X-ray Emission and Absorption Properties of Low-Mass Seyfert Galaxies

We present XMM-Newton observations of four low-mass Seyfert galaxies selected from SDSS with some of the smallest stellar velocity dispersions (σ < 45 km/s) found in any nearby AGN, suggesting likely black holes masses below 10^6 solar masses. Two of these galaxies are type 2 objects, while the other two show weak broad H-alpha emission. These observations allow us to study the X-ray emission and absorption properties of these low-mass AGNs. In 20 ks exposures, three objects were detected with source counts of 27-163 counts over background, with one object not detected. We present hardness ratios and spectral fits of these objects and use the observed X-ray and [O III] emission line luminosities to investigate the absorbing column densities present. We find little evidence for absorption in SDSS J110912.40+612346.7, a near-identical type 2 analog of the dwarf Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4395, suggesting a possible new candidate "true" type 2 object. We will discuss the implications of these observations for AGN unification models for the least massive AGN host galaxies known.