Large area sky surveys of hydroxyl maser sources and establishment of their high precision trigonometry

• Project/Area Number: 25610043
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Astronomy
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: IMAI Hiroshi 鹿児島大学, 理工学域理学系, 准教授 (70374155)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): ASAKI YOSHIHARU 国立天文台, 大学共同利用機関等, 准教授 (00332148) ; NAKANISHI HIROYUKI 鹿児島大学, 理工学研究科(理学系), 准教授 (90419846)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
• Keywords: 水酸基メーザー / 高精度天体測量 / 広視野掃天観測 / 天の川銀河 / 星周ガス縁 / 高精度天体位置計測 / 像合成シミュレーション / 広視野掃天探査

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have explored hydroxyl maser (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) sources, which are expected as important standard candles for the study on the structure of the Milky Way Galaxy and the kinematics of the Magellanic Clouds orbiting the Milky Way. Through unbiased sky survey, we have elucidated the true distribution of hydroxy maser sources in the Galactic plane, enabling us to precisely estimate the total number of visible hydroxy maser sources in the whole Milky Way. The estimated number is larger than expected. Moreover, we succeeded in trigonometric measurement for hydroxy maser sources by using a new data calibration technique on the Galactic scale. Thus we have been convinced that hydroxyl masers are quite useful for elucidating the dynamics of the Milky Way--Magellanic Clouds system and its history in the near future and we could taken great progress in developing effective strategy on maser surveys and high precision trigonometry.

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] ウラル連邦大学(ロシア連邦)
• [Int'l Joint Research] ASTRON(オランダ)
• [Int'l Joint Research] マンチェスター大学(英国)
• [Int'l Joint Research] CSIC(スペイン)
• [Int'l Joint Research] ICRAR(オーストラリア)
• [Int'l Joint Research]
• [Journal Article] Molecular jet emission and a spectroscopic survey of S235AB (2016)
  • Author(s): R. A. Burns, T. Handa, T. Hirota, K. Motogi, H. Imai and T. Omodaka
  • Journal Title: Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume: 586 A34 Pages: 1-5
  • DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201527233
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Unusual Shock-excited OH maser emission in a Young Planetary Nebula (2016)
  • Author(s): Qiao, H.-H., Walsh, A.J., Gómez, J.F., Imai, H., Green, J.A., Dawson, J.R., 8,9, Shen, Z.-Q., Ellingsen, S.P., Breen, Jones, P.A.,
  • Journal Title: The Astrophysical Journal Volume: 817 Issue: 1 Pages: 37-37
  • DOI: 10.3847/0004-637x/817/1/37
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Sensitivity for 21cm Bispectrum from Epoch of Reionization (2015)
  • Author(s): Shintaro Yoshiura, Hayato Shimabukuro, Keitaro Takahashi, Rieko Momose, Hiroyuki Nakanishi and Hiroshi Imai,
  • Journal Title: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Volume: 451 Issue: 1 Pages: 266-274
  • DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stv855
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Water Masers in W43A: Early Morphological Changes of a Future Planetary Nebula (2015)
  • Author(s): Chong, S.-N., Imai, H., Diamond, P.J.
  • Journal Title: The Astrophysical Journal Volume: 67 Issue: 1 Pages: 53-53
  • DOI: 10.1088/0004-637x/805/1/53
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Outer Rotation Curve of the Galaxy with VERA II: Annual Parallax and Proper Motion of the Star-Forming Region IRAS21379+5106 (2015)
  • Author(s): Hiroyuki Nakanishi, Nobuyuki Sakai, Tomoharu Kurayama, Mitsuhiro Matsuo, Hiroshi Imai, Ross A. Burns, Takeaki Ozawa, Mareki Honma, Katsunori Shibata,& Noriyuki Kawaguchi
  • Journal Title: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan Volume: 67 Issue: 4 Pages: 13-13
  • DOI: 10.1093/pasj/psv012
  • Peer Reviewed / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] A ‘Water Spout’ Maser Jet in the S235AB-MIR Massive Young Stellar Object (2015)
  • Author(s): Burns, R.A., Imai, H., Handa, T., Omodaka, T., Nakagawa, A., Nagayama, T., Ueno, Y.
  • Journal Title: Monthly Notice of the Royal Astronomical Society Volume: 453 Issue: 3 Pages: 3164-3174
  • DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stv1836
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Water Masers in W43A: Early Morphological Changes of a Future Planetary Nebula (2015)
  • Author(s): Sze Ning Chong, Hiroshi Imai, Philip J. Diamond
  • Journal Title: Astrophysical Journal Volume: in press
  • Peer Reviewed / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Distance and Proper Motion Measurement of Water Masers in Sharpless 269 IRS 2w (2014)
  • Author(s): Asaki, Y., Imai, H., Sobolev, A. M., Parfenov, S. Yu.
