Suzaku observations of iron lines and reflection in AGN

Initial results on the iron K‐shell line and reflection component in several AGN observed as part of the Suzaku Guaranteed Time program are reviewed. This paper discusses a small sample of Compton‐thin Seyferts observed to date with Suzaku; namely MCG‐5‐23‐16, MCG‐6‐30‐15, NGC4051, NGC3516, NGC2110, 3C 120 and NGC2992. The broad iron Kα emission line appears to be present in all but one of these Seyfert galaxies, while the narrow core of the line from distant matter is ubiquitous in all the observations. The iron line in MCG‐6‐30‐15 shows the most extreme relativistic blurring of all the objects, the red‐wing of the line requires the inner accretion disk to extend inwards to within 2.2R _g of the black hole, in agreement with the XMM‐Newton observations. Strong excess emission in the Hard X‐ray Detector (HXD) above 10 keV is observed in many of these Seyfert galaxies, consistent with the presence of a reflection component from reprocessing in Compton‐thick matter (e.g. the accretion disk). Only one Seyfert galaxy (NGC 2110) shows neither a broad iron line nor a reflection component. The spectral variability of MCG‐6‐30‐15, MCG‐5‐23‐16 and NGC 4051 is also discussed. In all 3 cases, the spectra appear harder when the source is fainter, while there is little variability of the iron line or reflection component with source flux. This agrees with a simple two component spectral model, whereby the variable emission is the primary power‐law, while the iron line and reflection component remain relatively constant. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Comparison of dust‐to‐gas ratios in luminous,ultraluminous, and hyperluminous infrared galaxies

The dust‐to‐gas ratios in three different samples of luminous, ultraluminous, and hyperluminous infrared galaxies are calculated by modelling their radio to soft X‐ray spectral energy distributions (SED) using composite models which account for the photoionizing radiation from H II regions, starbursts, or AGNs, and for shocks. The models are limited to a set which broadly reproduces the mid‐IR fine structure line ratios of local, IR bright, starburst galaxies. The results show that two types of clouds contribute to the IR emission. Those characterized by low shock velocities and low preshock densities explain the far‐IR dust emission, while those with higher velocities and densities contribute to the mid‐IR dust emission. Clouds with shock velocities of 500 km s^–1 prevail in hyperluminous infrared galaxies. An AGN is found in nearly all of the ultraluminous infrared galaxies and in half of the luminous infrared galaxies of the sample. High IR luminosities depend on dust‐to‐gas ratios as high as ∼0.1 by mass, however most hyperluminous IR galaxies show dustto‐gas ratios much lower than those calculated for the luminous and ultraluminous IR galaxies. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On the soft X‐ray emission of M82

We present a spatial analysis of the soft X‐ray and Hα emissions from the outflow of the starburst galaxy M82. We find that the two emissions are tightly correlated on various scales. The O VII triplet of M82, as resolved by X‐ray grating observations of XMM‐Newton, is dominated by the forbidden line, inconsistent with the thermal prediction. The O VII triplet also shows some spatial variations. We discuss three possible explanations for the observed O VII triplet, including the charge exchange at interfaces between the hot outflow and neutral cool gas, a collisional non‐equilibrium‐ionization recombining plasma, and resonance scattering (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Charge‐exchange emission in the starburst galaxies M82 and NGC3256

Charge‐exchange (CE) emission produces features which are detectable with the current X‐ray instrumentation in the brightest near galaxies. We describe these aspects in the observed X‐ray spectra of the star forming galaxies M82 and NGC 3256, from the Suzaku and XMM‐Newton telescopes. Emission from both ions (O, C) and neutrals (Mg, Si) is recognised. We also describe how microcalorimeter instrumentation on future missions will improve CE observations (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Charge exchange in massive star‐forming regions

