An XMM/SDSS Sample of Extremely X-ray Luminous Starbursts (or Obscured AGN?)

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We have constructed a sample of the most X-ray luminous starbursts known, by means of cross-correlation of SDSS and the XMM-Newton serendipitous survey. The sample ranges in luminosity from 10E39 ergs/s to greater than 10E42 ergs/s. The SDSS spectra appear to be "pure starbursts" in that there is no AGN signature (no emission lines with large velocity widths or from high ionization species) and both the line ratios and continuum shapes are typical of star forming galaxies. However, those with Lx > 10E42 ergs/s are 10-100 times more X-ray luminous than a typical starburst galaxy in the local universe. The X-ray spectra tend to be harder for the higher Lx sources, suggesting that this component arises from a population of X-ray binaries and/or obscured AGN. Mid-IR continuum limits generally show that they cannot be ULIRGs, and in general they do not have high values of reddening derived from their Balmer decrements. The star formation rates (not corrected for reddening) are modest i.e. a few 10's Msun/year. If they are indeed pure starbursts, then this has implications for the non-AGN, so-called emission line galaxies found in significant numbers in deep X-ray surveys. Alternatively, if their X-ray emission is dominated by an AGN, then this has important consequences for estimates of the demongraphics of black holes, and their growth in star forming environments. We report the status of our efforts to determine the origin of the X-ray emission at the high luminosity end of the sample.

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