  • Journal Title: Astrophysical Journal Volume: 787 Issue: 1 Pages: 54-54
  • DOI: 10.1088/0004-637x/787/1/54
  • NAID: 120005728605
  • Peer Reviewed / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] VERA and ALMA Observations of the H2O supermaser burst in Orion KL (2014)
  • Author(s): Hirota, T., Tsuboi, M., Kurono, Y., Fujisawa, K., Honma, M., Kim, M.K., Imai, H., Yonekura, Y.
  • Journal Title: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan Volume: 66 Issue: 6
  • DOI: 10.1093/pasj/psu110
  • Peer Reviewed / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] SPLASH: the Southern Parkes Large-Area Survey in Hydroxyl - first science from the pilot region (2014)
  • Author(s): Dowson, J. R., Fukui, Y. et al.
  • Journal Title: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Volume: 439 Issue: 2 Pages: 1596-1614
  • DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stu032
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Astrometry and Spatio-kinematics of H2O Masers in the Massive Star-forming Region NGC 6334I(North) with VERA (2014)
  • Author(s): Chibueze, James O.; Omodaka, Toshihiro; Handa, Toshihiro; Imai, Hiroshi; Kurayama, Tomoharu; Nagayama, Takumi; Sunada, Kazuyoshi; Nakano, Makoto; Hirota, Tomoya; Honma, Mareki
  • Journal Title: Astrophysical Journal Volume: 784 Issue: 2 Pages: 114-114
  • DOI: 10.1088/0004-637x/784/2/114
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] EXPLORATION OF A RELIC CIRCUMSTELLAR ENVELOPE IN THE "WATER FOUNTAIN" SOURCE IRAS 18286-0959 (2013)
  • Author(s): Imai, Hiroshi; Nakashima, Jun-ichi; Yung, Bosco H. K.; Deguchi, Shuji; Kwok, Sun; Diamond, Philip J.
  • Journal Title: Astrophysical Journal Volume: 47 Issue: 1 Pages: 47-47
  • DOI: 10.1088/0004-637x/771/1/47
  • NAID: 120005728602
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] The Spatiokinematical Structure of H2O and OH Masers in the "Water Fountain" Source IRAS 18460-0151 (2013)
  • Author(s): Imai, Hiroshi; Deguchi, Shuji; Nakashima, Jun-ichi; Kwok, Sun; Diamond, Philip J.
  • Journal Title: Astrophysical Journal Volume: 773 Issue: 2 Pages: 182-182
  • DOI: 10.1088/0004-637x/773/2/182
  • NAID: 120005728603
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Distance and Proper Motion Measurement of the Red Supergiant, PZ Cas, in Very Long Baseline Interferometry H2O Maser Astrometry (2013)
  • Author(s): Kusuno, K.; Asaki, Y.; Imai, H.; Oyama, T.
  • Journal Title: Astrophysical Journal Volume: 774 Issue: 2 Pages: 107-107
  • DOI: 10.1088/0004-637x/774/2/107
  • NAID: 120005728604
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] RadioAstron観測で検出された宇宙で最も輝度温度の高い水メーザー (2016)
  • Author(s): 今井 裕, Alexey Alakoz, Andrey Sobolev, James M. Moran, Willem A. Baan, ほか
  • Organizer: 日本天文学会春季年会
  • Place of Presentation: 首都大学東京（東京都八王子市）
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-16
• [Presentation] SPLASH で検出された天の川銀河内 OH メーザー天体の統計的特徴 (2016)
  • Author(s): 品野 晃介, 今井 裕 , Joanne Dawson, Andrew Walsh, ほか SPLASH チーム
  • Organizer: 日本天文学会春季年会
  • Place of Presentation: 首都大学東京（東京都八王子市）
  • Year and Date: 2016-03-14
• [Presentation] Water megamasers at high resolution (2015)
  • Author(s): BAAN, Willem, ALAKOZ, Alexey, SOBOLEV, Andrej M., MAI, Hiroshi
  • Organizer: Workshop on Results from High-Resolution VLBI
  • Place of Presentation: ボン（ドイツ）
  • Year and Date: 2015-12-01
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] The most compact H2O maser spots and their locations in W3 IRS5 (2015)
  • Author(s): IMAI, H., ALAKOZ, A., SOBOLEV, A. M., MORAN, J. M., BAAN, W., VAN LANGEVELDE, H. J., HENKEL, C., KOSTENKO, Vladimir, RIZZO, Ricardo, GOMEZ, Jose; Francisco, COLOMER, Francisco, ELLINGSEN, Simon, PARFENOV, Sergey, RICHARDS, Anita M.S., VORONKOV, M., GRAY, M., BARTKIEWICZ, A., ASAKI, Y.
