A Hidden Broad-Line Region in the Weak Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 788

Abstract

We have detected a broad H alpha emission line in the polarized flux spectrum of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 788, indicating that it contains an obscured Seyfert 1 nucleus. While such features have been observed in ~15 other Seyfert 2s, this example is unusual because it has a higher fraction of galaxy starlight in its spectrum, a lower average measured polarization, and a significantly lower radio luminosity than other hidden Seyfert 1s discovered to date. This demonstrates that polarized broad-line regions can be detected in relatively weak classical Seyfert 2s, and illustrates why well-defined, reasonably complete spectropolarimetric surveys at H alpha are necessary in order to assess whether or not all Seyfert 2s are obscured Seyfert 1s.

10 pages using (AASTEX) aaspp4.sty and 4 postscript figures. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Research Notes, in press

References in corpus (2)

• A Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Survey of Nearby Active Glactic Nuclei
• The Stellar Content of Active Galaxies

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