The structure of interstellar hydroxyl masers: VLBI synthesis observations of W3(OH)

Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/158092· OSTI ID:6757477

Reid, M J; Haschick, A D; Burke, B F; Moran, J M; Johnston, K J; Swenson, Jr, G W

We have conducted an eight station, very long baseline interferometric (VLBI) experiment to produce spectral-line synthesis maps of the hydroxyl (OH) maser emission from regions of active star formation (i.e., interstellar OH masers). In this paper we report on the observations of W3(OH) for which data from 13 baselines were correlated and calibrated. The observations are well distributed over the (u,v)-plane, allowing the source brightness distribution to be recovered by Fourier inversion of the interferometric data. In this manner the maser emission from the 1665 MHz OH transition toward W3(OH) has been mapped with a synthesized beam of 0''.01 and with a spectral resolution of 0.14 km s/sup -1/. This map is complete in the velocity range of -50 to -41 km s/sup -1/ to a limiting sensitivity of 5 Jy.

• Research Organization: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
• OSTI ID: 6757477
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 239:1; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AMPLIFIERS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DATA ANALYSIS
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EMISSION
EQUIPMENT
H2 REGIONS
HYDROXYL RADICALS
INTERFEROMETRY
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MASERS
MICROWAVE AMPLIFIERS
MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT
MOLECULES
NEBULAE
RADIAL VELOCITY
RADICALS
SPACE
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
STAR ACCRETION
STAR EVOLUTION
VELOCITY
ZEEMAN EFFECT