arXiv subjects

Paolo Tozzi

Publications and source records attributed to Paolo Tozzi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

X-ray Emission and Radio Emission from the Jets and Lobes of the Spiderweb Radio Galaxy

Deep Chandra and VLA imaging reveals a clear correlation between X-ray and radio emission on scales $\sim 100$~kpc in the Spiderweb radio galaxy at z=2.16. The X-ray emission associated with the extended radio source is likely dominated by inverse Compton up-scattering of cosmic microwave background photons by the radio emitting relativistic electrons. For regions dominated by high surface brightness emission, such as hot spots and jet knots, the implied magnetic fields are $\sim 50~μ$G to $70~μ$G. The non-thermal pressure is these brighter regions is then $\sim 9\times 10^{-10}$ dyne cm$^{-2}$, or three times larger than the non-thermal pressure derived assuming minimum energy conditions, and an order of magnitude larger than the thermal pressure in the ambient cluster medium. Assuming ram pressure confinement implies an average advance speed for the radio source of $\sim 2400$ km s$^{-1}$, and a source age of $\sim 3\times 10^7$ years. Considering the lower surface brightness, diffuse radio emitting regions, we identify an evacuated cavity in the Ly$α$ emission coincident with the tail of the eastern radio lobe. Making reasonable assumptions for the radio spectrum, we find that the relativistic electrons and fields in the lobe are plausibly in pressure equilibrium with the thermal gas, and close to a minimum energy configuration. The radio morphology suggests that the Spiderweb is a high-$z$ example of the rare class of hybrid morphology radio sources (or HyMoRS), which we attribute to interaction with the asymmetric gaseous environment indicated by the Ly$α$ emission.

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arXiv2021

The Stellar Age Dependence of X-ray Emission from Normal Star-Forming Galaxies in the GOODS Fields

The Chandra Deep Field-South and North surveys (CDFs) provide unique windows into the cosmic history of X-ray emission from normal (non-active) galaxies. Scaling relations of normal galaxy X-ray luminosity (L_X) with star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass (M_star) have been used to show that the formation rates of low-mass and high-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs and HMXBs, respectively) evolve with redshift across z = 0-2 following L_HMXB/SFR ~ 1 + z and L_LMXB/M_star ~ (1 + z)^{2-3}. However, these measurements alone do not directly reveal the physical mechanisms behind the redshift evolution of X-ray binaries (XRBs). We derive star-formation histories for a sample of 344 normal galaxies in the CDFs, using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting of FUV-to-FIR photometric data, and construct a self-consistent, age-dependent model of the X-ray emission from the galaxies. Our model quantifies how X-ray emission from hot gas and XRB populations vary as functions of host stellar-population age. We find that (1) the ratio L_X/M_star declines by a factor of ~1000 from 0-10 Gyr and (2) the X-ray SED becomes harder with increasing age, consistent with a scenario in which the hot gas contribution to the X-ray SED declines quickly for ages above 10 Myr. When dividing our sample into subsets based on metallicity, we find some indication that L_X/M_star is elevated for low-metallicity galaxies, consistent with recent studies of X-ray scaling relations. However, additional statistical constraints are required to quantify both the age and metallicity dependence of X-ray emission from star-forming galaxies.

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arXiv2021

VLT/MUSE observations of SDSS J1029+2623: towards a high-precision strong lensing model

