We simulate maser flares by varying either the pump rate or the background level of radiation in a 3D model of a maser cloud. We investigate the effect of different cloud shapes, saturation levels and viewpoints. Results are considered for clouds with both uniform and internally variable unsaturated inversion. Pumping and background variations are represented by several different driving functions, some of which are light curves drawn from observations. We summarise the pumping variability results in terms of three observable parameters, the maximum flux density achieved, a variability index and duty cycle. We demonstrate typical ranges of the flux density that may result from viewing an aspherical object from random viewpoints. The best object for a flare is a prolate cloud, viewed close to its long axis and driven from unsaturated conditions to at least modest saturation. Results for variation of the background level are qualitatively different from the variable pumping results in that they tend to produce short intervals of low flux density under conditions of moderate saturation and sufficient variability to be consistent with strong flaring. Variable background models typically have a significantly higher duty cycle than those with variable pumping.
A 3D maser model has been used to perform an inverse problem on the light curves from three high-amplitude maser flares, selected on the basis of contemporaneous infra-red observations. Plots derived from the model recover the size of the maser cloud, and two parameters linked to saturation, from three observational properties of the light curve. Recovered sizes are consistent with independent interferometric measurements. Maser objects transition between weak and moderate saturation during a flare.
The radiative transfer problem is considered in dense gas-dust clouds. Physical parameters are adopted in simulations corresponding to gas-dust clouds in the circumstellar envelopes of late-type stars. An one-dimensional plane-parallel slab geometry of the cloud is considered. The radiative transfer problem is solved using the accelerated lambda iteration technique. The rotational levels of the five lowest vibrational levels of H2O-molecule are considered in the simulations. The level populations of H2O-molecule are computed as a function of distance in the cloud. The conditions of the level p…
Based on the long-term monitoring data of the water maser since 2019.0 to 2021.0 allowed us detecting in IRAS 16293-2422 two powerful phenomena lasted about year at radial velocities near 6 and 8 km s$^{-1}$. In both cases, powerful short flares were located on the tops of less powerful, but more prolonged ones (2.5 and 0.5 kJy), radiation of which initiated the emission of more powerful flares. For the first time, configurations of several emitting maser spots located at the line of sight to the observer were discovered experimentally. This made it possible to confirm the hypothesis of activa…
Methanol and water vapour masers are signposts of early stages of high-mass star formation but it is generally thought that due to different excitation processes they probe distinct parts of stellar environments. Here we present observations of the intermediate-mass young stellar object G107.298+5.639, revealing for the first time that 34.4 d flares of the 6.7 GHz methanol maser emission alternate with flares of individual features of the 22 GHz water maser. High angular resolution data reveal that a few components of both maser species showing periodic behaviour coincide in position and veloc…
We present the results of a monitoring campaign using the KAT-7 and HartRAO 26m telescopes, of hydroxyl, methanol and water vapour masers associated with the high-mass star forming region G9.62+0.20E. Periodic flaring of the main line hydroxyl masers were found, similar to that seen in the 6.7 and 12.2 GHz methanol masers. The 1667 MHz flares are characterized by a rapid decrease in flux density which is coincident with the start of the 12.2 GHz methanol maser flare. The decrease in the OH maser flux density is followed by a slow increase till a maximum is reached after which the maser decays …
We investigated, through numerical models, the flaring variability that may arise from the rotation of maser clouds of approximately spheroidal geometry, ranging from strongly oblate to strongly prolate examples. Inversion solutions were obtained for each of these examples over a range of saturation levels from unsaturated to highly saturated. Formal solutions were computed for rotating clouds with many randomly chosen rotation axes, and corresponding averaged maser light curves plotted with statistical information. The dependence of results on the level of saturation and on the degree of defo…
We present the results of SiO maser observations at 43GHz 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.
