Imaging the Nucleus of M33

M33 is the nearest late-type spiral galaxy. It lacks a classical bulge and appears to also lack a massive nuclear black hole. However, prior Chandra observations have failed to obtain a robust image of the nuclear environment in M33, owing to the wings of the PSF and photon pile-up driven by the ULX M33 X-8. We propose to obtain a modest 50 ks exposure of the nucleus of M33 using a 0.2 s frame time and a 1/8 sub-array that will prevent photon pile-up but retain a high degree of sensitivity. We will search for new point sources, diffuse emission, set limits on the X-ray emission from any massive nuclear black hole, and make a unique study of M33 X-8.