We present preliminary results from a near-infrared, integral-field study of the central 500 pc in the nearby Sbc spiral NGC 613. More specifically, we present maps of various gaseous emission lines in which the ring structure can be identified. The ring consists of at least seven “hot spots” that are actively forming stars and thus can be identified in recombination lines of hydrogen (H) and Helium (He). The molecular gas (traced by emission from the H2 molecule) is more evenly distributed over the entire ring. We also present H- and K-band spectra of one of the ring hot spots and the nucleus of NGC 613 (i.e. the central 1′′). The nucleus emits little or no flux in H or He recombination lines. Instead, its spectrum is dominated by H2 and [FeII] emission, suggesting that NGC 613 is currently in a phase in which gas is accumulating within the central 50 pc. Moreover, we find clear evidence that the ring structure is disturbed by an energetic outflow from the nucleus, supporting evidence that NGC 613 harbors an AGN.
