2012ApJ...759...76H

We present the first astronomical detection of the ¹⁴NH₃(J, K) = (10, 6) line: nonthermal emission at several velocities in the Galactic star-forming region NGC 7538. Using the Very Large Array we have imaged the (10,6) and (9,6) ammonia masers at several positions within NGC 7538 IRS 1. The individual sources have angular sizes ≲ 0.1 arcsec corresponding to brightness temperatures T_B ≳ 10⁶ K. We apply the pumping model of Brown & Cragg, confirming the conjecture that multiple ortho-ammonia masers can occur with the same value of K. The positions and velocities of the (10,6) and (9,6) masers are modeled as motion in a possible disk or torus and are discussed in the context of recent models of the region.