU(6) symmetry, all octet baryons appear in the density region below {approx}1.2 fm{sup -3}, while in the ESC08 model only the {Xi}{sup -} hyperon is produced. Furthermore, the medium modification of the internal baryon structure hardens the equation of state for the core matter. Taking all these effects into account, we can obtain the maximum neutron-star mass which is consistent with the recently observed mass, 1.97 {+-} 0.04 M{sub Sun} (PSR J1614-2230). We therefore conclude that the extension from SU(6) symmetry to SU(3) symmetry in meson-baryon couplings and the internal baryon structure variation in matter considerably enhance the mass of neutron stars. Furthermore, the effects of the form factor at the vertex and the Fock contribution, including the tensor coupling due to vector mesons, are indispensable for describing the core matter.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2011

H{sub 2}CS IN OUTFLOWS OF THE MASSIVE STAR-FORMING CORE DR21(OH)

For the first time, using the Submillimeter Array, H{sub 2}CS emission was observed to show a typical bipolar outflow morphology toward DR21(OH). The emission consisted of a strong concentration toward a hot molecular core (MM1a) and a symmetrically extended feature aligned roughly in the north-south direction. H{sub 2}CS is one of the hot core species, and its extended emission is expected to result from the interaction between the outflow of MM1a and the dense ambient gas. We derive H{sub 2}CS column densities of {approx}3 x 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2} and {approx}1 x 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2} toward MM1a and the centers of the extended emission, respectively. Its fractional abundance, f (H{sub 2}CS) {approx} 10{sup -9} relative to the total H{sub 2} abundance, is comparable to those in other star-forming regions, suggesting that H{sub 2}CS may be present in a region closer to the center than previously thought. Our results suggest that the observed H{sub 2}CS emission arises via direct evaporation or sputtering of the solid H{sub 2}CS on the grain surface, and H{sub 2}CS may be one of the major sulfur-bearing species residing in the ice grain mantles in a solid form, at least in the case of DR21(OH).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

PROTOSTELLAR FEEDBACK AND FINAL MASS OF THE SECOND-GENERATION PRIMORDIAL STARS

The first stars in the universe ionized the ambient primordial gas through various feedback processes. 'Second-generation' primordial stars potentially form from this disturbed gas after its recombination. In this Letter, we study the late formation stage of such second-generation stars, where a large amount of gas accretes onto the protostar and the final stellar mass is determined when the accretion terminates. We directly compute the complex interplay between the accretion flow and stellar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, performing radiation-hydrodynamic simulations coupled with stellar evolution calculations. Because of more efficient H{sub 2} and HD cooling in the pre-stellar stage, the accretion rates onto the star are 10 times lower than in the case of the formation of the first stars. The lower accretion rates and envelope density result in the occurrence of an expanding bipolar H II region at a lower protostellar mass M{sub *} {approx_equal} 10 M{sub Sun }, which blows out the circumstellar material, thereby quenching the mass supply from the envelope to the accretion disk. At the same time the disk loses mass due to photoevaporation by the growing star. In our fiducial case the stellar UV feedback terminates mass accretion onto the star at M{sub *} {approx_equal} 17 M{sub Sun }. Although the derived masses of the second-generation primordial stars are systematically lower than those of the first generation, the difference is within a factor of only a few. Our results suggest a new scenario, whereby the majority of the primordial stars are born as massive stars with tens of solar masses, regardless of their generations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

A study of outer disc stellar populations of face-on star-forming galaxies in SDSS-IV MaNGA: causes of H α deficiency

ABSTRACT Integral field unit spectra of face-on star-forming galaxies from the MaNGA survey are stacked in radial bins so as to reach an S/N high enough to measure emission lines and Lick indices out to 2.5–3Re. Two-thirds of galaxies have stellar populations in the outer discs that are older, more metal poor, and less dusty than in the inner discs. Recent bursts of star formation have occurred more frequently in the outer disc, but extinction-corrected H α equivalent widths are significantly lower at fixed Dn(4000) in these regions. I examine the properties of a subset of galaxies with the most H α-deficient outer discs. These regions contain young stellar populations that must have formed within the last 0.5 Gyr, but have extinction-corrected H α values well below the values predicted for a standard Kroupa initial mass function. The H α-deficient galaxies have flat Dn(4000) and H δA profiles with little radial fluctuation, indicating that star formation has occurred extremely uniformly across the entire disc. The H α line profiles indicate that the ionized gas kinematics is also very regular across the disc. The main clue to the origin of the H α deficiency is that it sets in at the same radius where the dust extinction abruptly decreases, suggesting a mode of star formation deficient in massive stars in quiescent, H i-dominated gas. Finally, I have carried out a search for galaxies with signatures of unusual H α kinematics and find that 15 per cent of the sample exhibits evidence for significant ionized gas that is displaced from the systemic velocity of the disc.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

COEVAL INTERMEDIATE-MASS STAR FORMATION IN N4W

Protostars are mostly found in star-forming regions, where the natal molecular gas still remains. At about 5{sup ′} west of the molecular bubble N4, N4W is identified as a star-forming clump hosting three Class II (IRS 1–3), and one Class I (IRS 4) young stellar objects (YSOs), as well as a submillimeter source SMM1. The near-IR polarization imaging data of N4W reveal two infrared reflection nebulae close to each other, which are in favor of the outflows of IRS 1 and IRS 2. The bipolar mid-IR emission centered on IRS 4 and the arc-like molecular gas shell are lying on the same axis, indicating a bipolar molecular outflow from IRS 4. There are two dust temperature distributions in N4W. The warmer one is widely distributed and has a temperature of T{sub d}≳28 K, with the colder one being from the embedded compact submillimeter source SMM1. N4W’s mass is estimated to be ∼2.5×10{sup 3} M{sub ⊙}, and the mass of SMM1 is ∼5.5×10{sup 2} M{sub ⊙} at T{sub d}=15 K, calculated from the CO 1 − 0 emission and 870 μm dust continuum emission, respectively. Based on the estimates of the bolometric luminosity of IRS 1–4, these four sources are intermediate-mass YSOs at least. SMM1 is gravitationally bound, and is capable of forming intermediate-mass stars or even possibly massive stars. The co-existence of the IR bright YSOs and the submillimeter source represents potential sequential star formation processes separated by ∼0.5 Myr in N4W. This small age spread implies that the intermediate-mass star formation processes happening in N4W are almost coeval.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A CATALOG OF METHANOL MASERS IN MASSIVE STAR-FORMING REGIONS. III. THE MOLECULAR OUTFLOW SAMPLE

We present an interferometric survey of the 44 GHz class I methanol maser transition toward a sample of 69 sources consisting of high-mass protostellar object (HMPO) candidates and ultracompact (UC) H ii regions. We found a 38% detection rate (16 of 42) in the HMPO candidates and a 54% detection rate (13 of 24) for the regions with ionized gas. This result indicates that class I methanol maser emission is more common toward the more evolved young stellar objects of our sample. Comparing with similar interferometric data sets, our observations show narrower linewidths, likely due to our higher spatial resolution. Based on a comparison between molecular outflow tracers and the maser positions, we find several cases where the masers appear to be located at the outflow interface with the surrounding core. Unlike previous surveys, we also find several cases where the masers appear to be located close to the base of the molecular outflow, although we cannot discard projection effects. This and other surveys of class I methanol masers not only suggest that these masers may trace shocks at different stages, but also that they may even trace shocks arising from a number of different phenomena occurring in star-forming regions: young/old outflows, cloud–cloud collisions, expanding H ii regions, among others.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