As a result of feedback from massive stars, via their intense winds and/or supernova explosions, massive star‐forming regions are entirely filled with hot, X‐ray emitting plasmas, which escape into the ambient ISM. As shown recently by Townsley et al. for several “extreme” cases (Carina, M17, NGC 3576, NGC 3603, 30 Dor), by way of large Chandra ACIS mosaics, extra, non‐thermal emission lines are present on top of the standard lines emitted by hot plasmas. Some of them are very close to lines characteristic of charge‐exchange reactions between the hot plasma and the cold surrounding material, suggesting that this mechanism operates on large spatial scales (several 10 pc) in star‐forming regions in general. The connection with starburst galaxies is briefly mentioned, and it is pointed out that supernovae interacting with molecular clouds may also provide a good environment to look for charge exchange processes (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Active Galactic Nuclei

D01 Direct evidence of the receding ‘torus’ around active galactic nuclei of FRII radio galaxies and quasars D02 Infrared emission from a clumpy and dusty torus around AGN D03 Size and properties of AGN narrow–line regions from emission–line diagnostics D04 Structural Variability of Intraday Variable Sources D05 Stability of self‐gravitating accretion disks in galactic centers D06 Supermassive Binary Black Holes in AGN D07 The extreme flare in III Zw 2: Evolution of a radio jet in a Seyfert galaxy D08 Radio Linear and Circular Polarization from M81* D09 A fundamental relation between Supermassive Black Holes and Dark Matter Haloes D10 Hunting for radio‐quiet BL Lacs – the 2dF BL Lac survey D11 The Eddington limit in accretion discs D12 Molecular Tori in AGN: A search using excited states of OH D13 The X‐Ray Properties of Radio‐Loud Core‐Dominated AGN: The 2 cm‐X‐Sample D14 The X‐Ray Properties of Radio‐Loud Core‐Dominated AGN: Extension to the High Redshift Regime D15 Line Profile Variability in AGN D16 Jet Superwind Interaction D17 Radio Interferometric Observations of AGN – Probing the Nucleus of M87 with 20 Schwarzschild radii resolution D18 The ISO–2MASS AGN survey D19 Supermassive binary black holes driving the activity of galactic nuclei D20 Proton acceleration at quasi‐perpendicular shocks: A case study for Active Galactic Nuclei D21 Super‐luminal shocks in Active Galactic Nuclei D22 Unconventional quasars from the variability and proper motion survey D23 Radio observations of starburst and AGN activity in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies D24 Kinematics in Active Galactic Nuclei at Parsec Scales: the VLBA 2cm Survey D25 Three‐dimensional models of clumpy tori in Seyfert galaxies D26 Silicate emission in active galaxies ‐ From LINERs to QSOs D27 Discovery of 10 µm silicate emission in quasars. – Evidence of the AGN unification scheme. D28 Near‐IR adaptive optics imaging of luminous infrared galaxies D29 Interferometric observations of the Circinus galaxy with MIDI D30 Infrared Interferometry of the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1068     

Search for narrow energy‐shifted lines in AGN spectra in the XMMNewton archive

Thanks to the large effective area and the spectral resolution of current X‐ray satellites, the detection of X‐ray narrow spectral features in the 5–7 keV band is becoming commonplace in many AGN observations. Such lines, both in emission and in absorption, are mostly interpreted as arising from Iron atoms. When observed with some displacement from their rest frame position, these lines carry the potential to study the motion of circumnuclear gas in AGN, providing a diagnostic of the effects of the gravitational field of the central black hole. These narrow features have been often found with marginal statistical significance. A systematic search for narrow features in type1 AGN is being performed on all spectra available in the XMM‐Newton archive with the aim to estimate the significance of the features with Monte Carlo simulations of synthetic spectra. The project and preliminary results are presented. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Galaxies in Interaction