We present a strong lensing analysis of the galaxy cluster SDSS J1029+2623 at $z=0.588$, one of the few currently known lens clusters with multiple images of a background ($z=2.1992$) quasar with a measured time delay. We use archival Hubble Space Telescope multi-band imaging and new Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer follow-up spectroscopy to build an accurate lens mass model, a crucial step towards future cosmological applications. The spectroscopic data enable the secure identification of 57 cluster members and of two nearby perturbers along the line-of-sight. We estimate the inner kinematics of a sub-set of 20 cluster galaxies to calibrate the scaling relations parametrizing the sub-halo mass component. We also reliably determine the redshift of 4 multiply imaged sources, provide a tentative measurement for one system, and report the discovery of a new four-image system. The final catalog comprises 26 multiple images from 7 background sources, spanning a wide redshift range, from 1.02 to 5.06. We present two parametric lens models, with slightly different cluster mass parametrizations. The observed positions of the multiple images are accurately reproduced within approximately $0''.2$, the three image positions of the quasar within only $\sim0''.1$. We estimate a cluster projected total mass of $M(<300~ {\rm kpc}) \sim 2.1 \times 10^{14}~ M_{\odot}$, with a statistical uncertainty of a few percent. Both models, that include a small galaxy close to one of the quasar images, predict magnitude differences and time delays between the quasar images that are consistent with the observations.

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arXiv2021

Redshift identification of X-ray selected active galactic nuclei in the J1030 field: searching for large-scale structures and high-redshift sources

We publicly release the spectroscopic and photometric redshift catalog of the sources detected with Chandra in the field of the $z$=6.3 quasar SDSS J1030+0525. This is currently the fifth deepest X-ray field, and reaches a 0.5-2 keV flux limit $f_{\rm 0.5-2}$=6$\times$10$^{-17}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$. By using two independent methods, we measure a photometric redshift for 243 objects, while 123 (51%) sources also have a spectroscopic redshift, 110 of which coming from an INAF-Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) Strategic Program. We use the spectroscopic redshifts to determine the quality of the photometric ones, and find it in agreement with that of other X-ray surveys which used a similar number of photometric data-points. In particular, we measure a sample normalized median absolute deviation $σ_{NMAD}$=1.48||$z_{phot}$-$z_{spec}$||/(1+$z_{spec}$)=0.065. We use these new spectroscopic and photometric redshifts to study the properties of the Chandra J1030 field. We observe several peaks in our spectroscopic redshift distribution between $z$=0.15 and $z$=1.5, and find that the sources in each peak are often distributed across the whole Chandra field of view. This evidence confirms that X-ray selected AGN can efficiently track large-scale structures over physical scales of several Mpc. Finally, we computed the Chandra J1030 $z>$3 number counts: while the spectroscopic completeness at high-redshift of our sample is limited, our results point towards a potential source excess at $z\geq$4, which we plan to either confirm or reject in the near future with dedicated spectroscopic campaigns.

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arXiv2021

Systematic search for lensed X-ray sources in the CLASH fields

We search for unresolved X-ray emission from lensed sources in the FOV of 11 CLASH clusters with Chandra data. We consider the solid angle in the lens plane corresponding to a magnification $μ>1.5$, that amounts to a total of ~100 arcmin$^2$. Our main goal is to assess the efficiency of massive clusters as cosmic telescopes to explore the faint end of X-ray extragalactic source population. We search for X-ray emission from strongly lensed sources identified in the optical, and perform an untargeted detection of lensed X-ray sources. We detect X-ray emission only in 9 out of 849 lensed/background optical sources. The stacked emission of the sources without detection does not reveal any signal in any band. Based on the untargeted detection, we find 66 additional X-ray sources that are consistent with being lensed sources. After accounting for completeness and sky coverage, we measure for the first time the soft- and hard-band number counts of lensed X-ray sources. The results are consistent with current modelization of the AGN population distribution. The distribution of de-lensed fluxes of the sources identified in moderately deep CLASH fields reaches a flux limit of ~$10^{-16}$ and ~$10^{-15}$ erg/s/cm$^{2}$ in the soft and hard bands, respectively. We conclude that, in order to match the depth of the CDFS exploiting massive clusters as cosmic telescopes, the required number of cluster fields is about two orders of magnitude larger than that offered by the 20 years Chandra archive. A significant step forward will be made when future X-ray facilities, with ~1' angular resolution and large effective area, will allow the serendipitous discovery of rare, strongly lensed high-$z$ X-ray sources, enabling the study of faint AGN activity in early Universe and the measurement of gravitational time delays in the X-ray variability of multiply imaged AGN.

