Probing the fast outflow in IRAS 15452-5459 with ATCA observations of OH, H2O, and SiO masers

TL;DR

This study investigates the peculiar maser emissions in the post-AGB star IRAS 15452-5459, revealing complex outflow structures and shock-related maser distributions through multi-frequency ATCA observations.

Contribution

First detailed multi-frequency interferometric analysis of masers in IRAS 15452-5459, linking maser morphology to shock-induced dust sputtering and complex outflow geometries.

Findings

SiO masers form an hourglass shape linked to shocks

Double-peaked profiles indicate expanding outflows

Complex OH profiles suggest multiple outflow components

Abstract

Maser lines of OH, H2 O, and SiO are commonly observed in O-rich AGB stars, but their presence after the end of the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) phase is linked to non-spherical mass-loss processes. IRAS 15452-5459 is a post-AGB star with an hourglass nebula whose maser lines are quite peculiar. We observed all of the three maser species with the Australia Telescope Compact Array with angular resolutions of 6'' , 0.6'' , 0.3'' , and 1.7'' at 18 cm, 13 mm, 7 mm, and 3 mm, respectively. While double peaks are routinely seen in OH and water masers and interpreted as due to expanding envelopes, only very few sources display SiO lines with a similar spectral profile. Our observations confirm the detection of the double peak of SiO at 86 GHz; the same spectral shape is seen in the lower-J maser at 43 GHz. A double peak is also detected in the water line, which covers the same velocity range as the SiO masers. Thermally excited lines of SiO are detected at 7 and 3 mm and span the same velocity range as the maser lines of this species. Although observations at higher angular resolution are desirable to further investigate the spatial distributions of the maser spots, the current data allow us to conclude that the SiO masers are distributed in an hourglass shape and are likely due to the sputtering of dust grains caused by shock propagation. The complex OH profile would instead be due to emission from the fast outflow and an orthogonal structure.