Posters: Because of the large number of contributions, some oral presentations had to be transferred into Posters. The reader is referred to the final programme for the actual allocation of Posters. A01 Chemical Enrichment of the Intracluster Medium A02 Structural analysis of high‐velocity clouds – Evidence for an interaction between the Milky Way and the Magellanic System A03 Multi‐Phase Chemo‐Dynamical SPH code for galaxy evolution A04 The proper motion of M33 A05 Wavelet analysis of Intra–group Light in Hickson Compact Groups A06 Evidence for an evolutionary connection between early and late type dwarf galaxies A07 Dwarf Galaxies in the NGC 5846 Group A08 X‐ray spectroscopy of serendipitous clusters of galaxies in XMM‐Newton observations A09 Evolution of smale scale systems of galaxies: X‐ray detected E+S galaxy pairs A10 Modelling Star Formation in Interacting Galaxies A11 NGC 1427A – the beginning of the end: a lonely dwarf irregular entering the dense core of the Fornax cluster A12 Dwarf galaxies in galaxy groups: Photo‐evaporation, orbits and gas stripping A13 High resolution stellar kinematics for the central component of the Polar Ring Galaxy NGC 4650A A14 The Influence of Environment on the Morphological Evolution of Disk‐Dominated Galaxies A15 Interactions and star formation in galaxies A16 Dust Condensations and Molecular Clouds in Interacting Spirals A17 Star formation rates and kinematics of modelled interacting galaxies A18 Evolution of Galaxies and the Tully–Fisher Relation A19 Evolution and Collision of Galaxies on the GRID A20 Multiwavelength observations of two S+E merger candidates: the Medusa and NGC 4441 A21 Interacting Galaxies in Small Galaxy Groups A22 Virial and total masses of galaxy triplets in the Local Supercluster A23 Simulations of Interaction Processes of Galaxies with the Intra‐Cluster Medium A24 Chemical evolution of the thick and thin disks of our Galaxy A25 Dust properties of UV‐bright galaxies at z ∼ 2 A26 Simulation of the Gravitational Collapse and Fragmentation of Rotating Molecular Clouds A27 NGC 5719/13: interacting spirals forming a counter‐rotating stellar disc A28 Starbursts in very metal‐poor dwarfs due to interactions and mergers: link to the processes in the high‐redshift young galaxies A29 Testing galaxy evolution in the field: morphology and properties of the diffuse X‐ray emission in shell galaxies A30 Effects of galactic winds on dIrrs with particular emphasis on NGC 1569 and the refill of superbubble cavities A31 Galaxy formation through merging at z ≈ 2 A32 3D simulations of the ISM‐ICM interaction of disk galaxies in clusters A33 Gas replenishment in ram pressure stripped disk galaxies A34 New Results on the Kinematics of the Outer Cluster System of NGC 1399 A35 Chemical gradient evolution in massive galaxy disk due to its minor merger with dwarf galaxy A36 The complex kinematics of galaxies in Hickson 62 A37 Dust in the outer regions of interacting galaxies A38 Dynamical interaction of M31 and M32 A39 A comparative study of galaxy properties in low‐ and high density environment A40 Compact Groups in Dense Environment: The Case of IC1370 A41 The Star Formation History of CG J1720‐67.8 A42 Galaxy populations in the infall regions of intermediate redshift clusters A43 The study of gravitational fragmentation in two‐clumps collisions A44 Star Formation Activity in Galaxy Clusters Near and Far A45 An Exploration of the Merging History of the Local Starburst Galaxy, NGC 3310 A46 The high‐velocity clouds of M31: tracers of galactic evolution A47 The Properties of Fossil Groups     

Variability of the Fe K line relativistic component in a sample of Seyfert 1 galaxies

We present the analysis of X‐ray spectral variability made on a sample of 7 Seyfert 1 bright galaxies, using XMM‐Newton data. From the “XMM‐Newton Science Archive” we selected those bright Seyfert 1 showing one or more prominent flares in their 2–10 keV light curves. For each of them we extracted spectra in 3 different time intervals: before, during and after the flare. We fitted them with a simple power law and then shifted a narrow emission and absorption line template across the 2.5–10 keV data, in order to investigate the presence of line‐like features with a confidence level greater than 99%. Some highly significant features were detected in 3 out of 7 sources studied. In particular, the 3 sources, namely PG 1211+143, NGC 4051 and NGC 3783, showed the presence of a variable emission feature in the 4.5–5.8 keV band, characterized by an increase of its intensity after the flare peak. Because of the observed variability pattern, this feature seems to be ascribable to a reverbered redshifted relativistic component of the Fe K line. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Seyfert-Liner Galaxy NGC 7213: An XMM-Newton Observation

We examine the XMM X-ray spectrum of the low-ionisation nuclear emission-line region (LINER)-AGN NGC 7213, which is best fit with a power law, Kα emission lines from Fe i, Fe xxv and Fe xxvi and a soft X-ray collisionally ionised thermal plasma with kT = 0.18^+0.03_−0.01 keV. We find a luminosity of 7× 10⁻⁴ L_Edd, and a lack of soft X-ray excess emission, suggesting a truncated accretion disc. NGC 7213 has intermediate X-ray spectral properties, between those of the weak AGN found in the LINER M 81 and higher luminosity Seyfert galaxies. This supports the notion of a continuous sequence of X-ray properties from the Galactic Centre through LINER galaxies to Seyferts, likely determined by the amount of material available for accretion in the central regions. This work is based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA).     

