Near-infrared spectroscopy of nearby Seyfert galaxies – II. Molecular content and coronal emission

We present subarcsec near-infrared 1.5–2.5 μm moderate resolution long-slit spectra of eight nearby Seyfert galaxies (z < 0.01), both parallel to the ionization cone and perpendicular to it. These spectra complement similar data on six Seyferts, presented in Reunanen, Kotilainen & Prieto, and are used to study the spatial extent of the line emission, the integrated masses of excited H2 and the excitation mechanisms of interstellar gas. Large concentrations of molecular gas (H2) are present in the nucleus regardless of the Seyfert type. The spatial extent of the H2 emission is larger perpendicular to the cone than parallel to it in 6/8 (75 per cent) galaxies, in agreement with the unified models of active galactic nuclei. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) sizes of the nuclear H2 emission range from