Program: GN-2012A-Q-120

We propose GNIRS cross-dispersed spectroscopy of 60 Seyferts and LINERs from the Palomar galaxy sample. The spectra will advance our knowledge of AGN physics and lifecycles by demonstrating whether the accretion disk and nuclear dust properties change as a function of accretion rate, as predicted by theoretical models. They will be used to investigate the contribution of evolved stars to the line emission in LINERs, with implications for AGN demographics, and to make new stellar kinematic measurements for black hole mass estimates. The number and variety of spectral features that will appear in the data are expected to enable a wide range of science besides that highlighted in this proposal. For this reason, we plan a reduced proprietary period and to make the reduced spectra available to the community. We anticipate applying for time to observe the remaining emission-line galaxies in the (near-complete) Palomar sample over the next few semesters. The targets are distributed throughout the northern sky, making Gemini's queue mode ideal for this work. The fairly short observations are easily scheduled and can be carried out in suboptimal observing conditions.