Evidence for Coupling of Evolved Star Atmospheres and Spiral Arms of the Milky Way

Mark D. Gorski, Pauline Barmby

Published 2020-05-08Version 1

It is imperative to map the strength and distribution of feedback in galaxies to understand how feedback affects the galactic ecosystems. H$_2$O masers act as indicators of energy injection into the ISM. Our goal is to measure the strength and distribution of feedback traced by water masers in the Milky Way. We identify optical counterparts to H$_2$O masers discovered by the HOPS survey. The distribution and luminosities of H$_2$O masers in the Milky Way are determined using parallax measurements derived from the second Gaia Data Release. We provide evidence of a correlation between evolved stars, as traced by H$_2$O masers, and the spiral structure of the Milky Way, suggesting a link between evolved stars and the Galactic environment.