2009/10/20 by J. D. Pandian, K. M. Menten, P. F. Goldsmith
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Galactic plane #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Luminosity #Luminosity function #Maser #Plane (geometry) #Population #Scale height #astro-ph.GA
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/706/2/1609
published as Astrophys.J.706:1609-1624,2009 · Accepted by ApJ
arxiv created 2009/10/20 · openalex publication_date 2009/11/16 · arxiv updated 2014/11/20 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
We derive kinematic distances to the 86 6.7 GHz methanol masers discovered in the Arecibo Methanol Maser Galactic Plane Survey. The systemic velocities of the sources were derived from 13 CO ( J = 2–1), CS ( J = 5–4), and NH 3 observations made with the ARO Submillimeter Telescope, the APEX telescope, and the Effelsberg 100 m telescope, respectively. Kinematic distance ambiguities were resolved using H i self-absorption with H i data from the VLA Galactic Plane Survey. We observe roughly three times as many sources at the far distance compared to the near distance. The vertical distribution of the sources has a scale height of ∼ 30 pc, and is much lower than that of the Galactic thin disk. We use the distances derived in this work to determine the luminosity function of 6.7 GHz maser emission. The luminosity function has a peak at approximately 10 −6 L ☉ . Assuming that this luminosity function applies, the methanol maser population in the Large Magellanic Cloud and M33 is at least 4 and 14 times smaller, respectively, than in our Galaxy.