Identification and characterization of nascent planetary nebulae with OH and H2O masers

Journal article, 2025

Stars such as the Sun expel their outer layers and form planetary nebulae (PNe) as they evolve into white dwarfs. PNe exhibit diverse morphologies, the origins of which are not fully understood. PNe with OH (OHPNe) and H2O (H2OPNe) masers are thought to be nascent PNe. However, the number of known OHPNe and H2OPNe remains small, and only in eight cases has the position of the maser emission been found to coincide with the PN, using the high astrometric accuracy of interferometric observations. In order to identify more OHPNe and H2OPNe, we used public databases and our own ATCA/VLA observations to match the positions of OH and H2O masers with known PNe and radio continuum emitters, considering radio continuum emission as a possible tracer of the photoionized gas that characterizes PNe. Here we report the confirmation of positional coincidence of maser emission with one more PN, and 12 PN candidates. Moreover, we have confirmed three evolved stars as ‘water fountains’ (WFs) hosting H2O masers. These WFs are associated with radio continuum emission, but their possible nature as PNe has not yet been confirmed. Although a final characterization of maser-emitting PNe as a group still requires confirmation of more objects, their distribution in the infrared color-color diagrams suggests that they are a heterogeneous group of PNe. In particular, the new OHPN IRAS 07027−7934 has been reported to contain a late [WC]-type central star, while the maser emission implies an O-rich envelope. This property is found in only one other known maser-emitting PN, although we found evidence that other confirmed and candidate OHPNe may also have mixed chemistry, since they show emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The new WF IRAS 18443−0231 shows radio continuum that is dominated by strong and variable non-thermal emission, as in magnetized outflows.