Studies of ultracompact HII regions - I. Methanol maser survey of IRAS-selected sources

A survey of ultracompact (UC) Hii regions has been carried out by searching for 6.669-GHz methanol maser emission from a sample of 535 IRAS-selected candidates. A total of 201 candidates exhibit methanol emission. These sources have been used, in conjunction with previously identified UC Hii regions, to provide a base for further studies of such regions. Estimates of distances have indicated that the identified UC Hii regions tend to have some Galactic structure but it is not clear whether they lie in or between the spiral arms of the Galaxy. The regions are tightly constrained to the plane of the Galaxy. Comparison of identified regions and IRAS sources selected by Wood & Churchwell indicates that there there is some degree of contamination, which could be due to an older phase in the life on an UC Hii region where methanol maser emission is not apparent. Luminosities and spectral types have been derived for many of the regions. The maximum number of maser spots observed seems to increase with increasing peak maser luminosity, which indicates that the maser emission is more dependent on the abundance of methanol than the availability of far-infrared radiation.