VLTI/AMBER observations of the Seyfert nucleus of NGC 3783
  Context. The putative tori surrounding the accretion disks of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) play a fundamental role in the unification scheme of AGNs. Infrared long-baseline interferometry allows us to study the inner dust distribution in AGNs with unprecedented spatial resolution over a wide infrared wavelength range.   Aims. Near- and mid-infrared interferometry is used to investigate the milli-arcsecond-scale dust distribution in the type 1.5 Seyfert nucleus of NGC 3783.   Methods. We observed NGC 3783 with the VLTI/AMBER instrument in the K-band and compared our observations with models.   Results. From the K-band observations, we derive a ring-fit torus radius of 0.74 +/- 0.23 mas or 0.16 +/- 0.05 pc. We compare this size with infrared interferometric observations of other AGNs and UV/optical-infrared reverberation measurements. For the interpretation of our observations, we simultaneously model our near- and mid-infrared visibilities and the SED with a temperature/density-gradient model including an additional inner hot 1400 K ring component. 
G. Weigelt, K.-H. Hofmann, M. Kishimoto, S. H\"onig, D. Schertl, A.   Marconi, F. Millour, R. Petrov, D. Fraix-Burnet, F. Ma...
astro-ph.GA