An Enshrouded Active Galactic Nucleus in the Merging Starburst System Arp 299 Revealed by [CLC][ITAL]BeppoSAX[/ITAL][/CLC]

Abstract

Using a long (150 ks) broadband (0.1-40 keV) BeppoSAX observation of the merging starburst system Arp 299 (=IC 694 + NGC 3690), we found the first unambiguous evidence of the presence of a deeply buried (N_H 2.5 × 10²⁴ cm^-2) active galactic nucleus (AGN) having an intrinsic luminosity of L_{0.5-100 keV} 1.9 × 10⁴³ ergs s^-1. The X-ray spectral properties of this AGN are discussed in detail, as well as the thermal component detected at soft X-ray energies, which, most likely, is associated with the starburst.