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[7.10] Multi-transition Observations of Class I Methanol Masers

P. Pratap (MIT Haystack Observatory)

The Haystack Observatory search for Class I Methanol Masers has been expanded to include observations of the 25 GHz, 36 GHz and 95 GHz transitions of methanol. The project involves an unbiased search for these masers towards molecular clouds containing regions of star formation. The main transition at which the search is conducted is 44 GHz. Several new masers have been detected using this mapping technique.In sources where this maser is detected, observations are conducted to map the maser position at the other frequencies. Line shape and intensity comparisons are used to provide a handle on the maser excitation conditions.

This project is unique in that it involves undergraduate students from the Haystack Observatory undergraduate research program funded by the National Science Foundation. Students from colleges and universities from all over the country participate in the survey and use the results from their individual projects for their thesis or laboratory work. The results are then included as part of the larger survey, where statistics of maser excitation environments are being generated. So far about 15 undergraduate students have been involved in the project.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.