  • Organizer: Workshop on Results from High-Resolution VLBI
  • Place of Presentation: ボン（ドイツ）
  • Year and Date: 2015-12-01
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] SKA のよる電波源高精度位置計測に基づく天の川銀河・局所銀河群の動 力学的構造の探求 (2015)
  • Author(s): 今井 裕, SKA-JP Astrometry sub-Working Group
  • Organizer: 日本天文学会秋季年会
  • Place of Presentation: 甲南大学（兵庫県神戸市）
  • Year and Date: 2015-09-11
• [Presentation] SPLASH によるOHメーザー源探査の初期成果 (2014)
  • Author(s): 今井 裕、Joanne Dawson、Andrew Walsh、SPLASHチーム
  • Organizer: 日本天文学会秋季年会
  • Place of Presentation: 山形大学（山形市）
  • Year and Date: 2014-09-11 – 2014-09-13
• [Presentation] Planning Large Programs of Stellar Maser Studies with KaVA (2014)
  • Author(s): Se-Hyung Cho, Hiroshi Imai, KaVA Evolved Stars sub-Working Group
  • Organizer: 12th Asia-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting
  • Place of Presentation: 大田（韓国）
  • Year and Date: 2014-08-19 – 2014-08-22
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Measuring Magnetic Fields Near and Far with the SKA via the Zeeman Effect (2014)
  • Author(s): Robishaw, T., Green, J., A., Surcis, G., Vlemmings, W., Richards, A. M. S., Etoka, S., Bourke, T., Fish, V., Gray, M., Imai, H., Kramer, B., McBride, J., Momjian, E., Sarma, A., Zijlstra, A.
  • Organizer: Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA
  • Place of Presentation: ナキソス（イタリア）
  • Year and Date: 2014-06-09 – 2014-06-13
• [Presentation] OH masers in the Milky Way and Local Group galaxies in the SKA era (2014)
  • Author(s): Etoka, S., Engels, D., Imai, H., Dawson, J., Ellingsen, S., Sjouwerman, L., van Langevelde, H.
  • Organizer: Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA
  • Place of Presentation: ナキソス（イタリア）
  • Year and Date: 2014-06-09 – 2014-06-13
• [Presentation] Three-dimensional Tomography of the Galactic and Extragalactic Magnetoionic Medium with the SKA (2014)
  • Author(s): Han, J. L., van Straten, W., Lazio, T. J. W., Deller, A., Sobey, C., Xu, J., Schnitzeler, D., Imai, H., Chatterjee, S., Macquart, J.-P., Kramer, M., Cordes, J.
  • Organizer: Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA
  • Place of Presentation: ナキソス（イタリア）
  • Year and Date: 2014-06-09 – 2014-06-13
• [Presentation] Very Long Baseline Interferometry with the SKA (2014)
  • Author(s): Paragi, Z., Godfrey, L., Reynolds, C., Rioja, M., Deller, A., Zhang, B., Gurvits, L., Bietenholz, M., Szomoru, A., Bignall, H., Boven, P., Charlot, P., Dodson, R., Frey, S., Garrett, M., Imai, H., et al.
  • Organizer: Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA
  • Place of Presentation: ナキソス（イタリア）
  • Year and Date: 2014-06-09 – 2014-06-13
• [Presentation] Maser Astrometry with VLBI and the SKA (2014)
  • Author(s): Green, J. A., van Lagnegelde, H. J., Brunthaler, A., Imai, H., Vlemmings, W. H. T., Ellingsen, S., Reid, M., Richards, A. M. S.
  • Organizer: Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA
  • Place of Presentation: ナキソス（イタリア）
  • Year and Date: 2014-06-09 – 2014-06-13
• [Presentation] OH maser astrometry with the SKA (2014)
  • Author(s): Hiroshi Imai
  • Organizer: Transformational Science with the SKA
  • Place of Presentation: 南アフリカ、ステーレンボッシュ
• [Presentation] Consideration of OH maser astrometry with SKA (2013)
  • Author(s): Hiroshi Imai
  • Organizer: SKA Science Workshop in East Asia 2013
  • Place of Presentation: 名古屋大学
• [Book] Radio Astrometry towards the Nearby Universe with the SKA (2016)
  • Author(s): Imai, Hiroshi, Burns, Ross A., Yamada, Yoshiyuki, Goda, Naoteru, Yano, Tahei, Orosz, Gabor, Niinuma, Kotaro, Bekki, Kenji
  • Total Pages: 16
  • Publisher: eprint arXiv
• [Book] 日本SKAサイエンスブック (2015)
  • Author(s): 日本SKAコンソーシアム
  • Total Pages: 326
  • Publisher: 自主出版
• [Remarks] Japan SKA Consortium
  • URL: http://ska-jp.org
• [Remarks] Astronomical Radio Interferometer Simulator (ARIS)
  • URL: http://www.vsop.isas.jaxa.jp/~asaki/aris/