Recent studies have shown that 6.7 GHz methanol maser flares can be a powerful tool for verifying the mechanisms of maser production and even the specific signatures of accretion rate changes in the early stages of high-mass star formation. We characterize the spatial structure and evolution of methanol and water masers during a flare of methanol maser emission at 6.7 GHz in the HMYSO G24.33$+$0.14. VLBA was used to image the 6.7 and 12.2 GHz methanol and 22.2 GHz water vapor masers at three epochs guided by monitoring the methanol line with the Torun 32m telescope. The 6.7 GHz maser maps were…
This paper presents a milliarcsecond-scale comparison of the polarised component-level v=1 J=1-0, v=2 J=1-0 and v=1 J=2-1 SiO maser emission toward the supergiant star VY CMa. These observations used the VLBA at λ=7mm and λ=3mm over two epochs. The goal is to use the relative characteristics and spatial distribution of the transitions in individual resolved maser components to provide observational constraints on SiO maser excitation and pumping models. We find that many v=1 J=1-0 and v=2 J=1-0 features overlap in the second observing epoch, at comparable sensitivity. The v=2 J=1-0 emission is…
The massive young stellar object (MYSO) G358.93-0.03-MM1 showed an extraordinary near-infrared- to (sub-)millimetre-dark and far-infrared-loud accretion burst, which is closely associated with flares of several class II methanol maser transitions, and, later, a 22 GHz water maser flare. Water maser flares provide an invaluable insight into ejection events associated with accretion bursts. Although the short timescale of the 22 GHz water maser flare made it impossible to carry out a very long baseline interferometry observation, we could track it with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). …
Following an eruptive accretion event in NGC6334I-MM1, flares in the various maser species, including water masers, were triggered. We report the observed relative proper motion of the highly variable water masers associated with the massive star-forming region, NGC6334I. High velocity H$_2$O maser proper motions were detected in 5 maser clusters, CM2-W2 (bow-shock structure), MM1-W1, MM1-W3, UCHII-W1 and UCHII-W3. The overall average of the derived relative proper motion is 85 km s$^{-1}$. This mean proper motion is in agreement with the previous results from VLA multi-epoch observations. Our…
Periodic flares of maser emission are thought to be induced either by variations of the seed photon flux in young binary systems or the pump rate regulated by stellar and accretion luminosities. We seek to study the variability of four maser transitions of three different species in G107.298+5.639 to constrain the dominant mechanism of periodic flares. Light curves of the 6.7 GHz methanol and 22.2 GHz water vapour maser were obtained with the Torun 32m radio telescope over 39 and 34 cycles, respectively. The target was also monitored at the 1.6 GHz hydroxyl transitions with the Nançay radio te…
Context: Class II methanol masers at 6.7 GHz originate close to high-mass young stellar objects (HMYSOs). Their high sensitivity to local condition variations makes them a useful marker of the activity of the emerging massive stars. Aims: We aim to closely examine the variability of the 6.7 GHz methanol masers in Cep A HW2 using the new and archival single-dish and high-resolution Very-Long-Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) datasets. Methods: We monitored 6.7 GHz methanol masers towards the target between 2009 and 2021 using the Torun 32 m radio telescope, and analysed nine datasets of VLBI obser…
Methanol and water masers indicate young stellar objects. They often exhibit flares, and a fraction shows periodic activity. Several mechanisms might explain this behavior but the lack of concurrent infrared (IR) data complicates to identify the cause. Recently, 6.7 GHz methanol maser flares were observed, triggered by accretion bursts of high-mass YSOs which confirmed the IR-pumping of these masers. This suggests that regular IR changes might lead to maser periodicity. Hence, we scrutinized space-based IR imaging of YSOs associated with periodic methanol masers. We succeeded to extract the IR…
The polarization of masers contains information on the magnetic field strength and direction of the regions they occur in. Many maser polarization observations have been performed over the last 30 years. However, versatile maser polarization models that can aide in the interpretation of these observations are not available. We aim to develop a program suite that can compute the polarization by a magnetic field of any non-paramagnetic maser specie at arbitrarily high maser saturation. Furthermore, we aim to investigate the polarization of masers by non-Zeeman polarizing effects. We aim to prese…
