15min:

WILLIAM D. WATSON, H. W. WYLD, Department of Physics,University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801.

Calculational methods and results will be presented for the emergent maser radiation from a thin, gaseous disk undergoing Keplerian rotation. The parameters that describe the masing and the disk are intended to reflect those of disks around young stars. Saturation by the maser radiation--which is likely to be present-- has not previously been incorporated into such calculations in astronomy. Saturation causes the velocity distribution of excited, masing molecules to deviate from Maxwellian (``hole burning") and greatly increases the calculational challenge. Comparisons will be made with observational data.