From the ashes: JVLA observations of water fountain nebula candidates
  show the rebirth of IRAS 18455+0448
  [abridged] The class of water fountain nebulae is thought to represent the
stage of the earliest onset of collimated bipolar outflows during the
post-Asymptotic Giant Branch phase. They thus play a crucial role in the study
of the formation of bipolar Planetary Nebulae (PNe). To date, 14 water fountain
nebulae have been identified. The identification of more sources in this unique
stage of stellar evolution will enable us to study the origin of bipolar PNe
morphologies in more detail. We present the results of seven sources observed
with the JVLA that were identified as water fountain candidates in an
Effelsberg 100m telescope survey of 74 AGB and early post-AGB stars. We find
that our sample of water fountain candidates displays strong variability in
their 22 GHz H2O maser spectra. The JVLA observations show an extended bipolar
H2O maser outflow for one source, the OH/IR star IRAS 18455+0448. This source
was previously classified as a 'dying' OH/IR star based on the exponential
decrease of its 1612 MHz OH maser and the lack of H2O masers. We therefore also
re-observed the 1612, 1665, and 1667 MHz OH masers. We confirm that the 1612
MHz masers have not reappeared and find that the 1665/1667 MHz masers have
decreased in strength by several orders of magnitude during the last decade.
The OH/IR star IRAS 18455+0448 is confirmed to be a new addition to the class
of water fountain nebulae. Its kinematic age is approximately 70 yr, but could
be lower, depending on the distance and inclination. Previous observations
indicate, with significant uncertainty, that IRAS 18455+0448 has a surprisingly
low mass compared to available estimates for other water fountain nebulae. The
available historical OH maser observations make IRAS 18455+0448 unique for the
study of water fountain nebulae and the launch of post-AGB bipolar outflows...