We have detected periodic flares of the 6.7 GHz methanol maser from an intermediate-mass star-forming region IRAS22198+6336. The maser was monitored daily in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Six flares were observed with a period of 34.6 days. The variation pattern is intermittent, and the flux ratio of the flaring and the quiescent states exceeds 30. Such intermittent variation with the short period uniquely characterizes the variation of the IRAS22198+6336 maser. At least five spectral components were identified. The spectral components varied almost synchronously, but their peak times differed by 1.8 …
We report the first detection of a radio-continuum and molecular jet associated with a dominant blue-shifted maser source, G353.273+0.641. A radio jet is extended 3000 au along NW-SE direction. H$_{2}$O masers are found to be clustered in the root of a bipolar radio jet. A molecular jet is detected by thermal SiO ($\upsilon$ = 0, $J$ = 2-1) emission. The SiO spectrum is extremely wide (-120 -- +87 km s$^{-1}$) and significantly blue-shift dominated, similar to the maser emission. The observed geometry and remarkable spectral similarity between H$_{2}$O maser and SiO strongly suggests the exist…
We have performed VLBI and single-dish monitoring of 22 GHz H$_{2}$O maser emission from the high mass young stellar object G353.273+0.641 with VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry) and Tomakamai 11-m radio telescope. Two maser flares have been detected, separated almost two years. Frequent VLBI monitoring has revealed that these flare activities have been accompanied by structural change of the prominent shock front traced by H2O maser alignments. We have detected only blue-shifted emissions and all maser features have been distributed within very small area of 200 $\times$ 200 au$^{2}$…
We report on a long-term single-dish and VLBI monitoring for intermittent flare activities of a Dominant Blue-Shifted H$_{2}$O Maser (DBSM) associated with a southern high mass young stellar object, G353.273+0.641. Bi-weekly single-dish monitoring using Hokkaido University Tomakomai 11-m radio telescope has shown that a systematic acceleration continues over four years beyond a lifetime of individual maser features. This fact suggests that the H$_{2}$O maser traces a region where molecular gas is steadily accelerated. There were five maser flares during five-years monitoring, and maser distrib…
The active star-forming region W33B is a source of OH and H2O maser emission located in distinct zones around the central object. The aim was to obtain the complete Stokes pattern of polarised OH maser emission, to trace its variability and to investigate flares and long-term variability of the H2O maser and evolution of individual emission features. Observations in the OH lines at a wavelength of 18 cm were carried out on the Nançay radio telescope (France) at a number of epochs in 2008--2014; H2O line observations (long-term monitoring) at a wavelength of 1.35 cm were performed on the 22-met…
We report the discovery of 6.7 GHz methanol maser periodic flares in four massive star forming regions and the updated light curve for the known periodic source G22.357+0.066. The observations were carried out with the Torun 32 m radio telescope between June 2009 and April 2014. Flux density variations with period of 120 to 245 d were detected for some or all spectral features. A variability pattern with a fast rise and relatively slow fall on time-scale of 30-60 d dominated. A reverse pattern was observed for some features of G22.357+0.066, while sinusoidal-like variations were detected in G2…
Class II methanol masers are signs of massive young stellar objects (MYSOs). Recent findings show that MYSO accretion bursts cause flares of these masers. Thus, maser monitoring can be used to identify such bursts. Burst-induced SED changes provide valuable information on a very intense phase of high-mass star formation. In mid-January 2019, a maser flare of the MYSO G358.93-0.03 was reported. ALMA and SMA imaging resolved the core of the star forming region and proved the association of the masers with the brightest continuum source MM1. However, no significant flux rise of the (sub)mm dust c…
