The origin of [Fe II] emission in NGC 4151

Abstract

The centre of NGC 4151 has been observed in the J-band with the SMIRFS integral field unit (IFU) on the UK Infrared Telescope. A map of [Fe II] emission is derived, and compared with the distributions of the optical narrow line region and radio jet. We conclude that, because the [Fe II] emission is associated more closely with the visible narrow-line region than with the radio jet, it arises mainly through photoionization of gas by collimated X-rays from the Seyfert nucleus. The velocity field and strength with respect to [Pa B] are found to be consistent with this argument. The performance of the IFU is considered briefly, and techniques for observation and data analysis are discussed.