Hyperfine structure of the methanol molecule as traced by Class I methanol masers

TL;DR

This study investigates the hyperfine structure of Class I methanol masers across multiple frequencies, revealing that only one specific hyperfine transition per source produces maser emission and refining the rest frequencies for key transitions.

Contribution

The paper provides new insights into the hyperfine transition behavior of methanol masers and refines laboratory rest frequencies for important transitions, enhancing understanding of maser emission mechanisms.

Findings

Only one hyperfine transition forms maser emission per source.

Refined rest frequencies for 36, 44, and 95 GHz transitions.

Confirmed kinematic stability of maser profiles over years.

Abstract

We present results on simultaneous observations of Class~I methanol masers at 25, 36, and 44 GHz towards 22 Galactic targets carried out with the Effelsberg 100-m telescope. The study investigates relations between the hyperfine (HF) structure of the torsion-rotation transitions in CH3OH and maser activity. By analyzing the radial velocity shifts between different maser lines together with the patterns of the HF structure based on laboratory measurements and quantum-chemical calculations, we find that in any source only one specific HF transition forms the maser emission and that this transition changes from source to source. The physical conditions leading to this selective behavior are still unclear. Using accurate laboratory rest frequencies for the 25 GHz transitions, we have refined the centre frequencies for the HF multiplets at 36, 44, and 95 GHz: f_36 = (36169.2488 +/- 0.0002_stat +/- 0.0004_sys) MHz. f_44 = (44069.4176 +/- 0.0002_stat +/- 0.0004_sys) MHz, and f_95 = (95169.4414 +/- 0.0003_stat +/- 0.0004_sys) MHz. Comparison with previous observations of 44 GHz masers performed 6-10 years ago with a Korean 21-m KVN telescope towards the same targets confirms the kinematic stability of Class~I maser line profiles during this time interval and reveals a systematic radial velocity shift of 0.013 +/- 0.005 km/s between the two telescopes.