Recently, a comparison between the locations of 6.7-GHz methanol masers and dust continuum emission has renewed speculation that these masers can be associated with evolved stars. The implication of such a scenario would be profound, especially for the interpretation of large surveys for 6.7-GHz masers, individual studies where high-mass star formation has been inferred from the presence of 6.7-GHz methanol masers and for the pumping mechanisms of these masers. We have investigated the two instances where 6.7-GHz methanol masers have been explicitly suggested to be associated with evolved stars, and we find the first to be associated with a standard high-mass star formation region, and the second to be a spurious detection.We also find no evidence to suggest that the methanol maser action can be supported in the environments of evolved stars.We thereby confirm their exclusive association with high-mass star formation regions.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	masers - stars: formation - ISM: molecules
Research Division:	Physical Sciences
Research Group:	Astronomical sciences
Research Field:	Cosmology and extragalactic astronomy
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in the physical sciences
UTAS Author:	Ellingsen, SP (Professor Simon Ellingsen)
UTAS Author:	Dawson, JR (Dr Joanne Dawson)
ID Code:	87011
Year Published:	2013
Web of Science® Times Cited:	92
Deposited By:	Mathematics and Physics
Deposited On:	2013-11-05
Last Modified:	2017-11-03
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