SiO Maser Sources toward the Sagittarius B2 Molecular Cloud

Abstract

We have detected six new SiO maser sources toward the Sagittarius B2 molecular cloud. One is identified with an OH 1612 MHz maser source that was previously found by the VLA, and another associated with an IRAS source. The other four sources are not associated with any known OH/IR or IRAS sources. The spatial density and the kinematic property for these sources are found to be similar to those of the OH/IR sources near the Galactic center. This fact suggests that they are mostly stellar SiO maser sources in front of (or behind) the Sgr B2 molecular cloud. A possibility of association with young stellar objects, however, cannot be completely ruled out for the one SiO source (17450-2808) that is associated with an IRAS source exhibiting infrared colors of young objects. © 1997. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.