Radio continuum emission and water masers towards CB 54
  We present high angular resolution observations of water masers at 1.3 cm and
radio continuum emission at 1.3, 3.6 and 6 cm towards the Bok globule CB 54
using the Very Large Array. At 1.3 cm, with subarsecond angular resolution, we
detect a radio continuum compact source located to the south-west of the
globule and spatially coincident with a mid-infrared embedded object (MIR-b).
The spectral index derived between 6 and 1.3 cm (alpha=0.3+/-0.4) is flat,
consistent with optically thin free-free emission from ionized gas. We propose
the shock-ionization scenario as a viable mechanism to produce the radio
continuum emission observed at cm frequencies. Water masers are detected at two
different positions separated by 2.3'', and coincide spatially with two
mid-infrared sources: MIR-b and MIR-c. The association of these mid-IR sources
with water masers confirms that they are likely protostars undergoing
mass-loss, and they are the best candidate as driving sources of the molecular
outflows in the region.