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arXiv2020

A new high-precision strong lensing model of the galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1-2403

We present a new high-precision parametric strong lensing model of the galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1-2403, at z=0.396, which takes advantage of the MUSE Deep Lensed Field (MDLF), with 17.1h integration in the northeast region of the cluster, and Hubble Frontier Fields data. We spectroscopically identify 182 multiple images from 48 background sources at 0.9<z<6.2, and 171 cluster member galaxies. Several multiple images are associated to individual clumps in multiply lensed resolved sources. By defining a new metric, which is sensitive to the gradients of the deflection field, we show that we can accurately reproduce the positions of these star-forming knots despite their vicinity to the model critical lines. The high signal-to-noise ratio of the MDLF spectra enables the measurement of the internal velocity dispersion of 64 cluster galaxies, down to m(F160W)=22. This allowed us to independently estimate the contribution of the subhalo mass component of the lens model from the measured Faber-Jackson scaling relation. Our best reference model, which represents a significant step forward compared to our previous analyses, was selected from a comparative study of different mass parametrizations. The root-mean-square displacement between the observed and model-predicted image positions is only 0.40", which is 33% smaller than in all previous models. The mass model appears to be particularly well constrained in the MDLF region. We characterize the robustness of the magnification map at varying distances from the model critical lines and the total projected mass profile of the cluster.

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arXiv2020

Piercing through Highly Obscured and Compton-thick AGNs in the Chandra Deep Fields. II. Are Highly Obscured AGNs the Missing Link in the Merger-Triggered AGN-Galaxy Coevolution Models?

By using a large highly obscured ($N_{\rm H} > 10^{23}\ \rm cm^{-2}$) AGN sample (294 sources at $z \sim 0-5$) selected from detailed X-ray spectral analyses in the deepest Chandra surveys, we explore distributions of these X-ray sources in various optical/IR/X-ray color-color diagrams and their host-galaxy properties, aiming at characterizing the nuclear obscuration environment and the triggering mechanism of highly obscured AGNs. We find that the refined IRAC color-color diagram fails to identify the majority of X-ray selected highly obscured AGNs, even for the most luminous sources with ${\rm log}\,L_{\rm X}\, \rm (erg\ s^{-1}) > 44$. Over 80% of our sources will not be selected as heavily obscured candidates using the flux ratio of $f_{\rm 24 μm}\, /\,f_R > 1000$ and $R - K > 4.5$ criteria, implying complex origins and conditions for the obscuring materials that are responsible for the heavy X-ray obscuration. The average star formation rate of highly obscured AGNs is similar to that of stellar mass- ($M_*$-) and $z$-controlled normal galaxies, while the lack of quiescent hosts is observed for the former. Partial correlation analyses imply that highly obscured AGN activity (traced by $L_{\rm X}$) appears to be more fundamentally related to $M_*$, and no dependence of $N_{\rm H}$ on either $M_*$ or SFR is detected. Morphology analyses reveal that 61% of our sources have a significant disk component, while only 27% of them exhibit irregular morphological signatures. These findings together point toward a scenario where secular processes (e.g., galactic-disk instabilities), instead of mergers, are most probable to be the leading mechanism that triggers accretion activities of X-ray-selected highly obscured AGNs.

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arXiv2020

The Chemical Evolution of Galaxy Clusters: Dissecting the Iron Mass Budget of the Intracluster Medium

