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arXiv · 1204.1977

The 4 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South Number Counts Apportioned by Source Class: Pervasive Active Galactic Nuclei and the Ascent of Normal Galaxies

B. D. Lehmer·Y. Q. Xue·W. N. Brandt·D. M. Alexander·F. E. Bauer·M. Brusa·A. Comastri·R. Gilli·A. E. Hornschemeier·B. Luo·M. Paolillo·A. Ptak·O. Shemmer·D. P. Schneider·P. Tozzi·C. Vignali
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Abstract

We present 0.5-2 keV, 2-8 keV, 4-8 keV, and 0.5-8 keV cumulative and differential number counts (logN-logS) measurements for the recently completed ~4 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South (CDF-S) survey, the deepest X-ray survey to date. We implement a new Bayesian approach, which allows reliable calculation of number counts down to flux limits that are factors of ~1.9-4.3 times fainter than the previously deepest number-counts investigations. In the soft band, the most sensitive bandpass in our analysis, the ~4 Ms CDF-S reaches a maximum source density of ~27,800 deg-2. By virtue of the exquisite X-ray and multiwavelength data available in the CDF-S, we are able to measure the number counts from a variety of source populations (active galactic nuclei [AGNs], normal galaxies, and Galactic stars) and subpopulations (as a function of redshift, AGN absorption, luminosity, and galaxy morphology), and test models that describe their evolution. We find that AGNs still dominate the X-ray number counts down to the faintest flux levels for all bands and reach a limiting soft-band source density of ~14,900 deg-2, the highest reliable AGN source density measured at any wavelength. We find that the normal-galaxy counts rise rapidly near the flux limits, and at the limiting soft-band flux, reach source densities of ~12,700 deg-2 and make up 46+/-5% of the total number counts. The rapid rise of the galaxy counts toward faint fluxes, and significant normal-galaxy contributions to the overall number counts, indicate that normal galaxies will overtake AGNs just below the ~4 Ms soft-band flux limit and will provide a numerically significant new X-ray source population in future surveys that reach below the ~4 Ms sensitivity limit. We show that a future ~10 Ms CDF-S would allow for a significant increase in X-ray detected sources, with many of the new sources being cosmologically distant (z > 0.6) normal galaxies.

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B. D. Lehmer, Y. Q. Xue, W. N. Brandt, D. M. Alexander, F. E. Bauer, M. Brusa, A. Comastri, R. Gilli, A. E. Hornschemeier, B. Luo, M. Paolillo, A. Ptak, O. Shemmer, D. P. Schneider, P. Tozzi, C. Vignali. 2012-04-09. The 4 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South Number Counts Apportioned by Source Class: Pervasive Active Galactic Nuclei and the Ascent of Normal Galaxies. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637x/752/1/46

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