2006ApJ...646..754D

We report R∼4300 VLT SINFONI adaptive optics integral field K-band spectroscopy of the nucleus of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3227 at a spatial resolution of 0".085 (7 pc). We present the morphologies and kinematics of emission lines and absorption features and give the first derivation of a black hole mass in a Seyfert 1 nucleus from stellar dynamics (marginally resolving the black hole's sphere of influence). We show that the gas in the nucleus has a mean column density of order 10²⁴ cm^–2 and that it is geometrically thick, in agreement with the standard ``molecular torus'' scenario. We discuss possible heating processes responsible for maintaining the vertical height of the torus. We also resolve the nuclear stellar distribution and find that within a few parsecs of the AGN there has been an intense starburst, the most recent episode of which began ∼40 Myr ago but has now ceased. The current luminosity of stars within 30 pc of the AGN, ∼3x10⁹ L_☉, is comparable to that of the AGN. We argue that the star formation has been occurring in the obscuring material. Finally, we apply Schwarzschild orbit superposition models to our full two-dimensional data and derive the mass of the black hole, paying careful attention to the input parameters, which are often uncertain. Our models yield a 1 σ range for the black hole mass of M_BH=7x10⁶-2x10⁷ M_☉.