We report multi-epoch VLBI observations of molecular masers towards the high-mass star forming region AFGL 5142, leading to the determination of the 3D velocity field of circumstellar molecular gas at radii <0.″23 (or 400 AU) from the protostar MM–1. Our observations of CH3OH maser emission enabled, for the first time, a direct measurement of infall of a molecular envelope on to an intermediate-mass protostar (radius of 300 AU, velocity of 5 km s−1, and infall rate of 6 × 10−4n8M⊙ yr−1, where n8 is the ambient volume density in units of 108 cm−3). In addition, our measurements of H2O maser (and radio continuum) emission revealed a collimated bipolar molecular outflow (and ionized jet) from MM–1. The evidence of simultaneous accretion and outflow at small spatial scales, makes AFGL 5142 an extremely compelling target for high-angular resolution studies of high-mass star formation.

We report a trigonometric parallax measurement for the H2O masers around the protoplanetary nebula OH 231.8+4.2 carried out with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). Based on astrometric monitoring for 1 year, we measured a parallax of 0.65 ± 0.01 mas, corresponding to a distance of 1.54 +0.02−0.01 kpc. The spatial distribution of H2O masers is consistent with that found in the previous studies. After removing the average proper motion of 1.4 mas yr−1, corresponding to 10 km s−1, the internal motions of the H2O maser spots indicate a bipolar outflow.

Measurements of trigonometric parallaxes and secular motions of evolved stars, especially post-AGB stars including central objects of planetary nebulae and water fountain sources as well as peculiar or unclassified stars, provide unambiguous source distance scales and information on their orbits in the Milky Way Galaxy. True source luminosities and kinematical properties should lead us to elucidate the true characteristics and evolutional tracks of these stars. Here we present the recent results of astrometry towards H2O maser sources with the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astormetry (VERA). The target sources include a planetary nebula (K3–35), a pre-PN (IRAS 19312+1950), a water fountain (IRAS 18286−0959) and a K-type star (IRAS 22480+6002). We have demonstrated that parental stars of the former three sources should be intermediate-mass stars from their luminosities and orbits in the Milky Way. It is suggested that IRAS 22480+6002 should be a K-type supergiant previously suggested rather than an RV Tau variable star.

The massive star forming complex W33 contains several molecular clouds at different stages of star formation activity, ranging from quiescent to highly active clouds. Our trigonometric parallax observations of water masers in this complex, conducted with the VLBA at 22.2 GHz, show that all water masers have the same distance of 2.4 kpc, locating the W33 complex in the Sagittarius spiral arm.

Results of multi-epoch VLBI observations toward water/SiO masers in Orion-KL are presented. We conducted high-resolution VLBI observations of water/SiO masers with VERA to probe the structure and the kinematics of the disk/outflow in Orion-KL. The VERA observations provide the positions and proper motions of masers features in Orion-KL with the highest accuracy ever observed. The results of water and SiO maser observations suggest that Source I is a massive YSO with an accretion disk and a collimated outflow.

We have measured the annual parallax of the H2O maser associated with an infrared dark cloud, MSXDC G034.43+00.24, with VERA. The parallax is 0.643 ± 0.049 mas, corresponding to a distance of 1.56+0.12−0.11 kpc. This value is less than half of the previous kinematic distance of 3.7 kpc. We revised the core-mass estimates of MSXDC G034.43+00.24 from the previous estimations of 1000M⊙ to hundreds of M⊙. The spectral type is still consistent with that of the massive star.

To establish the existence of the galactic bar, ten methanol maser sources around the starting points of the spiral arms were observed with VERA (VLBI Exploration of radio astrometry) using the phase-referencing technique at 6.7 GHz band. For six out of ten sources, absolute proper motions were obtained with better than 3σ accuracy. Using VLBI 3-D data of eight sources, including our five sources, we compared the observed data with three galactic models and found that the model including the bar effect is better to explain the 3-D data, than a flat circular rotation model. A non-flat circular rotation model is also consistent with the VLBI data. Based on a dynamical model with a bar, we estimate an inclination angle of the bar around 35°, which is consistent with previous studies.

We aim to reveal the mass distribution of the Galaxy based on a precise rotation curve constructed using VERA observations. We have been observing Galactic H2O masers with VERA. We here report one of the results of VERA for IRAS 05168+3634. The parallax is 0.532 ± 0.053 mas which corresponds to a distance of 1.88+0.21−0.17 kpc, and the proper motions are (μαcosδ, μδ) = (0.23 ± 1.07, −3.14 ± 0.28) mas yr−1. The distance is significantly smaller than the previous distance estimate of 6 kpc based on a kinematic distance. This drastic change places the source in the Perseus arm rather than in the Outer arm. Combination of the distance and the proper motions with the systemic velocity provides a rotation velocity of 227+9−11 km s−1 at the source assuming Θ0 = 240 km s−1. The result is marginally slower than the rotation velocity at LSR with ~ 1−σ significance, but consistent with previous VLBI results for six sources in the Perseus arm. We also show the averaged disk peculiar motion over the seven sources in the Perseus arm as (Umean, Vmean) = (11 ± 3, −17 ± 3) km s−1. It suggests that the seven sources in the Perseus arm are systematically moving toward the Galactic center, and lag behind the Galactic rotation with more than 3-σ significance.

