NO X-RAY-LUMINOUS STARBURSTS IN THE EINSTEIN MEDIUM SENSITIVITY SURVEY, EITHER

We continue to investigate recurrent claims that a substantial number of ''normal'' star-forming galaxies may have X-ray luminosities in the range 10(42-44) ergs s(-1). In this installment, we present new spectra of four such emission-line galaxies that were ambiguously classified in the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey (EMSS), and find that they all have intermediate-type Seyfert nuclei as evidenced by broad components of their Ha lines. We argue that any of the remaining emission-line galaxies in the EMSS with 10(42) < L(X) < 10(44) ergs s(-1) that were flagged as needing further spectroscopic work are almost certain to have active nuclei as well. We conclude that in these as well as other samples of X-ray-selected emission-line galaxies, X-ray luminosities in excess of 10(42) ergs s(-1) can and should be attributed to an active nucleus, even in the case that most of the infrared continuum or optical emission-line luminosity is caused by star formation. There is as yet no good evidence for X-ray-luminous starbursts.