Magnetic flares in Active Galactic Nuclei: modeling the iron Kα line

The X‐ray spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are complex and vary rapidly in time as seen in recent observations. Magnetic flares above the accretion disk can account for the extreme variability of AGN. They also explain the observed iron Kα fluorescence lines. We present radiative transfer modeling of the X‐ray reflection due to emission from magnetic flares close to the marginally stable orbit. The hard X‐ray primary radiation coming from the flare source illuminates the accretion disk. A Compton reflection/reprocessed component coming from the disk surface is computed for different emission directions. We assume that the density structure remains adjusted to the hydrostatic equilibrium without external illumination because the flare duration is only a quarter‐orbit. The model takes into account the variations of the incident radiation across the hot spot underneath the flare source. The integrated spectrum seen by a distant observer is computed for flares at different orbital phases close to the marginally stable orbit of a Schwarzschild black hole and of a maximally rotating Kerr black hole. The calculations include relativistic and Doppler corrections of the spectra using a ray tracing technique. We explore the practical possibilities to map out the azimuthal irradiation pattern of the inner accretion disks and conclude that the next generation of X‐ray satellites should reveal this structure from iron Kα line profiles and X‐ray lightcurves. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Toward an unbiased sample of X‐ray selected normal galaxies outside the local Universe

This paper shows that our understanding of the statistical properties of X‐ray selected normal galaxies (e.g. X‐ray luminosity function) can be significantly improved by combining a wide‐area XMM‐Newton survey with the moderare resolution and high S/N optical spectroscopy of the SDSS. Such a combined dataset has the potential to minimise uncertainties that affect existing normal galaxy samples at X‐rays, such as small number statistics, cosmic variance, AGN contamination and incompleteness at bright X‐ray luminosities. It is demonstrated that a 100 deg² XMM‐Newton survey in the SDSS area to the limit f_X(0.5–2 keV) ≈ 5 × 10^–15 erg cm^–2 s^–1 will detect over 400 X‐ray selected normal galaxies with excellent control over systematic biases, thereby providing tight contraints on the X‐ray luminosity function at z ≈ 0.1. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Amplification and variability of the AGN X‐ray emission due to microlensing

We consider the contribution of microlensing to the AGN Fe Kα line and X‐ray continuum amplification and variation. To investigate the variability of the line and X‐ray continuum, we studied the effects of microlensing on quasar X‐ray spectra produced by crossing of a microlensing pattern across a standard relativistic accretion disk. To describe the disk emission we used a ray tracing method considering both metrics, Schwarzschild and Kerr. We found that the Fe Kα and continuum may experience significant amplification by a microlensing event (even for microlenses of very small mass). Also, we investigate a contribution of microlensing to the X‐ray variability of high‐redshifted QSOs, finding that cosmologically distributed deflector may contribute significantly to the X‐ray variability of high‐redshifted QSOs (z > 2). (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Fourier‐resolved spectroscopy of AGN using XMM‐Newton data

We present a brief account of the theory on which the novel method of ‘Fourier‐resolved spectroscopy’ is based. We summarize the results from the past application of this method to the study of Galactic Black Hole candidate sources and MCG‐6‐30‐15, and we present new results from the Fourier‐resolved spectroscopy of archival XMM‐Newton data of five AGN, namely, Mrk 766, NGC 3516, NGC 3783, NGC 4051 and Ark 564. When we combine all the past and present results from Galactic sources and AGN, we find that the slope of the Fourier‐resolved spectra in accreting black hole systems decreases with increasing frequency as ∝ f ^–0.25, irrespective of whether the system is in its High or Low state. We find significant evidence that the iron line in Mrk 766, NGC 3783 and NGC 4051 is variable on time scales ∼1 day – 1 hour. There is an indication that, just like in Galactic sources, the equivalent width of the line in the Fourier‐resolved spectra of AGN decreases with increasing frequency. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Active Galactic Nuclei

