AXJ1749- A NARROW-EMISSION-LINE GALAXY WITH A FLAT X-RAY-SPECTRUM(684)

We report the serendipitous detection of an X-ray source, AX J1749+684 , with the ASCA Gas Imaging Spectrometer. AXJ1749+684 is identified wi th a LINER/starburst-type spiral galaxy KUG 1750+683A at a redshift z = 0.05. It has a hard X-ray spectrum, consistent with that of the X-ra y background (XRB) in the 1-10 keV band. Despite the optical classific ation, the X-ray luminosity cannot be explained by starburst activity. Combined with spatial variations in the optical emission-line ratios, this suggests the presence of an obscured Seyfert nucleus embedded wi thin a star-forming galaxy. Similar behaviour could explain the ambigu ous properties of the faint narrow-line X-ray galaxies (NLXGs) emergin g from deep X-ray surveys.