Since the early 1980s, decimetric spike bursts have been attributed to electron cyclotron maser emission (ECME) by the electrons that produce hard X-ray bursts as they precipitate into the chromosphere in the impulsive phase of a solar flare. Spike bursts are regarded as analogous to the auroral kilometric radiation (AKR), which is associated with the precipitation of auroral electrons in a geomagnetic substorm. Originally, a loss-cone-driven version of ECME, developed for AKR, was applied to spike bursts, but it is now widely accepted that a different, horseshoe-driven, version of EMCE applie…
Discovery of periodic maser emission was an unexpected result from monitoring observations of methanol transitions in high-mass young stellar objects. We report on the detection of five new periodic sources from a monitoring program with the Torun 32 m telescope. Variability with a period of 149 to 540 d and different patterns from sinusoidal-like to intermittent was displayed. Three dimensional structure of G59.633$-$0.192 determined from the time delays of burst peaks of the spectral features and high angular resolution map implies that the emission traces a disk. For this source the 6.7 GHz…
We present the analysis of the onset of the new 2010s' OH flaring event detected in the OH ground-state main line at 1665~MHz towards o Ceti and compare its characteristics with those of the 1990s' flaring event. This is based on a series of complementary single-dish and interferometric observations both in OH and H2O obtained with the Nancay Radio telescope (NRT), the Medicina and Effelsberg Telescopes, the European VLBI Network (EVN), and (e)Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ((e)MERLIN). We compare the overall characteristics of o Ceti's flaring events with those which have b…
This paper presents a component-level comparison of the polarized v=1 J =1-0, v=2 J=1-0 and v=1 J=2-1 SiO maser emission towards the supergiant star VY CMa at milliarcsecond-scale, as observed using the VLBA at $λ=7$mm and $λ=3$mm. An earlier paper considered overall maser morphology and constraints on SiO maser excitation and pumping derived from these data. The goal of the current paper is to use the measured polarization properties of individual co-spatial components detected across multiple transitions to provide constraints on several competing theories for the transport of polarized mase…
We argue that the periodic variability of Class II methanol masers can be explained by variations of the dust temperature in the accretion disk around proto-binary star with at least one massive component. The dust temperature variations are caused by rotation of hot and dense material of the spiral shock wave in the disk central gap. The aim of this work is to show how different can be the Class II methanol maser brightness in the disk during the Moment of Maximum Illumination by the Spiral Shock material (hereafter MMISS) and the Moment when the disk is Illuminated by the Stars Only (MISO). …
We compare multi-epoch sub-arcsecond VLA imaging of the 22 GHz water masers toward the massive protocluster NGC6334I observed before and after the recent outburst of MM1B in (sub)millimeter continuum. Since the outburst, the water maser emission toward MM1 has substantially weakened. Simultaneously, the strong water masers associated with the synchrotron continuum point source CM2 have flared by a mean factor of 6.5 (to 4.2 kJy) with highly-blueshifted features (up to 70 km/s from LSR) becoming more prominent. The strongest flaring water masers reside 3000 au north of MM1B and form a remarkabl…
The v=1 and v=2 J=1-0 (43 GHz), and v=1 J=2-1 (86 GHz) SiO masers are intense in AGB stars and have been mapped using VLBI showing ring-like distributions. Those of the v=1, v=2 J=1-0 masers are similar, but the spots are rarely coincident, while the v=1 J=2-1 maser arises from a well separated region farther out. These relative locations can be explained by models tools that include the overlap of two IR lines of SiO and H2O. The v=3 J=1-0 line is not directly affected by any line overlap and its spot structure and position, relative to the other lines, is a good test to the standard pumping …
Recently detected coherent low-frequency radio emission from M dwarf systems shares phenomenological similarities with emission produced by magnetospheric processes from the gas giant planets of our Solar System. Such beamed electron-cyclotron maser emission can be driven by a star-planet interaction or a breakdown in co-rotation between a rotating plasma disk and a stellar magnetosphere. Both models suggest that the radio emission could be periodic. Here we present the longest low-frequency interferometric monitoring campaign of an M dwarf system, composed of twenty-one $\approx$8 hour epochs…
