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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 March 2021
We present results of a multiwavelength study of the isolated dual AGN system Was 49. Observations show that the dominant component in this interacting system, Was 49a, is a spiral galaxy, while Was 49b is hosted in a dwarf galaxy located at 8 kpc from the nucleus of Was 49a, at the edge of its disk. The intriguing fact about this system is the luminosity of their corresponding AGNs. While Was 49a hosts a low luminosity Seyfert 2 with Lbol˜1043 erg s–1, Was 49b has a Seyfert 2 with Lbol ˜ 1045 erg s–1, in the luminosity range of Quasars. Furthermore, estimates of the black hole and host galaxy masses of Was 49b indicate a black hole significantly more massive than one would expect from scaling relations. This result is in contrast with findings that the most luminous merger-triggered AGNs are found in major mergers and that minor mergers predominantly enhance AGN activity in the primary galaxy.