  We report preliminary results from an arcsecond-resolution X-ray survey of
nearby galaxies using ACIS on board Chandra. The total sample consists of 41
low-luminosity AGNs, including Seyferts, LINERs, and LINER/H II transition
objects. In the initial subsample of 24 objects observed thus far, we detect in
62% of the objects a compact, pointlike source astrometrically coincident with
either the optical or radio position of the nucleus. The high detection rate
strongly suggests that the majority of the objects do contain weakly active,
AGN-like cores, presumably powered by central massive black holes. The 2-10 keV
luminosities of the nuclear sources range from 10^38 to 10^41 erg/s, with a
median value of 2x10^38 erg/s. Our detection limit corresponds to 8x10^37 erg/s
for the typical sample distance of 12 Mpc; this limit is two orders of
magnitude fainter than the weakest sources of this kind previously studied
using ASCA or BeppoSAX. The new data extend toward lower luminosities the known
linear correlation between hard X-ray and H-alpha luminosity for broad-line
AGNs. Many narrow-line objects do contain X-ray cores, consistent with either
weak AGNs or X-ray binary systems, but they have X-ray luminosities a factor of
10 below the L_X-L(Halpha) relation of the broad-line sources. Their
distributions of photon energies show no indication of exceptionally high
absorption. The optical line emission in these nuclei is likely powered, at
least in part, by stellar processes.
