2007/02/22 by Nimesh Patel, N. A. Patel, S. Curiel +7 · 3 citations
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Molecular Spectroscopy and Structure #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/513508
Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters
openalex publication_date 2007/02/22 · arxiv created 2007/02/26 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Using the Submillimeter Array (SMA) we have imaged for the first time the 321.226 GHz, 10 29 -9 36 ortho-H 2 O maser emission. This is also the first detection of this line in the Cepheus A high-mass star-forming region. The 22.235 GHz, 6 16 -5 23 water masers were also observed with the Very Large Array 43 days following the SMA observations. Three of the nine detected submillimeter maser spots are associated with the centimeter masers spatially as well as kinematically, while there are 36 22 GHz maser spots without corresponding submillimeter masers. In the HW2 source, both the 321 and 22 GHz masers occur within the region of ~1'', which includes the disk-jet system, but the position angles of the roughly linear structures traced by the masers indicate that the 321 GHz masers are along the jet while the 22 GHz masers are perpendicular to it. We interpret the submillimeter masers in Cepheus A to be tracing significantly hotter regions (600-2000 K) than the centimeter masers.