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T. A. Ostrowski-Fukuda (University of Denver), A. J. Kemball (National Radio Astronomy Observatory), R. E. Stencel (University of Denver)
We report the preliminary results of a 3 year project to investigate the processes of SiO masers (v=1, J=1-0) in the extended atmosphere of S Per. Using the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 43-GHz the SiO masers act as probes of the gas motions and magnetic fields surrounding this late-type supergiant. Several epochs have been reduced and pieced together in a time-lapse movie fashion. This "preview" of the full movie already allows us to follow the motions of the individual maser regions. One of our main goals is to compare and contrast our findings from S Per to other similar stars. We are most interested in learning out about the structure, time evolution, mass-loss process, magnetic field structure, and the physical conditions in the inner regions of these types of stars. Just as in the case of TX Cam, (Diamond & Kemball, 1999), we have also found that our time-lapse images show that the gas motions of S Per are not uniform around the star. This allows us to also speculate that the rate of mass loss may not be the same for all regions of the star's surface. This work is supported by the University of Denver's Menzel Scholarship Fund and in conjunction with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, NM.
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