We present subarcsecond resolution mid-infrared ( mid-IR ) photometry in the wavelength range from 8 to 20 µm of eighteen Seyfert galaxies , reporting high spatial resolution nuclear fluxes for the entire sample .
We construct spectral energy distributions ( SEDs ) that the AGN dominates , relatively uncontaminated by starlight , adding near-IR measurements from the literature at similar angular resolution .
We find that the IR SEDs of intermediate-type Seyferts are flatter and present higher 10 to 18 µm ratios than those of Seyfert 2 galaxies .
We fit the individual SEDs with clumpy dusty torus models using the in-house-developed BayesClumpy tool .
We find that the clumpy models reproduce the high spatial resolution measurements .
Regardless of the Seyfert type , even with high spatial resolution data , near- to mid-IR SED fitting poorly constrains the radial extent of the torus .
For the Seyfert 2 galaxies , we find that edge-on geometries are more probable than face-on views , with a number of clouds along equatorial rays of N _ { 0 } = 5 –15 .
The 10 µm silicate feature is generally modeled in shallow absorption .
For the intermediate-type Seyferts , N _ { 0 } and the inclination angle of the torus are lower than those of the Seyfert 2 nuclei , with the silicate feature appearing in weak emission or absent .
The columns of material responsible for the X-ray absorption are larger than those inferred from the model fits for most of the galaxies , which is consistent with X-ray absorbing gas being located within the dust sublimation radius whereas the mid-IR flux arises from an area farther from the accretion disc .
The fits yield both the bolometric luminosity of the intrinsic AGN and the torus integrated luminosity , from which we derive the reprocessing efficiency of the torus .
In the models , the outer radial extent of the torus scales with the AGN luminosity , and we find the tori to be confined to scales less than 5 pc .