Probing intermediate Seyfert galaxies by Pa(beta) spectroscopy

Journal Article · Wed Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1990 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/169359· OSTI ID:6163571

Rix, H; Rieke, G; Rieke, M; Carleton, N P ^[1]

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1. Steward Observatory, Tucson, AZ (USA) Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA (USA)

High-resolution spectroscopy at Pa(beta) of a sample of nearby Seyfert galaxies is presented. These objects have been selected because of their observed steep Balmer decrements. The usefulness of Pa(beta) in untangling whether dust obscuration or radiative transfer effects cause the large observed H-alpha/H-beta ratio is demonstrated, and it is found that either mechanism can be dominant. In the cases where dust obscuration is present it is found that the dereddened line strengths, relative to the hard X-ray flux, coincide with those found in unreddened objects. A model is proposed for the dust distribution which accounts naturally for the frequency of severely reddened AGNs and their amount of reddening. 39 refs.

• OSTI ID: 6163571
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 363; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BALMER LINES
COSMIC DUST
DISTRIBUTION
DUSTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
HARD X RADIATION
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MARKARIAN GALAXIES
MASS DISTRIBUTION
RADIATION TRANSPORT
RADIATIONS
SEYFERT GALAXIES
SPACE
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SPECTROSCOPY
X RADIATION