Spectropolarimetry of Seyfert nuclei.

The present optical spectropolarimetry of six strongly polarized type 1 and 2 Seyfert nuclei, with a spectral resolution of about 10 A and a typical coverage of 3300-7100 A, facilitates comparisons of polarization between various permitted and forbidden emission lines and the continuum. Additional broadband data extend the baseline to the atmospheric UV cutoff and to 8600 A for evaluation of the overall wavelength dependence. Among the galaxies studied, only NGC 6814 is entirely polarized by the Galaxy, which is in the foreground. No evidence requires an intrinsically polarized nonthermal source, although the results for Mrk 3 and NGC 3227 can be interpreted in terms of the dilution of a flat, strongly polarized continuum by starlight.