A search for water and mainline OH masers from OH/IR star colour mimics

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Abstract
About 40 per cent of colour-selected IRAS sources are without 1612-MHz masers, despite IR colours that are indicative of thick circumstellar shells, and often despite spectral classifications showing that they are O-rich. We report here on a search for water and mainline OH masers from the 26 OH/IR star colour mimics identified by Lewis with a 2n–3n LRS type. We find water masers in six, and mainline masers in a further five. These 11 sources are indubitably O-rich, and many have a velocity range characteristic of, and appropriate to, masers associated with circumstellar shells. However, 17 per cent of 2n–3n sources appear to have no circumstellar masers; we estimate that 11 per cent may never exhibit a maser.

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