Interferometric Observations toward the High-Mass Young Stellar Object IRAS 23139+5939: Radio Continuum and Water Maser Emission

We present simultaneous interferometric observations of continuum (3.5 and 1.3 cm) and water maser line emission (1.3 cm) carried out with the A configuration of the Very Large Array (VLA) toward the high-mass object IRAS 23139+5939. We detected two radio continuum sources at 3.5 cm separated by ∼05 (∼2400 AU), I23139 and I23139S, the latter being a new detection. I23139 is also detected at 1.3 cm. We also detected a cluster of water masers toward these two VLA sources, obtaining an accuracy of the order of ∼10 mas in the relative positions between the radio continuum emission and the H₂O masers. In addition, based on the observed continuum flux density and the spectral index, we suggest that I23139 is a thermal radio jet associated with a high-mass young stellar object. This jet appears to be the best candidate for the driving source of the more spatially extended molecular outflow observed in the region. On the other hand, based on the spatiokinematical distribution of the water masers, together with the continuum emission information, we speculate that I23139S is also a jet source powering some of the masers detected in the region.