We study the chemical evolution of galaxy clusters by measuring the iron mass in the ICM after dissecting the abundance profiles into different components. We use Chandra archival observations of 186 morphologically regular clusters in the redshift range [0.04, 1.07]. For each cluster we compute the iron abundance and gas density profiles. We aim at identifying in the iron distribution a central peak associated with the BCG, and an approximately constant plateau associated with early enrichment. We are able to firmly identify the two components in a significant fraction of the sample, simply relying on the fit of the abundance profile. We compute the iron mass included in the iron peak and plateau, and the gas mass-weighted iron abundance out to $r_{500}$. While the iron plateau shows no evolution, we find marginal decrease with redshift in the iron peak. We measure that the fraction of iron peak mass is typically a few percent (~1%) of the total iron mass within $r_{500}$. Therefore, since the total iron mass budget is dominated by the plateau, we find consistently that the global gas mass-weighted iron abundance does not evolve significantly. We are also able to reproduce past claims of evolution in the global iron abundance, which turn out to be due to the use of cluster samples with different selection methods combined to the use of emission-weighted instead of gas mass-weighted abundance values. Finally, while the intrinsic scatter in the iron plateau mass is consistent with zero, the iron peak mass exhibits a large scatter, in line with the fact that the peak is produced after the virialization of the halo and depends on the formation of the hosting cool core and the associated feedback processes. We conclude that only a spatially-resolved approach can resolve the issue of the ICM iron evolution, reconciling the contradictory results obtained in the last ten years.

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arXiv2019

On the origin of central abundance drops in the intracluster medium of galaxy groups and clusters

A central drop of ICM Fe abundance has been observed in several cool-core clusters. It has been proposed that this abundance drop may be due, at least partially, to the depletion of Fe into dust grains in the central, high-density regions. According to this scenario, noble gas elements such as Ar and Ne are not expected to be depleted into dust, and therefore should not show any drop, but follow the general increase of metal abundance toward the center. In this work, we test this scenario by measuring with {\sl Chandra} data the radial profiles of Ar and Ne in a sample of 12 groups and clusters where a central drop in Fe abundance has been detected. We confirm the presence of the Fe drop in 10 out of 12 clusters at more than 2$σ$ c.l., and 4 Ar drops with similar significance. We also find 4 Ne drops, with the caveat that Ne abundance measurement from CCD spectra suffers from systematics not completely under control. Our results are consistent with an abundance drop common to the three elements. When comparing the profiles, we find that, on average, the abundance profiles of Ar and Ne are significantly higher than Fe and steeper toward the center, while they all gradually become consistent with solar composition at $r\geq 0.05r_{500}$. We also check that Si and S profiles are mostly consistent with Fe. This result confirms a scenario in which some fraction of Fe is depleted into dust grains in the inner regions, although the global central abundance drop is mostly due to mechanical processes, like the displacement of metal-rich ICM from the very center to larger radii by AGN-driven feedback. Finally, we report the detection of an Fe drop in the cluster MACSJ1423.8+2404 at $z=0.543$, showing that this feature appears early on in cool-core clusters.

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arXiv2019

Piercing Through Highly Obscured and Compton-thick AGNs in the Chandra Deep Fields: I. X-ray Spectral and Long-term Variability Analyses

We present a detailed X-ray spectral analysis of 1152 AGNs selected in the Chandra Deep Fields (CDFs), in order to identify highly obscured AGNs ($N_{\rm H} > 10^{23}\ \rm cm^{-2}$). By fitting spectra with physical models, 436 (38%) sources with $L_{\rm X} > 10^{42}\ \rm erg\ s^{-1}$ are confirmed to be highly obscured, including 102 Compton-thick (CT) candidates. We propose a new hardness-ratio measure of the obscuration level which can be used to select highly obscured AGN candidates. The completeness and accuracy of applying this method to our AGNs are 88% and 80%, respectively. The observed logN-logS relation favors cosmic X-ray background models that predict moderate (i.e., between optimistic and pessimistic) CT number counts. 19% (6/31) of our highly obscured AGNs that have optical classifications are labeled as broad-line AGNs, suggesting that, at least for part of the AGN population, the heavy X-ray obscuration is largely a line-of-sight effect, i.e., some high-column-density clouds on various scales (but not necessarily a dust-enshrouded torus) along our sightline may obscure the compact X-ray emitter. After correcting for several observational biases, we obtain the intrinsic NH distribution and its evolution. The CT-to-highly-obscured fraction is roughly 52% and is consistent with no evident redshift evolution. We also perform long-term (~17 years in the observed frame) variability analyses for 31 sources with the largest number of counts available. Among them, 17 sources show flux variabilities: 31% (5/17) are caused by the change of NH, 53% (9/17) are caused by the intrinsic luminosity variability, 6% (1/17) are driven by both effects, and 2 are not classified due to large spectral fitting errors.

