Search for: All records

Abstract We present the discovery of a luminous X-ray active galactic nucleus (AGN) in the dwarf galaxy merger RGG 66. The black hole is predicted to have a mass ofM_BH∼ 10^5.4M_⊙and to be radiating close to its Eddington limit (L_bol/L_Edd∼ 0.75). The AGN in RGG 66 is notable both for its presence in a late-stage dwarf–dwarf merger and for its luminosity ofL_{2–10 keV}= 10^42.2erg s⁻¹, which is among the most powerful AGNs known in nearby dwarf galaxies. The X-ray spectrum has a best-fit photon index of Γ = 2.4 and an intrinsic absorption ofN_H∼ 10²¹cm⁻². These results come from a follow-up Chandra X-ray Observatory study of four irregular/disturbed dwarf galaxies with evidence for hosting AGNs based on optical spectroscopy. The remaining three dwarf galaxies do not have detectable X-ray sources with upper limits ofL_{2–10 keV}≲ 10⁴⁰erg s⁻¹. Taken at face value, our results on RGG 66 suggest that mergers may trigger the most luminous of AGNs in the dwarf galaxy regime, just as they are suspected to do in more massive galaxy mergers.