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R. D. Joseph (University of Hawaii), M. Pitts (Ohio State University)
We have obtained spectra from 0.95 to 2.35 micron at a spectral resolution of ~1,200 for a sample of luminous infrared-bright galaxies. The spectra were measured with SpeX, the new cross-dispersed medium-resolution infrared spectrometer at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. Since our goal was to investigate putative AGN or starburst activity in the centers of these galaxies, with as little dilution from the surrounding galaxy as possible, the spectra were taken with a 0.5 x 2 arcsec2 slit. We use these data: a) to search for broad hydrogen lines indicative of an underlying AGN, and b) to determine the stellar populations of underlying starbursts using stellar evolutionary synthesis models. These results will be compared with those found from previously-published 2 micron spectra for these galaxies obtained with a 3 x 9 arcsec2 slit.
This work was supported by NSF Grant AST 99-87896 and NASA Grants NAG 5-3370 and JPL 961566.