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arXiv · 1311.3700

A wide search for obscured Active Galactic Nuclei using XMM-Newton and WISE

E. Rovilos·I. Georgantopoulos·A. Akylas·J. Aird·D. M. Alexander·A. Comastri·A. Del Moro·P. Gandhi·A. Georgakakis·C. M. Harrison·J. R. Mullaney
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Abstract

We use a combination of the XMM-Newton serendipitous X-ray survey with the optical SDSS, and the infrared WISE all-sky survey in order to check the efficiency of the low X-ray to infrared luminosity selection method in finding heavily obscured AGN. We select sources in the 2-8 keV X-ray band which have a redshift determination in the SDSS catalogue. We match this sample with the WISE catalogue, and fit the SEDs of the 2844 sources which have three, or more, photometric data-points in the infrared. We then select the heavily obscured AGN candidates by comparing their 12 micron AGN luminosity to the observed 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity and their expected intrinsic relation. With this approach we find 20 candidates, and we examine their X-ray and optical spectra. Of the 20 initial candidates, we find nine (64%; out of the 14, for which X-ray spectra could be fit) based on the X-ray spectra, and seven (78%; out of the nine detected spectroscopically in the SDSS) based on the [OIII] line fluxes. Combining all criteria, we determine the final number of heavily obscured AGN to be 12-19, and the number of Compton-thick AGN to be 2-5, showing that the method is reliable in finding obscured AGN, but not Compton-thick. However those numbers are smaller than what would be expected from X-ray background population synthesis models, which demonstrates how the optical-infrared selection and the scatter of the L_x-L_MIR relation introduced by observational constraints limit the efficiency of the method. Finally, we test popular obscured AGN selection methods based on mid-infrared colours, and find that the probability of an AGN to be selected by its mid-infrared colours increases with the X-ray luminosity. However, a selection scheme based on a relatively low X-ray luminosity and mid-infrared colours characteristic of QSOs would not select ~25% of the heavily obscured AGN of our sample. (abridged)

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E. Rovilos, I. Georgantopoulos, A. Akylas, J. Aird, D. M. Alexander, A. Comastri, A. Del Moro, P. Gandhi, A. Georgakakis, C. M. Harrison, J. R. Mullaney. 2013-11-14. A wide search for obscured Active Galactic Nuclei using XMM-Newton and WISE. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras%2Fstt2228

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