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Galaxy pairs with separations of only a few kpc represent important stages inthe merger-driven growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). However, suchmergers are difficult to identify observationally due to the correspondinglysmall angular scales. In Paper I we presented a method of finding candidatekpc-scale galaxy mergers that is leveraged on the selection of X-ray sourcesspatially offset from the centers of host galaxies. In this paper we analyzenew Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3 imaging for six of these sources tosearch for signatures of galaxy mergers. The HST imaging reveals that four ofthe six systems are on-going galaxy mergers with separations of 1.2-6.6 kpc(offset AGN). The nature of the remaining two spatially offset X-ray sources isambiguous and may be associated with super-Eddington accretion in X-raybinaries. The ability of this sample to probe small galaxy separations andminor mergers makes it uniquely suited for testing the role of galaxy mergersfor AGN triggering. We find that galaxy mergers with only one AGN arepredominantly minor mergers with mass ratios similar to the overall populationof galaxy mergers. By comparison, galaxy mergers with two AGN are biased towardmajor mergers and larger nuclear gas masses. Finally, we find that the level ofSMBH accretion increases toward smaller mass ratios (major mergers). Thisresult suggests the mass ratio effects not only the frequency of AGN triggeringbut also the rate of SMBH growth in mergers.

Spatially Offset Active Galactic Nuclei III: Discovery of Late-Stage Galaxy Mergers with The Hubble Space Telescope