Masers: high resolution probes of star formation

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The largest stars in the Galaxy play a vital role in the formation of the atoms which make life on Earth possible. The birth of these stars is shrouded in gas and dust through which only radiowaves penetrate. In this project we will make observations of interstellar masers from the hydroxyl and methanol molecules and through mathematical modelling of molecular excitation and radiative transfer probe the physical, chemical and evolutionary status of the high-mass stars associated with the masers.