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arXiv2019

Testing the rotation versus merger scenario in the galaxy cluster Abell 2107

We search for global rotation of the intracluster medium (ICM) in the galaxy cluster Abell 2107, where previous studies have detected rotational motion in the member galaxies with a high significance level. By fitting the centroid of the iron $K_α$ line complex at 6.7--6.9 keV rest frame in {\sl Chandra} ACIS-I spectra, we identify the possible rotation axis with the line that maximizes the difference between the emission-weighted spectroscopic redshift measured in the two halves defined by the line itself. Then, we measure the emission-weighted redshift in linear regions parallel to the preferred rotation axis, and find a significant gradient as a function of the projected distance from the rotation axis, compatible with a rotation pattern with maximum tangential velocity ${\tt v}_{\rm max}=1380\pm 600$ km/s at a radius $λ_0\sim 160$ kpc. This result, if interpreted in the framework of hydrostatic equilibrium, as suggested by the regular morphology of Abell 2107, would imply a large mass correction of the order of $ΔM = (6 \pm 4)\times 10^{13} M_\odot$ at $\sim 160$ kpc, which is incompatible with the cluster morphology itself. A more conservative interpretation may be provided by an unnoticed off-center, head-on collision between two comparable halos. Our analysis confirms the peculiar dynamical nature of the otherwise regular cluster Abell 2107, but is not able to resolve the rotation vs merger scenario, a science case that can be addressed by the next-generation X-ray facilities carrying X-ray bolometers onboard.

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arXiv2018

Spatial Distribution of Metals in the ICM: Evolution of the Iron Excess in Relaxed Galaxy Clusters

We investigate the spatial distribution of iron in the intra-cluster medium in a selected sample of 41 relaxed clusters in the redshift range $0.05 < z < 1.03$ using {\sl Chandra} archival data. We compute the azimuthally-averaged, deprojected $Z_{\rm Fe}$ profile of each cluster out to $\sim 0.4r_{500}$, and identify a peak in the distribution of iron followed by a flatter distribution at larger radii. Due to the steep gradient both in gas density and abundance, we find that the emission-weighted iron abundance within $0.2r_{500}$, which entirely includes the iron peak in most of the cases, is on average $\sim$25\% higher than the mass-weighted value, showing that spatially resolved analysis and accurate deprojection are key to study the evolution of iron enrichment in the very central regions of cool core clusters. We quantify the extent of the iron distribution in each cluster with a normalized scale parameter $r_{\rm Fe}$, defined as the radius where the iron abundance excess is half of its peak value. We find that $r_{\rm Fe}$ increases by a factor of $\sim 3$ from $z\sim 1$ to $z\sim 0.1$, suggesting that the spatial distribution of iron in the ICM extends with time, possibly due to the mixing with the mechanical-mode feedback from the central galaxy. We also find that the iron mass excess within $0.3r_{500}$, when normalized to the total baryonic mass within the same region, does not evolve significantly, showing that this iron mass component is already established at $z\sim 1$.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2018

Inside a Beehive: the Multiple Merging Processes in the Galaxy Cluster Abell 2142

