Water maser flare and potential accretion burst in NGC 2071-IR

Abstract

We monitored 22 GHz water masers in NGC 2071-IR using the Hartebeesthoek 26- m telescope and identified a significant flare (up to 4722 Jy) originating from the 14.4 km s−1 feature associated with the protostellar core NGC 2071-IRS1. To determine if the maser flare resulted from an accretion burst, we analyzed related signatures such as simultaneous flaring of other maser species and an increase in infrared luminosity. Near-infrared (Ks-band) observations conducted on 28 December 2019 during the flare, using the Kanata/HONIR telescope, exhibited a 0.2 magnitude increase in comparison to the 2MASS magnitude obtained from observations conducted on 10 October 1999. However, our findings indicate that the flare was attributed to mechanisms other than an accretion burst.