| Description |
We propose to perform 6-band PACS & SPIRE imaging photometry of a sample of nearby Seyfert 1.x and 2 galaxies in order to characterise the physical nature of their infrared emission by means of a multi-component SED fitting (AGN, starburst and host galaxy), combining existing ground- and space-based data from UV to MIR with Herschel FIR observations. Active galactic nucleus (AGN) and starburst activities, being among the most energetic extragalactic processes, have been studied separately until the past decade, when evidence that the two phenomena are related and, most frequently, coexistent startedto accumulate. The FIR peak of cold dust emission constitute a powerful tracer of star formation. However, the study of such an important feature in the innermost regions of nearby AGN hosts has been, until the advent of Herschel, seriously limited by the low spatial resolution and limited spectral coverage of the existing facilities. These new data, given the unprecedented angular resolution and spectral coverage of theHerschel Space Observatory will overcome this limitation, allowing us to probe the cold and very cold dust components across the galaxy and even in the nuclear and circum-nuclear regions.In addition, it will allow us to unveil the nature of the dusty torus (e.g. clumpy vs. smooth, flared disc), breaking model degeneracies. |
