OPTICAL-IDENTIFICATION OF THE HARDEST X-RAY SOURCE IN THE ASCA LARGE SKY SURVEY

We report the optical identification of the hardest X-ray source (AX J 131501 + 3141) detected in an unbiased wide-area survey in the 0.5-10 keV band, the ASCA Large Sky Survey (LSS). The X-ray spectrum of the s ource is very hard and is well reproduced by a power-law component (Ga mma = 1.5(-0.6)(+0.7)) with N-H = 6(-2)(+4) X 10(22) Cm-2. We have fou nd a galaxy with R = 15.62 mag near the center of the error circle for the X-ray source. The optical spectrum of the galaxy shows only narro w emission lines whose ratios correspond to those of a type 2 Seyfert galaxy at z = 0.072, implying an absorption-corrected X-ray luminosity of 2 X 10(43) ergs s(-1) (2-10 keV) and M-B = -20.93 mag. A radio poi nt source is also associated with the center of the galaxy. We thus id entify the X-ray source with this galaxy as an obscured active galacti c nucleus (AGN). The hidden nature of the nucleus of the galaxy in the optical band is consistent with the X-ray spectrum. These results sup port the idea that the obscured AGNs/QSOs contribute significantly to the cosmic X-ray background in the hard band at the faint flux level.