NED Abstract 
Copyright by American Astronomical Society.
Reproduced by permission

1999AJ....117..111H

   STARBURST OR SEYFERT? USING NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY TO MEASURE THE
                      ACTIVITY IN COMPOSITE GALAXIES

                               TANYA L. HILL
       School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

                            CHARLENE A. HEISLER
   Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories, Institute of Advanced
Studies, The Australian National University, Private Bag, Weston Creek Post
                  Office, Canberra, ACT, 2611, Australia

                             RALPH SUTHERLAND
   Australian National University Astrophysical Theory Centre; and Mount
Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories, Institute of Advanced Studies, The
  Australian National University, Private Bag, Weston Creek Post Office,
                      Canberra, ACT, 2611, Australia

                                    AND
                            RICHARD W. HUNSTEAD
       School of Physics, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
              Received 1998 March 23; accepted 1998 October 7

                                 ABSTRACT
   We present near-infrared spectra for a sample of galaxies with ambiguous
optical emission-line ratios. These galaxies fall between starbursts and
Seyferts in the usual optical diagnostic diagrams. We find a similar result
with the near-infrared emission-line ratios, which suggests that the
galaxies are composite, containing both a starburst and an AGN component.
Furthermore, CO absorption, produced in late-type stars, is detected within
the sample, although at a weaker level than is typical for starburst
galaxies. We conclude that the CO feature is being diluted by a
contribution from an AGN, thereby confirming the composite nature of these
galaxies.

Key words: galaxies: active-galaxies: Seyfert-galaxies: starburst