Nature of continuum emission in the source of the water maser super-flare G25.65+1.04

Abstract

Context. The G25.65+1.04 source is one of the few known ‘super-flare’ water masers in the Milky Way, but in contrast to other super-flare sources, it remains the least studied. In fact, even the nature of the source driving the water maser is still unclear. Aims. With this project, we aim to clarify the composition and properties of the G25.65+1.04 region by means of examining the parameters of the continuum sources and establishing their association with masers of different types. Methods. Our previous VLA (Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array) observation detected four continuum peaks (VLA 1-4), three of which (VLA 1-3) were closely spaced and presented a linear orientation. However, the observation, which used the VLA B configuration, lacked the spatial resolution to resolve individual sources. A higher-resolution (A configuration) VLA observation of the continuum and spectral lines was conducted in 2019 using the L, S, C, and Ku bands. Results. For the first time, the continuum source VLA 1 – associated with the flaring water maser – is resolved into two components: VLA 1A and 1B. The component VLA 1A and the water maser are found to spatially coincide and are thought to be powered by the same source, a protostar at an early stage of evolution showing active ejection. We argue that VLA 2 pinpoints an actively ejecting high-mass protostar, as it is associated with a 6.7 GHz methanol maser and a magnetised jet traced by a 22 GHz H2O maser. Highly polarised OH maser emission is detected in the vicinity of VLA 1-2, with the brightest OH maser found in VLA 2. The magnetic field, identified from the OH maser emission, ranges from ∼ + 0.4 mG in VLA 1A to ∼ − 8 mG in VLA 2. Conclusions. The G25.65+1.04 region is found to consist of at least two young stellar objects: VLA 1A and VLA 2. Both sources are found to be at an active accretion and ejection stage of evolution.