F11 Jets, supernovae, gammabursts – more light for theory? F35 A Direct Comparison of the QSO Samples from VPMS and SDSS F36 Gravitational Microlensing Simulations and Ensemble Broad‐Band Variability of the QSOs from VPMS F42 Luminosity function of low redshift quasars F43 Star Formation around Active Galactic Nuclei – Results from near infrared observations F58 High‐Redshift Quasars as Probes of Early Star Formation F66 On the dust emission of Seyfert nuclei F72 Propagation of Very Light MHD Jets F78 Giant Outflows in MassiveHigh‐z Radio Galaxies: Direct Evidence for AGNFeedback in the Early Universe F89 Lowfrequency mapping of ‘normal’ FR II radio galaxies: Resolving the puzzle of X‐shaped radio sources F90 Nature of X‐shaped radio sources: A statistical approach F100 Cosmological growth of Supermassive Black Holes: constraints on kinetic and radiative energy feedback F107 Molecular Tori in AGN F136 Electron‐Ion Recombination Rate Coefficients of Iron M‐Shell Ions for X‐Ray Astronomy F139 Hydrodynamic models of obscuring tori F145 The unique BL Lac Object S5 0716+714 F158 On the Cluster Environment of the BL Lac Object OJ 287 F179 The circumnuclear dust in nearby AGN resolved by mid‐infrared interferometry F184 NIR‐imaging of SDSS BL Lac objects F190 Blazar Observations in the TeV energy range with the MAGIC Telescope F198 Gas Inflow Rates in Nearby AGN Galaxies F202 Two zone SSC model for blazar jets F215 Long‐termVHE γ ‐ray monitoring of bright blazars with a dedicated telescope F218 Long termmonitoring of bright TeV Blazars with the MAGIC telescope F220 Fifteen Blazars in Very‐High Energy Gamma Rays: A Comparative Study F229 Numerical calculation of blazar spectra. Application to 1 ES 1218+30.4 F230 Blazar spectral energy distributions corrected for gamma ray attenuation F240 Observation of PG 1553+113 with the MAGIC Telescope F243 VHE Gamma‐Ray Flare of PKS2155‐304 detected by the MAGIC telescope F245 Observations of 3C279 with the MAGIC Telescope F258 Diffraction limited near infrared imaging spectroscopy of the NLR of NGC4151     

Chemistry in luminous AGN and starburst galaxies

Molecular line emission is a useful tool for probing the highly obscured inner kpc of starburst galaxies and buried AGNs. Molecular line ratios serve as diagnostic tools of the physical conditions of the gas—but also of its chemical properties. Both provide important clues to the type and evolutionary stage of the nuclear activity. While CO emission remains the main tracer for molecular distribution and dynamics, molecules such as HCN, HNC, HCO⁺, CN and HC₃N are useful for probing the properties of the denser (n≳10⁴ cm⁻³), star-forming gas. Here I discuss current views on how line emission from these species can be interpreted in luminous galaxies. HNC, HCO⁺ and CN are all species that can be associated both with photon dominated regions (PDRs) in starbursts—as well as X-ray dominated regions (XDRs) associated with AGN activity. HC₃N line emission may identify galaxies where the starburst is in the early stage of its evolution.     

Environmental dependence of active galactic nuclei activity in the supercluster A901/2

