The Potential of FAST in Detecting Celestial Hydroxyl Masers and Related Science Topics

Abstract: The Five Hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) will make contributions to the study of Galactic and extragalactic masers. The telescope, now finished construction and commissioning in China, has an innovative design that leads to the highest sensitivity of any single dish telescope in the world. FAST's potential for OH megamaser research is discussed, including the sky density of masers detectable in surveys. The scientific impact expected from FAST maser studies is also discussed.