To investigate the dynamics of the galaxy cluster A2142, we compile an extended catalog of 2239 spectroscopic redshifts of sources, including newly measured 237 redshifts, within 30 arcmin from the cluster center. With the $σ$-plateau algorithm from the caustic method, we identify 868 members and a number of substructures in the galaxy distribution both in the outskirts, out to $\sim$3.5 Mpc from the cluster center, and in the central region. In the outskirts, one substructure overlaps a falling clump of gas previously identified in the X-ray band. These substructures suggests the presence of multiple minor mergers, which are responsible for the complex dynamics of A2142, and the absence of recent or ongoing major mergers. We show that the distribution of the galaxies in the cluster core and in several substructures are consistent with the mass distribution inferred from the weak lensing signal. Moreover, we use spatially-resolved X-ray spectroscopy to measure the redshift of different regions of the intracluster medium within $\sim$3 arcmin from the cluster center. We find a ring of gas near the two X-ray cold fronts identified in previous analyses and measure a velocity of this ring of $810 \pm 330 {\rm km s^{-1}}$ larger than the cluster mean velocity. Our analysis suggests the presence of another ring surrounding the core, whose velocity is $660 \pm 300 {\rm km s^{-1}}$ larger than the cluster velocity. These X-ray features are not associated to any optical substructures, and support the core-sloshing scenario suggested in previous work.

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arXiv2018

Probing AGN Inner Structure with X-ray Obscured Type 1 AGN

Using the X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) from the XMM-XXL north survey and the SDSS Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) spectroscopic follow-up of them, we compare the properties of X-ray unobscured and obscured broad-line AGN (BLAGN1 and BLAGN2; $N_\textrm{H}$below and above $10^{21.5}$ cm$^{-2}$), including their X-ray luminosity $L_X$, black hole mass, Eddington ratio $λ_{\textrm{Edd}}$, optical continuum and line features. We find that BLAGN2 have systematically larger broad line widths and hence apparently higher (lower) $M_{\textrm{BH}}$ ($λ_{\textrm{Edd}}$) than BLAGN1. We also find that the X-ray obscuration in BLAGN tends to coincide with optical dust extinction, which is optically thinner than that in narrow-line AGN (NLAGN) and likely partial-covering to the broad line region. All the results can be explained in the framework of a multi-component, clumpy torus model by interpreting BLAGN2 as an intermediate type between BLAGN1 and NLAGN in terms of an intermediate inclination angle.

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arXiv2018

X-Ray Properties of AGN in Brightest Cluster Galaxies. I.A Systematic Study of the Chandra Archive in the $0.2<z<0.3$ and $0.55<z<0.75$ Redshift Range

We present a search for nuclear X-ray emission in the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) of a sample of groups and clusters of galaxies extracted from the Chandra archive. The exquisite angular resolution of Chandra allows us to obtain robust photometry at the position of the BCG, and to firmly identify unresolved X-ray emission when present, thanks to an accurate characterization of the extended emission at the BCG position. We consider two redshift bins (0.2<z<0.3 and 0.55<z<0.75) and analyze all the clusters observed by Chandra with exposure time larger than 20 ks. Our samples have 81 BCGs in 73 clusters and 51 BCGs in 49 clusters in the low- and high-redshift bin, respectively. X-ray emission in the soft (0.5-2 keV) or hard (2-7 keV) band is detected only in 14 and 9 BCGs ($\sim 18$% of the total samples), respectively. The X-ray photometry shows that at least half of the BCGs have a high hardness ratio, compatible with significant intrinsic absorption. This is confirmed by the spectral analysis with a power law model plus intrinsic absorption. We compute the fraction of X-ray bright BCGs above a given hard X-ray luminosity, considering only sources with positive photometry in the hard band (12/5 sources in the low/high-z sample). In the 0.2<z<0.3 interval the hard X-ray luminosity ranges from $10^{42}$ to $7 \times 10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$, with most sources found below $10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$. In the $0.55<z<0.75$ range, we find a similar distribution of luminosities below $\sim 10^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$, plus two very bright sources of a few $10^{45}$ erg s$^{-1}$ associated with two radio galaxies. We also find that X-ray luminous BCGs tend to be hosted by cool-core clusters, despite the majority of cool cores do not host nuclear X-ray emission (Abridged).