We present XMM data for the supercluster A901/2, at   z ∼ 0.17  , which is combined with deep imaging and 17-band photometric redshifts (from the COMBO-17 survey), two degree field (2dF) spectra and Spitzer 24 μm data, to identify active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the supercluster. The 90 ksec XMM image contains 139 point sources, of which 11 are identified as supercluster AGN with   L _{X(0.5−7.5 keV)} > 1.7 × 10⁴¹ erg cm⁻² s⁻¹  . The host galaxies have   M _R < −20  and only two of eight sources with spectra could have been identified as AGN by the detected optical emission lines. Using a large sample of 795 supercluster galaxies, we define control samples of massive galaxies with no detected AGN. The local environments of the AGN and control samples differ at ≳98 per cent significance. The AGN host galaxies lie predominantly in areas of moderate projected galaxy density and with more local blue galaxies than the control sample, with the exception of one very bright type I AGN very near the centre of a cluster. These environments are similar to, but not limited to, cluster outskirts and blue groups. Despite the large number of potential host galaxies, no AGN are found in regions with the highest galaxy density (excluding some cluster cores where emission from the intra-cluster medium obscures moderate luminosity AGN). AGN are also absent from the areas with lowest galaxy density. We conclude that the prevalence of cluster AGN is linked to their environment.     

Star formation in southern Seyfert galaxies

We have produced radio maps, using the Australia Telescope Compact Array, of the central regions of six southern type 2 Seyfert galaxies (NGC 1365, 4945, 6221, 6810, 7582 and Circinus) with circumnuclear star formation, to estimate the relative contribution of star formation activity compared to activity from the active galactic nucleus (AGN). The radio morphologies range from extended diffuse structures to compact nuclear emission, with no evidence, even in the relatively compact sources, for synchrotron self-absorption. In each case the radio to far-infrared (FIR) ratio has a value consistent with star formation, and in all but one case the radio to [Fe  II ] ratio is also consistent with star formation. We derive supernova rates and conclude that, despite the presence of a Seyfert nucleus in these galaxies, the radio, FIR and [Fe  II ] line emissions are dominated by processes associated with the circumnuclear star formation (i.e. supernova remnants and H  II regions) rather than with the AGN.     

The infrared luminosity of the torus and the visibility of scattered broad line emission in Seyfert 2 galaxies

A number of studies have shown that the visibility of scattered broad emission lines in Seyfert 2 galaxies is strongly dependent on the IRAS     flux ratio, where those Seyfert 2 galaxies with 'warm' IRAS colours show polarized broad line emission. It is now clear that this effect is owing to the increasing dominance of the galactic rather than the active galactic nucleus (AGN) emission at 60 μm in less-luminous 'cool' Seyfert 2 galaxies. However, we present evidence that the 25-μm emission is a good measure of the AGN luminosity for most Seyfert 2 galaxies. Using this result, we show that the visibility of scattered broad line emission has a dependence on the AGN luminosity. The observations can be interpreted self-consistently if the scaleheight of the scattering zone varies with central source luminosity whilst the scaleheight of the obscuring torus is approximately constant.     

A ROSAT survey of Wolf–Rayet galaxies — II. The extended sample

We present results from an ongoing X-ray survey of Wolf–Rayet (WR) galaxies, a class of objects believed to be very young starbursts. This paper extends the first X-ray survey of WR galaxies by Stevens &38; Strickland by studying WR galaxies identified subsequent to the original WR galaxy catalogue of Conti.   Out of a sample of 40 new WR galaxies a total of 10 have been observed with the ROSAT PSPC, and of these seven have been detected (NGC 1365, NGC 1569, I Zw 18, NGC 3353, NGC 4449, NGC 5408 and a marginal detection of NGC 2366). Of these, all are dwarf starbursts except for NGC 1365, which is a barred spiral galaxy possibly with an active nucleus. We also report on observations of the related emission-line galaxy IRAS 0833+6517.   The X-ray properties of these galaxies are broadly in line with those found for the original sample; they are X-ray overluminous compared with their blue luminosity and have thermal spectra with typically kT  ∼ 0.4 − 1.0 keV. There are some oddities: NGC 5408 is very overluminous in X-rays, even compared with other WR galaxies; I Zw 18 has a harder X-ray spectrum; NGC 1365, although thought to contain an active nucleus, has X-ray properties that are broadly similar to other WR galaxies, and we suggest that the X-ray emission from NGC 1365 is due to starburst activity.   A good correlation between X-ray and blue luminosity is found for the WR galaxy sample as a whole. However, when just dwarf galaxies are considered there is little evidence of correlation. We discuss the implications of these results on our understanding of the X-ray emission from WR galaxies and suggest that the best explanation for the X-ray activity is starburst activity from a young starburst region.