Visible and near-infrared spectroscopy of Seyfert 1 and narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

This paper studies the continuum and emission-line properties of a sample composed of 16 normal Seyfert 1 and seven narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies using optical and near-IR CCD spectroscopy. The continuum emission of the galaxies can be described in terms of a combination of stellar population, a nonstellar continuum of power-law form, and Fe II emission. A significative difference in the optical spectral index between NLS1's and normal Seyfert 1's is observed; the latter is steeper. Most NLS1's show Fe II/H beta ratios larger than those observed in the other Seyfert l's. In the IRAS band, both groups of galaxies have very similar properties. We have searched for the presence of optically thin gas in the broad-line region (BLR) of the galaxies by comparing the broad O I lambda 8446 and H alpha emission-line profiles. Our analysis show that in the NLS1's, both profiles are similar in shape and width. This result contradicts the hypothesis of thin gas emission in the high-velocity part of the BLR to explain the "narrowness" of broad optical permitted lines in these objects. Evidence of narrow O I lambda 8446 emission is found in six galaxies of our sample, implying that this line is not restricted to a pure BLR phenomenon. In the narrow-line region, we find similar luminosities in the permitted and high-ionization lines of NLS1's and normal Seyfert l's. However, low-ionization lines such as [O II] lambda 6300, [O II] lambda 3727, and [S II] lambda lambda 6717, 6731 are intrinsically less luminous in NLS1's. Physical properties derived from density- and temperature-sensitive line ratios suggest that the [O II] and [S II] emitting zones are overlapping in normal Seyfert 1's and separated in NLS1's.