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arXiv2018

JVLA 1.5GHz continuum observation of CLASH clusters I: radio properties of the BCGs

We present high-resolution ($\sim 1"$), 1.5 GHz continuum observations of the brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) of 13 CLASH (Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble) clusters at $0.18<z<0.69$ with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA). Radio emission is clearly detected and characterized for 11 BCGs, while for two of them we obtain only upper limits to their radio flux ($<0.1$ mJy at 5$σ$ confidence level). We also consider five additional clusters whose BCG is detected in FIRST or NVSS. We find radio powers in the range from $2\times 10^{23}$ to $\sim 10^{26}$ $W~Hz^{-1}$ and radio spectral indices $α_{1.5}^{30}$ (defined as the slope between 1.5 and 30 GHz) distributed from $\sim -1$ to $-0.25$ around the central value $\langle α\rangle= - 0.68$. The radio emission from the BCGs is resolved in three cases (Abell 383, MACS J1931, and RX J2129), and unresolved or marginally resolved in the remaining eight cases observed with JVLA. In all the cases the BCGs are consistent with being powered by active galactic nuclei (AGN). The radio power shows a positive correlation with the BCG star formation rate, and a negative correlation with the central entropy of the surrounding intracluster medium (ICM) except in two cases (MACS J1206 and CL J1226). Finally, over the restricted range in radio power sampled by the CLASH BCGs, we observe a significant scatter between the radio power and the average mechanical power stored in the ICM cavities.

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arXiv2017

X-ray spectral analyses of AGNs from the 7Ms Chandra Deep Field-South survey: the distribution, variability, and evolution of AGN's obscuration

We present a detailed spectral analysis of the brightest Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) identified in the 7Ms Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S) survey over a time span of 16 years. Using a model of an intrinsically absorbed power-law plus reflection, with possible soft excess and narrow Fe K$α$ line, we perform a systematic X-ray spectral analysis, both on the total 7Ms exposure and in four different periods with lengths of 2-21 months. With this approach, we not only present the power-law slopes, column densities $N_H$, observed fluxes, and absorption-corrected 2-10~keV luminosities $L_X$ for our sample of AGNs, but also identify significant spectral variabilities among them on time scales of years. We find that the $N_H$ variabilities can be ascribed to two different types of mechanisms, either flux-driven or flux-independent. We also find that the correlation between the narrow Fe line EW and $N_H$ can be well explained by the continuum suppression with increasing $N_H$. Accounting for the sample incompleteness and bias, we measure the intrinsic distribution of $N_H$ for the CDF-S AGN population and present re-selected subsamples which are complete with respect to $N_H$. The $N_H$-complete subsamples enable us to decouple the dependences of $N_H$ on $L_X$ and on redshift. Combining our data with that from C-COSMOS, we confirm the anti-correlation between the average $N_H$ and $L_X$ of AGN, and find a significant increase of the AGN obscured fraction with redshift at any luminosity. The obscured fraction can be described as $f_{obscured}\thickapprox 0.42\ (1+z)^{0.60}$.

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arXiv2016

ALMA-SZ Detection of a Galaxy Cluster Merger Shock at Half the Age of the Universe

We present ALMA measurements of a merger shock using the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect signal, at the location of a radio relic in the famous El Gordo galaxy cluster at $z \approx 0.9$. Multi-wavelength analysis in combination with the archival Chandra data and a high-resolution radio image provides a consistent picture of the thermal and non-thermal signal variation across the shock front and helps to put robust constraints on the shock Mach number as well as the relic magnetic field. We employ a Bayesian analysis technique for modeling the SZ and X-ray data self-consistently, illustrating respective parameter degeneracies. Combined results indicate a shock with Mach number ${\cal M} = 2.4^{+1.3}_{-0.6}$, which in turn suggests a high value of the magnetic field (of the order of $4-10 ~μ$G) to account for the observed relic width at 2 GHz. At roughly half the current age of the universe, this is the highest-redshift direct detection of a cluster shock to date, and one of the first instances of an ALMA-SZ observation in a galaxy cluster. It shows the tremendous potential for future ALMA-SZ observations to detect merger shocks and other cluster substructures out to the highest redshifts.

astro-ph.CO↗