Microstructure and kinematics of H2O masers in the massive star-forming region IRAS 06061+2151

Abstract

We have made multi-epoch very long baseline interferometer (VLBI) observations of H2O maser emission in the massive star-forming region IRAS 06061+2151 with the Japanese VLBI network (JVN) from 2005 May to 2007 October. The detected maser features are distributed within a 1 × 1 arcsec2 area (2000 × 2000 au2 at the source position) around the ultracompact H ii region seen in radio continuum emission. The bipolar morphology and expanding motion traced through their relative proper motions indicate that they are excited by an energetic bipolar outflow. Our three-dimensional model fitting has shown that the maser kinematical structure in IRAS 06061+2151 can be explained by a biconical outflow with a large opening angle (>50°). The position angle of the flow major axis coincides very well with that of the large-scale jet seen in 2.1 μm hydrogen emission. This maser geometry indicates the existence of dual structures composed of a collimated jet and a less collimated massive molecular flow. We have also detected a large velocity gradient in the southern maser group. This can be explained by a very small (on a scale of several tens of astronomical units) and clumpy (the density contrast by an order of magnitude or more) structure of the parental cloud. Such a structure may be formed by strong instability of the shock front or splitting of the high density core. © 2008 RAS.