Detection of a methanol megamaser in a major-merger galaxy
  We have detected emission from both the 4_{-1}-3_{0} E (36.2~GHz) class I and
7_{-2}-8_{-1} E (37.7~GHz) class II methanol transitions towards the centre of
the closest ultra-luminous infrared galaxy Arp 220. The emission in both the
methanol transitions show narrow spectral features and have luminosities
approximately 8 orders of magnitude stronger than that observed from typical
class I methanol masers observed in Galactic star formation regions. The
emission is also orders of magnitude stronger than the expected intensity of
thermal emission from these transitions and based on these findings we suggest
that the emission from the two transitions are masers. These observations
provides the first detection of a methanol megamaser in the 36.2 and 37.7 GHz
transitions and represents only the second detection of a methanol megamaser,
following the recent report of an 84 GHz methanol megamaser in NGC1068. We find
the methanol megamasers are significantly offset from the nuclear region and
arise towards regions where there is Ha emission, suggesting that it is
associated with starburst activity. The high degree of correlation between the
spatial distribution of the 36.2 GHz methanol and X-ray plume emission suggests
that the production of strong extragalactic class I methanol masers is related
to galactic outflow driven shocks and perhaps cosmic rays. In contrast to OH
and H2O megamasers which originate close to the nucleus, methanol megamasers
provide a new probe of feedback (e.g. outflows) processes on larger-scales and
of star formation beyond the circumnuclear starburst regions of active
galaxies.
