Studies of embedded far infrared sources in the vicinity of H2O masers – I. observations

We have undertaken a search for submillimetre (submm) embedded cores associated with known water maser sources. For 44 water maser sources, we found submm continuum emission from 40 (91 per cent) using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). Some of the sources were then observed further. Maps were made in CO and C18O (⁠|J=2→1|⁠) and CS (⁠|J=5→4|⁠), using the JCMT, so that the molecular environment of the sources could be examined. In addition the Very Large Array (VLA) was used to find accurate positions for the water maser emission and hence any association with compact radio continuum sources. A preliminary examination of the data shows that most of the water masers are on average closer than 0.1 pc to the corresponding submm source. A more detailed analysis will follow in a later paper.