Speaker
Description
STUDY OF WATER MASERS IN THE STARBURST GALAXY M82.
ABSTRACT
The starburst galaxy M82 (the Cigar Galaxy) is a prominent host of 22 GHz water (H2O) maser emission, located primarily within its central ~1 kpc bar. While these masers are critical tracers of stellar distances and galactic dynamics, previous arcsecond-resolution studies have failed to fully resolve their complex morphology and rapid variability. This study aims to investigate the fine-scale structure and temporal variability of M82’s water masers to constrain their relationship with the galaxy's extreme starburst environment. The research utilizes archival high resolution interferometric data obtained from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 22 GHz. With angular resolution on the order of 1 milliarcsecond (mas) and sensitivity reaching ~1 mJy, the VLBA allows for the disentanglement of individual maser spots from the fragmented galactic background. Data reduction and imaging will be performed using the Astronomical Image Processing System (AIPS) following standard interferometric procedures. By generating detailed maps of water maser’s structural variations, this study will provide new empirical constraints on the physical conditions of the interstellar gas and the dynamical processes driving the nuclear activity in M82.
| Stream | Science or Engineering |
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