2005ApJ...620..151R

We report near-IR spectroscopic observations of 11 Seyfert galaxies (six Seyfert 1s, one Seyfert 1.9, and four Seyfert 2s) and additional galaxies (four LINERs, two H II, and one type 2 transition) for comparison, obtained using the Gemini twin-channel near-IR camera on the Shane 3 m telescope at Lick Observatory. With the unique design of the Gemini camera, full J and K spectra were taken simultaneously through the same slit. This produced accurate line ratios of hydrogen recombination lines over a large wavelength baseline. For the Seyfert 1s (≤1.5), the line ratios of Paβ/Brγ are not only comparable in both broad- and narrow-line regions but also consistent with case B recombination, indicating little or no reddening in both narrow- and broad-line regions. Seyfert 2 (>1.5) galaxies, however, show substantial reddening toward the narrow-line regions. We compare optical reddening data from the literature and find significant support for the dichotomy between Seyfert 1s and Seyfert 2s, at least in low-luminosity objects. Two different scenarios are explored to explain the observed difference in reddening: a difference in reddening due to an extended dusty torus under active galactic nucleus unification, and a difference due to a different grain size distribution between the two Seyfert types. We also discuss a similar potential difference found in the strength of the 9.7 µm silicate line, along with a possible correlation between the narrow-line reddening and the strength of the silicate absorption line. We also analyzed CO band head absorption features longward of 2.3 µm to look for nonstellar contamination and evidence of recent star formation activity. The CO band head in Seyfert 1s shows heavy contamination from nonstellar radiation, which is correlated with an H-K nuclear color excess. We confirm that the CO spectroscopic indices in both Seyfert types do not show evidence of recent star formation. Taking the nonstellar contamination into account, there is little evidence from the CO index for a difference in star formation rates in the nuclei of Seyfert 1s and Seyfert 2s in our low-luminosity sample.