Ten years since the NGC 6334I-MM1 accretion outburst: the impact on its environment
Abstract
Ten years on, flaring continues in masers associated with NGC 6334I-MM1. Methanol and hydroxyl masers are nearing quiescent values, but water features remain elevated. Several more 1.665 GHz hydroxyl masers, notably, that flared during the accretion event in NGC 6334I-MM1, are identified and presented. Some hydroxyl masers appear to have been active prior to the 2015 event. Possible explanations are discussed. The radial infrared expansion speed during the accretion event is estimated to be ~1.8 AU/d. However, the expansion speed along the North-South outflow is about ten times faster (~18 AU/d). The maser flaring activity illuminated clumpy structure in NGC 6334I-MM1. Quasi-periodicity is reported after the 2015 accretion event in the total integrated 12.2 GHz methanol emission, predominantly in v12.2=[−12.0,−9.9] \kms, after the accretion event in NGC 6334I-MM1. It is not certain if the periodic masers are located in NGC 6334I-MM1, -MM2, or -MM3. The magnetic field, measured from the Zeeman splitting of two ground state hydroxyl lines, undergoes changes before and after the flare.
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BibTeX
@misc{macleod2026years,
title = {{Ten years since the NGC 6334I-MM1 accretion outburst: the impact on its environment}},
author = {G. C. MacLeod and A. Caratti o Garatti and W. A. Baan and D. P. Smits and T. R. Hunter and C. L. Brogan and J. O. Chibueze and R. A. Burns and B. Stecklum and V. Wolf and J. M. Vorster and A. Jengis and J. Esimbek and J. Quick},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.20014},
eprint = {2609.20014},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20014},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Ten years since the NGC 6334I-MM1 accretion outburst: the impact on its environment
AU - G. C. MacLeod
AU - A. Caratti o Garatti
AU - W. A. Baan
AU - D. P. Smits
AU - T. R. Hunter
AU - C. L. Brogan
AU - J. O. Chibueze
AU - R. A. Burns
AU - B. Stecklum
AU - V. Wolf
AU - J. M. Vorster
AU - A. Jengis
AU - J. Esimbek
AU - J. Quick
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.20014
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20014
AB - Ten years on, flaring continues in masers associated with NGC 6334I-MM1. Methanol and hydroxyl masers are nearing quiescent values, but water features remain elevated. Several more 1.665 GHz hydroxyl masers, notably, that flared during the accretion event in NGC 6334I-MM1, are identified and presented. Some hydroxyl masers appear to have been active prior to the 2015 event. Possible explanations are discussed. The radial infrared expansion speed during the accretion event is estimated to be ~1.8 AU/d. However, the expansion speed along the North-South outflow is about ten times faster (~18 AU/d). The maser flaring activity illuminated clumpy structure in NGC 6334I-MM1. Quasi-periodicity is reported after the 2015 accretion event in the total integrated 12.2 GHz methanol emission, predominantly in v_12.2=[−12.0,−9.9] \kms, after the accretion event in NGC 6334I-MM1. It is not certain if the periodic masers are located in NGC 6334I-MM1, -MM2, or -MM3. The magnetic field, measured from the Zeeman splitting of two ground state hydroxyl lines, undergoes changes before and after the flare.
ER -