THE X-RAY FLUX DIPOLE OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI AND THE PECULIAR MOTION OF THE LOCAL GROUP

An X-ray flux-limited sample of 30 AGNs detected with the HEAO 1 A-2 experiment, which is complete for |b| > 20°, is used as a tracer of the total gravitational mass distribution in the nearby universe. The dipole moment of the flux saturates at about z = 0.017 and gives the direction (l, b) = (313°, 38°) with an error circle of about 30° in radius. This direction is 39° away from the direction of the Local Group's motion with respect to the microwave background radiation. The amplitude of the dipole is about 50% of the corresponding monopole. Applying our data to linear perturbation theory, we get a value of bΩ0-0.6 close to previous results using optical galaxies and somewhat greater than values obtained from IRAS galaxies. This suggests that the X-ray emission from AGNs traces the underlying mass distribution at least as strongly as optical and IR emission from galaxies.