WE PROPOSE XMM-NEWTON EPIC OBSERVATIONS OF 4 AGN CANDIDATES HOSTED BY DWARF GALAXIES WITH A CLOSE DWARF GALAXY COMPANION TO DETERMINE WHETHER DWARF-DWARF INTERACTIONS CAN TRIGGER THE GROWTH OF AN ACTIVE MASSIVE BLACK HOLE. INTERMEDIATE MASS BLACK HOLES IN TODAY S DWARF GALAXIES OFFER A UNIQUE WINDOW INTO NOT ONLY THE TYPICAL MASSES OF EARLY BLACK HOLES AND THE PROPERTIES OF THE GALAXIES THAT ARE OBSERVED TO FUEL CENTRAL AGN BUT ALSO WHETHER OR NOT THIS PROCESS HAPPENS AT LOWER MASSES IN DWARF-DWARF INTERACTIONS. OUR SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF DWARF PAIRS AND THE XMM-NEWTON X-RAY OBSERVATIONS PROPOSED HERE ARE UNIQUELY SUITED FOR DETERMINING WHETHER INTERACTING DWARFS CAN HARBOR AND FUEL THEIR OWN ACTIVE MASSIVE BLACK HOLES.
$44,068FY2017National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA
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