An Evolutionary Timeline for High-mass Star Formation

TL;DR

This paper reviews progress in constructing an evolutionary timeline for high-mass star formation using interstellar masers, emphasizing contributions from observations with the Parkes 64m radio telescope.

Contribution

It introduces a maser-based evolutionary timeline for high-mass star formation, leveraging observational data from the Parkes telescope to improve understanding.

Findings

Progress in using maser species to trace star formation stages

Development of a maser-based evolutionary timeline

Significant observational contributions from Parkes telescope

Abstract

The details of the physical process through which high-mass stars form remains nearly as much of a mystery now as it was when the Parkes radio telescope commenced operation. The energy output from high-mass stars influence, or directly drive many important processes in the evolution of galaxies and so understanding in detail when and how they form is important for a broad range of fields of astrophysics. Interstellar masers are one of the most readily observed signposts of regions where young high-mass stars have formed. We have recently made great progress towards using the different maser species and transitions to construct a maser-based evolutionary timeline for high-mass star formation. Here we give an overview of this work, highlighting the particular contribution that past and on-going observations with the Parkes 64m radio telescope have made to this area.