Search

The statistical distributions of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), i.e., accreting supermassive black holes (BHs), in mass, space, and time are controlled by a series of key properties, namely, the BH–galaxy scaling relations, Eddington ratio distributions, and fraction of active BH (duty cycle). Shedding light on these properties yields strong constraints on the AGN triggering mechanisms while providing a clear baseline to create useful mock catalogs for the planning of large galaxy surveys. Here we delineate a robust methodology to create mock AGN catalogs built on top of large N-body dark matter simulations via state-of-the-art semiempirical models. We show that by using as independent tests the AGN clustering at fixed X-ray luminosity, galaxy stellar mass, and BH mass, along with the fraction of AGNs in groups and clusters, it is possible to significantly narrow down the choice in the relation between BH mass and host galaxy stellar mass, the duty cycle, and the average Eddington ratio distribution, delivering well-suited constraints to guide cosmological models for the coevolution of BHs and galaxies. Avoiding such a step-by-step methodology inevitably leads to strong degeneracies in the final mock catalogs, severely limiting their usefulness in understanding AGN evolution and in survey planning and testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results of a Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV eBOSS program to target X-ray sources and mid-infrared-selected Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) active galactic nucleus (AGN) candidates in a 36.8 deg2 region of Stripe 82. About half this survey (15.6 deg2) covers the largest contiguous portion of the Stripe 82 X-ray survey. This program represents the largest spectroscopic survey of AGN candidates selected solely by their WISE colors. We combine this sample with X-ray and WISE AGNs in the field identified via other sources of spectroscopy, producing a catalog of 4847 sources that is 82% complete to r ∼ 22. Based on X-ray luminosities or WISE colors, 4730 of these sources are AGNs, with a median sample redshift of z ∼ 1. About 30% of the AGNs are optically obscured (i.e., lack broad lines in their optical spectra). BPT analysis, however, indicates that 50% of the WISE AGNs at z < 0.5 have emission line ratios consistent with star-forming galaxies, so whether they are buried AGNs or star-forming galaxy contaminants is currently unclear. We find that 61% of X-ray AGNs are not selected as mid-infrared AGNs, with 22% of X-ray AGNs undetected by WISE. Most of these latter AGNs have high X-ray luminosities (Lx > 1044 erg s−1), indicating that mid-infrared selection misses a sizable fraction of the highest luminosity AGNs, as well as lower luminosity sources where AGN-heated dust is not dominating the mid-infrared emission. Conversely, ∼58% of WISE AGNs are undetected by X-rays, though we do not find that they are preferentially redder than the X-ray-detected WISE AGNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the fraction of massive () compact star-forming galaxies (cSFGs) that host an active galactic nucleus (AGN) at . These cSFGs are likely the direct progenitors of the compact quiescent galaxies observed at this epoch, which are the first population of passive galaxies to appear in large numbers in the early Universe. We identify cSFGs that host an AGN using a combination of Hubble WFC3 imaging and Chandra X-ray observations in four fields: the Chandra Deep Fields, the Extended Groth Strip, and the UKIDSS Ultra Deep Survey field. We find that (65/166) of cSFGs at host an X-ray detected AGN. This fraction is 3.2 times higher than the incidence of AGN in extended star-forming galaxies with similar masses at these redshifts. This difference is significant at the level. Our results are consistent with models in which cSFGs are formed through a dissipative contraction that triggers a compact starburst and concurrent growth of the central black hole. We also discuss our findings in the context of cosmological galaxy evolution simulations that require feedback energy to rapidly quench cSFGs. We show that the AGN fraction peaks precisely where energy injection is needed to reproduce the decline in the number density of cSFGs with redshift. Our results suggest that the first abundant population of massive quenched galaxies emerged directly following a phase of elevated supermassive black hole growth and further hints at a possible connection between AGN and the rapid quenching of star formation in these galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uncertain origin of the recently discovered “changing-look” quasar phenomenon—in which a luminous quasar dims significantly to a quiescent state in repeat spectroscopy over ∼10-year timescales—may present unexpected challenges to our understanding of quasar accretion. To better understand this phenomenon, we take a first step toward building a sample of changing-look quasars with a systematic but simple archival search for these objects in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12. By leveraging the >10-year baselines for objects with repeat spectroscopy, we uncover two new changing-look quasars and a third discovered previously. Decomposition of the multiepoch spectra and analysis of the broad emission lines suggest that the quasar accretion disk emission dims because of rapidly decreasing accretion rates (by factors of ≳2.5), while disfavoring changes in intrinsic dust extinction for the two objects where these analyses are possible. Broad emission line energetics also support intrinsic dimming of quasar emission as the origin for this phenomenon rather than transient tidal disruption events or supernovae. Although our search criteria included quasars at all redshifts and transitions from either quasar-like to galaxy-like states or the reverse, all of the clear cases of changing-look quasars discovered were at relatively low redshift () and only exhibit quasar-like to galaxy-like transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to constrain the evolution of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) as a function of obscuration using an X-ray-selected sample of ∼2000 AGNs from a multi-tiered survey including the CDFS, AEGIS-XD, COSMOS, and XMM-XXL fields. The spectra of individual X-ray sources are analyzed using a Bayesian methodology with a physically realistic model to infer the posterior distribution of the hydrogen column density and intrinsic X-ray luminosity. We develop a novel non-parametric method that allows us to robustly infer the distribution of the AGN population in X-ray luminosity, redshift, and obscuring column density, relying only on minimal smoothness assumptions. Our analysis properly incorporates uncertainties from low count spectra, photometric redshift measurements, association incompleteness, and the limited sample size. We find that obscured AGNs with NH > 1022 cm–2 account for of the number density and luminosity density of the accretion supermassive black hole population with LX > 1043 erg s–1, averaged over cosmic time. Compton-thick AGNs account for approximately half the number and luminosity density of the obscured population, and of the total. We also find evidence that the evolution is obscuration dependent, with the strongest evolution around NH ≈ 1023 cm–2. We highlight this by measuring the obscured fraction in Compton-thin AGNs, which increases toward z ∼ 3, where it is 25% higher than the local value. In contrast, the fraction of Compton-thick AGNs is consistent with being constant at ≈35%, independent of redshift and accretion luminosity. We discuss our findings in the context of existing models and conclude that the observed evolution is, to first order, a side effect of anti-hierarchical growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present photometric redshifts and associated probability distributions for all detected sources in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDFS). This work makes use of the most up-to-date data from the Cosmic Assembly Near-IR Deep Legacy Survey (CANDELS) and the Taiwan ECDFS Near-Infrared Survey (TENIS) in addition to other data. We also revisit multi-wavelength counterparts for published X-ray sources from the 4 Ms CDFS and 250 ks ECDFS surveys, finding reliable counterparts for 1207 out of 1259 sources (∼96%). Data used for photometric redshifts include intermediate-band photometry deblended using the TFIT method, which is used for the first time in this work. Photometric redshifts for X-ray source counterparts are based on a new library of active galactic nuclei/galaxy hybrid templates appropriate for the faint X-ray population in the CDFS. Photometric redshift accuracy for normal galaxies is 0.010 and for X-ray sources is 0.014 and outlier fractions are 4% and 5.2%, respectively. The results within the CANDELS coverage area are even better, as demonstrated both by spectroscopic comparison and by galaxy-pair statistics. Intermediate-band photometry, even if shallow, is valuable when combined with deep broadband photometry. For best accuracy, templates must include emission lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]