In order to determine whether unified models of active galactic nuclei apply to low-luminosity objects , we have undertaken a spectropolarimetric survey of of LINERs and Seyfert nuclei at the Keck Observatory .
The 14 objects observed have a median H \alpha luminosity of 8 \times 10 ^ { 39 } erg s ^ { -1 } , well below the typical value of \sim 10 ^ { 41 } erg s ^ { -1 } for Markarian Seyfert nuclei .
Polarized broad H \alpha emission is detected in three LINERs : NGC 315 , NGC 1052 , and NGC 4261 .
Each of these is an elliptical galaxy with a double-sided radio jet , and the emission-line polarization in each case is oriented roughly perpendicular to the jet axis , as expected for the obscuring torus model .
NGC 4261 and NGC 315 are known to contain dusty circumnuclear disks , which may be the outer extensions of the obscuring tori .
The detection of polarized broad-line emission suggests that these objects are nearby , low-luminosity analogs of obscured quasars residing in narrow-line radio galaxies .
The nuclear continuum of the low-luminosity Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4395 is polarized at p = 0.67 \% , possibly the result of an electron scattering region near the nucleus .
Continuum polarization is detected in other objects , with a median level of p = 0.36 \% over 5100-6100 Å , but in most cases this is likely to be the result of transmission through foreground dust .
The lack of significant broad-line polarization in most type 1 LINERs is consistent with the hypothesis that we view the broad-line regions of these objects directly , rather than in scattered light .