We report on high-resolution astrometry of 22 GHz H2O maser emission in the Galactic massive star-forming region W51 Main/South using the Very Long Baseline Array. We measured the trigonometric parallax of W51 Main/South to be 0.185 ± 0.010 mas, corresponding to a distance of 5.41+0.31−0.28 kpc. The H2O maser emission in W51 Main/South traces four powerful bipolar outflows within a 0.4 pc size region, three of which are associated with dusty molecular hot cores and/or hyper- or ultra-compact Hii regions. The maser outflows in W51 Main/South have a relatively small range of internal 3D speeds, suggesting that multiple speed maser outflows in other Galactic massive star-forming regions may come from separate young stellar objects closely spaced on the sky.

As a part of the BeSSeL (Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy) survey, we report a trigonometric parallax for the massive star-forming region G348.70–1.04. Its distance is 3.38−0.27+0.33 kpc, indicating that it is in the Scutum-Centaurus arm. Its proper motion is −0.73 ± 0.04 mas yr−1 toward the east and −2.83 ± 0.50 mas yr−1 toward the north.

We present astrometric results of phase-referencing VLBI observations of 22 GHz H2O maser and 43 GHz SiO maser emission towards the red hypergiant NML Cyg using VLBA. We obtained an annual parallax of 0.62 ± 0.04 mas, corresponding to a distance of 1.61+0.13−0.11 kpc. With a VLA observation in its largest (A) configuration at 43 GHz, we barely resolve the radio photosphere of NML Cyg, and find a uniform-disk diameter of 44 ± 16 mas.

We review properties of all known collisionally pumped (class I) methanol maser series based on observations with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Mopra radio telescope. Masers at 36, 84, 44 and 95 GHz are most widespread, while 9.9, 25, 23.4 and 104 GHz masers are much rarer, tracing the most energetic shocks. A survey of many southern masers at 36 and 44 GHz suggests that these two transitions are highly complementary. The 23.4 GHz maser is a new type of rare class I methanol maser, detected only in two high-mass star-forming regions, G357.97-0.16 and G343.12-0.06, and showing a behaviour similar to 9.9, 25 and 104 GHz masers. Interferometric positions suggest that shocks responsible for class I masers could arise from a range of phenomena, not merely an outflow scenario. For example, some masers might be caused by interaction of an expanding Hii region with its surrounding molecular cloud. This has implications for evolutionary sequences incorporating class I methanol masers if they appear more than once during the evolution of the star-forming region. We also make predictions for candidate maser transitions in the ALMA frequency range.

OH(1720 MHz) masers are created by the interaction of supernova remnants with molecular clouds. These masers are pumped by collisions in warm, shocked molecular gas with OH column densities in the range 1016–1017, cm−2. Excitation calculations suggest that inversion of the 6049 MHz OH line may occur at the higher column densities that have been inferred from main-line absorption studies of supernova remnants with the Green Bank Telescope. OH(6049 MHz) masers have therefore been proposed as a complementary indicator of remnant-cloud interaction.

This motivated searches for 6049 MHz maser emission from supernova remnants using the Parkes 63 m and Effelsberg 100 m telescopes, and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. A total of forty-one remnants have been examined by one or more of these surveys, but without success. To check the accuracy of the OH column densities inferred from the single-dish observations we modelled OH absorption at 1667 MHz observed with the Very Large Array towards three supernova remnants, IC 443, W44 and 3C 391. The results are mixed – the OH column is revised upwards in IC443, downwards in 3C391, and is somewhat reduced in W44. We conclude that OH columns exceeding 1017 cm−2 are indeed present in some supernova remnants and so the lack of any detections is not explained by low OH column density. We discuss the possibility that non-local line overlap is responsible for suppressing the inversion of the 6049 MHz line.

We report on 36 and 44 GHz Class I methanol (CH3OH) maser emission in the Sagittarius A (Sgr A) region with the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA). At least three different maser transitions tracing shocked regions in the cm-wave radio regime can be found in Sgr A. 44 GHz masers correlate with the positions and velocities of 36 GHz CH3OH masers, but the methanol masers correlate less with 1720 MHz OH masers. Our results agree with theoretical predictions that the densities and temperatures conducive for 1720 MHz OH masers may also produce 36 and 44 GHz CH3OH maser emission. However, many 44 GHz masers do not overlap with 36 GHz methanol masers, suggesting that 44 GHz masers also arise in regions too hot and too dense for 36 GHz masers to form. This agrees with the non-detection of 1720 MHz OH masers in the same area, which are thought to be excited under cooler or denser conditions. We speculate that the geometry of the bright 36 GHz masers in Sgr A East outlines the location of a SNR shock front.

