Newly detected H(2)O masers in Seyfert and starburst galaxies

We report new detections of three H(2)O Inegamasers and one kilomaser using the Effelsberg 100-m telescope. Isotropic luminosities are similar to 50, 300, 1, and 230 L(circle dot) for Mrk 1066, Mrk 34, NGC 3556, and Arp 299, respectively. Mrk 34 contains the most distant H(2)O megamaser ever detected in a Seyfert. Our targets in this survey were chosen to fit one of the following criteria: 1) to have a high probability of interaction between the radio jet and the ISM within the central few parsecs of the radio galaxy, yielding masers which arise in local molecular clouds, or 2) to have very bright IRAS sources in which massive star forming regions might yield powerful masers. The 'jet maser' sources can provide detailed information about the conditions in the ISM in the central 1-10 pc of AGN. The extra-galactic 'star formation masers' can be used to pinpoint and characterize locations of high mass star formation in nearby galaxies. In addition, these sources will help to provide a better understanding of the chemical properties of molecular clouds in extra-galactic systems.