Program: GN-2007A-Q-45

Supermassive black holes, and the activity they generate, are fundamental in shaping both galaxies and the IGM in the proximate universe and at high redshift. However, the SMBH census has been explored only in a limited way: Almost all the galaxies studied have cuspy nuclei, the range of velocity dispersion (sigma) is limited, no systematic investigation of environment or Hubble type has been possible. Models of galaxy evolution indicate a wide range of assembly histories which could produce variations in the Mbh-sigma relation. The Gemini LGS-AO system with the NIFS opens up the possibility of a systematic investigation. Our team has published Mbh estimates based on NGS AO-assisted spectroscopy, IFU spectroscopy & dynamical modelling and we propose here to observe a spiral galaxy, of type that has no counterpart in the SMBH studies, as the first step in a large project to investigate the Mbh and sigma relation.