Hydrogen radio recombination line (RRL) masers are a rare phenomenon in star forming regions. Since RRL masers were first detected in 1989 toward the emission line star MWC349A, several single-dish surveys at millimeter wavelengths have been carried out to detect other RRL maser objects. However, although RRL maser amplification is expected to appear at wavelengths <2mm, MWC349A still remains as the only RRL maser object known to date. In this contribution, I will present our recent findings of two new RRL maser objects with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) toward the massive star forming regions Cepheus A HW2 and MonR2-IRS2. Sub-millimeter observations with interferometers such as the SMA and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) open the possibility to detect a much larger sample of RRL maser objects, where very detailed information about the kinematics and physical structure of the innermost ionized regions can be obtained toward these objects.

The kinematics of photoevaporating disks and their associated ionized outflows around massive stars are fundamental to understand how these stars are formed and they evolve in their early phases of their evolution. To date, the important advances have been provided by studying the UC-HII region of MWC349A thanks to their strong maser emission at Hydrogen radio-recombination lines (RRLs). This B[e] star is one of the best prototypes of massive star with an ionized outflow expanding at nearly constant velocity. A 3D radiative transfer model applied to the H30α line has allowed to constrain the disk kinematics, which seems to follow pure Keplerian rotation in its outer parts. The model has also allowed us to constraints the launching radius of the outflow. Our results are supported by the agreement of our model predictions with the observations for other observed RRLs. Recent high-frequency observations of RRL masers with the Herschel Space Telescope (HIFI) show that the kinematics of the disk inner regions is not well understood. Modeling of these lines will constrain the formation of the ionized winds.

We present a study of short time-scale variability of OH masers within a contiguous 15-hour Very Long Baseline Array observation of the high-mass star-forming region, W3 (OH). With an angular resolution of ~7 mas and a velocity resolution of 53 m s−1, we isolate emission from masers in the field into individual Gaussian-shaped components, each a few milliarcseconds in size. We compute dynamic spectra for individual maser features with a time resolution of 1 minute by fitting for the flux density of all sources in the field simultaneously in the uv-domain. We isolate intrinsic maser variability from interstellar scintillation and instrumental effects. We find fluctuations in the maser line shape on time scales of 5 to 20 minutes, corresponding to maser column lengths of 0.5 to 2.0 Astronomical Units.

Our analysis of a VLBA 12-hour synthesis observations of the OH masers in W49N has provided detailed high angular-resolution images of the maser sources, at 1612, 1665 and 1667 MHz. The images, of several dozens of spots, reveal anisotropic scatter broadening; with typical sizes of a few tens of milli-arc-seconds and axial ratios between 1.5 to 3. The image position angles oriented perpendicular to the galactic plane are interpreted in terms of elongation of electron-density irregularities parallel to the galactic plane, due to a similarly aligned local magnetic field. However, we find the apparent angular sizes on the average a factor of 2.5 less than those reported by Desai et al., indicating significantly less scattering than inferred earlier. The average position angle of the scattered broadened images is also seen to deviate significantly (by about 10 degrees) from that implied by the magnetic field in the Galactic plane. More intriguingly, for a few Zeeman pairs in our set, we find significant differences in the scatter broadened images for the two hands of polarization, even when apparent velocity separation is less than 0.1 km/s. Here we present the details of our observations and analysis, and discuss the interesting implications of our results for the intervening anisotropic magneto-ionic medium, as well as a comparison with the expectations based on earlier work.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)‡, and the Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) have recently begun probing the Universe. Both provide the largest collecting area available at locations on a high dry site, endowing them with unparalleled potential for sensitive spectral line observations. Over the next few years, these telescopes will be joined by other telescopes to provide advances in maser science, including NOEMA and the LMT. Other instruments of note for maser science which may commence construction include the North American Array, the CCAT, and an enlarged worldwide VLB network outfitted to operate into the millimeter wavelength regime.

The MeerKAT radio telescope array is the South African precursor instrument for the proposed Square Kilometer Array's mid-band frequency range. It will be the most sensitive centimetre-wavelength telescope in the southern hemisphere until the SKA is built. It will cover a broad range of astronomical science from the evolution of galaxies to tests of Einstein's theory of General Relativity, using Pulsars. The chosen frequency bands will enable sensitive southern Galactic maser surveys in the main lines of hydroxyl, 12 GHz methanol and perhaps 14.5 GHz formaldehyde lines as well as searches for redshifted water masers from red-shifts greater than about 0.5. Proposals for Large Surveys using MeerKAT were solicited in late 2009 and resulted in some 20 proposals from teams comprising 500 scientists, world-wide. The successful proposals relevant to maser research will be discussed below.