Scanning and pointed RXTE observations of the nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 6300 reveal that it is a source of hard X-ray continuum and large equivalent width Fe Kα emission. These properties are characteristic of Compton-reflection dominated Seyfert 2 galaxies. The continuum can be modeled as Compton-reflection; subsolar iron abundance is required and a high inclination preferred. However, the p...

We analyze an X-ray flux-limited, complete sample of 93 AGN at z<0.1, selected from the ROSAT Bright Survey. Two thirds of the sample are Seyfert 1 galaxies (Sy1) and one third are Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLSy1). We have obtained optical images of all objects. By modeling the host galaxy and the AGN central component we decompose the optical emission into nuclear, bulge and disk compone...

We present archival Hubble Space Telescope images of the nuclear regions of 43 of the 46 Seyfert galaxies found in the volume-limited, spectroscopically complete CfA Redshift Survey sample. Using an improved method of image contrast enhancement, we create detailed high-quality “structure maps” that allow us to study the distributions of dust, star clusters, and emission-line gas in the circumnu...

We have discovered an extremely broad, double-peaked Hα emission line in the polarized flux spectrum of NGC 2110, establishing that this well-studied Seyfert 2 galaxy contains a disk-like hidden broad-line region (BLR). Several properties of NGC 2110 suggest that it is an obscured twin of Arp 102B, the prototypical double-peaked emission-line active galactic nucleus (AGN). A comparison between ...

We investigate the properties of the two-dimensional distribution and kinematics of ionised gas and stars in the central kiloparsecs of a matched sample of nearby active (Seyfert) and inactive galaxies, using the SAURON Integral Field Unit on the William Herschel Telescope. The ionised gas distributions show a range of low excitation regions such as star formation rings in Seyferts and inactive...

Aims. The synthesis of the cosmic X-ray background (CXB) requires a large population of Compton-thick active galactic nuclei that have not been detected so far. We probe whether bright infrared galaxies could harbor a population of Compton-thick nuclei and if they could contribute significantly. Methods. We analyzed 112 Msec of INTEGRAL observations obtained on 613 galaxies from the IRAS Revise...

We present HST (WFPC2 and FOC) images and UV GHRS spectra plus ground-based optical spectra of four Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) that have Seyfert 2 nuclei (Mrk 477, NGC 7130, NGC 5135 and IC 3639). The data provide direct evidence of the existence of a central nuclear starburst that dominates the UV and optical light and are dusty and compact. The bolometric luminosity (∼ 1010 L⊙) of the...

We present an imaging survey of the CO(1–0), HCN(1–0), and HCO(1–0) lines in the nearby Seyfert galaxies using the Nobeyama Millimeter Array and RAINBOW Interferometer. Some of the observed Seyfert galaxies including NGC 1068, NGC 1097, NGC 5033, and NGC 5194 exhibit strong HCN(1–0) emission on a few 100 pc scales. The observed HCN(1–0)/CO(1–0) and HCN(1–0)/HCO(1–0) line ratios in the Seyfert n...

We present 18-cm radio maps of four Seyfert nuclei, Mrk 1, Mrk 3, Mrk 231 and Mrk 463E, made with the European VLBI Network (EVN). Linear radio structures are present in three out of four sources on scales of ∼100 pc to ∼1 kpc, and the 20-mas beam of the EVN enables us to resolve details within the radio structures on scales of < 10 pc. Mrk 3 was also imaged using MERLIN and the data combined w...

A tight correlation of black hole mass (MBH) and central velocity dispersion (σ) has been found recently for both active and quiescent galaxies. By applying this correlation, we develop a simple method to derive the inclination angles for a sample of 11 Seyfert 1 galaxies that have both measured central velocity dispersions and black hole masses estimated by reverberation mapping. These angles,...