Presentation #341.12 in the session AGN and Quasars.
We have explored the Tully-Fisher (TF) relation for active galactic nucleus (AGN) host galaxies. The TF relation is a well-studied and critical distance measurement tool for spiral galaxies, and spirals are also the typical hosts of AGNs. However, previous calibrations of the TF relation employ quiescent galaxies. Studies have shown that in the nearby universe (z < 1), the typical rate of star formation in active galaxies is higher by a factor of ~2-3 than for inactive galaxies, and that higher star formation rates can directly affect the slope of the TF relation. We previously published TF distances for 24 Seyfert I AGN host galaxies, where surface brightness decompositions enabled the contamination of the nucleus to be removed from measurements of the distance moduli. Despite this careful decomposition, a significant number of our TF-based distances were too small for each galaxy’s respective recessional velocity. In order to resolve this disagreement, we have constructed a sample of active galaxies with redshift-independent distances, HI 21cm emission line observations, and optical and near-IR imaging present in the literature to explore potential differences in the TF relation between active and inactive galaxies.