Program: GS-2005B-Q-29

Very recently, Storchi-Bergmann et al. announced the detection of a starburst within 9pc of the nucleus of the Seyfert 1 galaxy, NGC1097. The proximity of the starburst to the nucleus and the fact that it - but not the nucleus itself - is obscured, suggests that the starburst may be associated with the dusty torus that the unified model of AGN postulates to explain the difference between types 1 and 2 AGN. How the torus keeps itself "inflated" has been difficult to explain, but some calculations suggest that star formation may be able to provide the supporting pressure. We therefore propose a mid-IR study of this active galaxy: imaging at 10 and 20 microns to search for the torus and constrain its properties, particularly its size and association with the starburst, and 10-micron spectroscopy to search for emission from the polyaromatic hydrocarbons normally diagnostic of starburst activity.