Stellar masers, circumstellar envelopes, and supernova remnants

TL;DR

This review summarizes recent progress in understanding stellar masers, circumstellar envelopes, and their relation to supernova remnants, highlighting advances in astrophysics, stellar evolution, and maser applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments and open questions in the study of stellar and supernova remnant masers, integrating multiple focus areas.

Findings

Advances in understanding stellar atmospheres and mass-loss processes.

Development of masers as independent distance estimators.

Insights into masers associated with supernova remnants.

Abstract

This paper reviews recent advances in the study or circumstellar masers and masers found toward supernova remnants. The review is organized by science focus area, including the astrophysics of extended stellar atmospheres, stellar mass-loss processes and outflows, late-type evolved stellar evolution, stellar maser excitation and chemistry, and the use of stellar masers as independent distance estimators. Masers toward supernova remnants are covered separately. Recent advances and open future questions in this field are explored.