OH Counterparts for H2O Masers in the Galactic Center: Evolved Stars Instead ofSigns of Recent Star Formation

摘要

Claimed signs of recent massive star formation in the inner few parsecs of theGalactic center (GC) have resulted in an ongoing debate. We describe the method of detection and present 1612 MHz OH spectra. The characteristics of the observed OH and H2O maser emission will be discussed and compared to masers of previously known OH/IR stars in the GC. We discuss the near-infrared photometry available for the LFMM source in terms of an evolved AGB star. We argue that both objects are low to intermediate mass, evolved stars and therefore at least several hundred million years old.