arXiv subjects

Stephanie LaMassa

Publications and source records attributed to Stephanie LaMassa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The Roman eXtreme Deep Field (RXDF)

The Roman eXtreme Deep Field (RXDF) program is one of the five General Astrophysics Survey (GAS) programs approved for observing time with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in Cycles 1 and 2. It has been allocated 386.41 hours to carry out an imaging survey to AB = 30 mag (5-sigma) over ~140x larger area than the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field (HXDF) full-depth area (ACS+WFC3/IR). The RXDF will cover the full Roman wavelength range with 7 bands, reaching AB = 30 mag in RZYJH, 29 mag in F, and 28 mag in K, over a full-depth area of 678.75 arcmin^2 embedded in a total area of 1,243 arcmin^2, and far exceeding the depths of the Roman Core Community Surveys (CCS). The RXDF is within the Euclid Ultra Deep Field (EUDF) near the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP), a strategic long-term field for generational space facilities, with a wealth of multi-wavelength data including extensive coverage from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) NEXUS Treasury program. The observations will cover 3 epochs at a 1-year cadence, each epoch divided into 3 sub-epochs ~10 days apart, enabling time-domain studies on time baselines from ~10 days to over ~2 years. The RXDF is uniquely positioned to address critical questions in reionization, large scale structure (LSS), growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), little red dots (LRDs), and high-z supernovae (SNe); the volumes probed by HST+JWST are too small at these extreme depths, and even the deepest CCS tiers are too shallow. In addition to our key objectives, a wealth of additional science will be enabled by engaging the community with our rapidly released datasets, revolutionizing a wide range of science for a lasting legacy. This short document, which is converted from the approved RXDF proposal, aims to provide the community with a summary of the program.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

AGN-DB: A Unified Multi-Wavelength Database of Active Galactic Nuclei

We present the Active Galactic Nuclei Database (AGN-DB), a comprehensive, multi-wavelength catalog compiled from more than 100 publicly available AGN catalogs and samples released by the end of 2025, spanning radio to $γ$-ray wavelengths. The database contains approximately 8.1 million unique sources, approximately 7.8 million of which remain after flagging stellar contaminants, and approximately 6.8 million of these are classified as AGN. Source cross-matching across catalogs is performed using Lyra, a Bayesian likelihood-ratio framework that jointly considers positional uncertainties, source densities, and photometric information to compute posterior match probabilities. The resulting catalog provides astrometric coordinates, redshifts, photometry, and classifications for each unique source. All multi-catalog provenance is preserved. For every property, we store the full array of values and originating catalog identifiers, enabling multi-epoch and multi-survey analyses. In this paper, we describe the AGN-DB pipeline, including the cross-matching methodology, and present the statistical properties of the v1.0 catalog. AGN-DB is designed to enable population studies, spectral energy distribution modeling, AGN classification, and variability analyses at an unprecedented scale. Its pipeline is designed to facilitate the integration of new catalogs, allowing AGN-DB to be updated regularly, with releases planned at least annually.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

An Exploratory Analysis of New Large Gaia-informed Quasar Samples in SDSS-V

Quasars are luminous objects that provide insights into the physics and evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their accretion flows, galaxy evolution, and even cosmology. In this study, we present an exploratory study based on the ongoing fifth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V) and its unique dual-hemisphere, wide-field, and multi-object spectroscopic capabilities, with the aim of creating a comprehensive, all-sky quasar sample. The targets were selected through two novel methods, GUA and Skewt-QSO, that rely primarily on data from WISE and Gaia, aiming to address gaps in previous large quasar samples. Our sample includes over 250,000 spectroscopically confirmed quasars reaching z~5, with tens of thousands of newly identified quasars in the southern hemisphere. The selection methods are highly pure, with well over 80% of the spectra collected being genuine quasars; the main contaminants are M-type stars. The detailed spectral decomposition procedure we employed shows that the quasars in the sample span a wide range of luminosities (Lbol~$10^{44}-10^{48} erg s^{-1}$), SMBH masses (MBH~$10^6-10^{10}$ Msun), and accretion rates (L/LEdd~0.01-1). The distributions of these properties are consistent with those of previous quasar catalogs, which are based on past generations of SDSS, once we account for potential selection biases related to the various survey depths. Our findings confirm that novel selection methods based on optical+IR colors and/or astrometry can yield a large, high-purity quasar sample over wide sky areas, including in cases where more nuanced multi-band photometry and/or multi-wavelength data in the X-ray or radio is not available. This SDSS-V sample, which will continue to grow, establishes a robust reference for future southern (time-domain) surveys, while enhancing and complementing our understanding of quasar demographics and SMBH evolution.

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arXiv2026

JWST Reveals Compact Nuclear Starbursts Masquerading as AGNs in Metal-Poor Dwarfs: Where Are the Accreting Intermediate-Mass Black Holes?

We present JWST/NIRSpec spectroscopy of the low-mass, metal-poor galaxy SDSS~J160135.95+311353.7 (J1601), selected for its extreme mid-infrared colors and compact nuclear emission, placing it within widely used WISE color diagnostics for active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Despite this selection, we find no evidence for coronal lines, X-ray emission, or variability typically associated with accretion activity. We compare J1601 to SDSS~J120122.30+021108.3 (J1201), a similar but lower-mass, more metal-poor system studied previously (Doan, 2025). Both galaxies host compact nuclear starbursts but differ in their stellar populations and dust properties: J1601 shows CO bandhead absorption indicative of red supergiants, weak nuclear Wolf--Rayet features, and a circumnuclear PAH ring, consistent with a more developed recent starburst, while J1201 is more dust-enshrouded and chemically primitive. Despite these differences, neither system shows evidence for AGN activity, indicating that the absence of accretion is not simply due to evolutionary timing. Photoionization models show that the weakness of high-ionization emission cannot be explained by low metallicity alone, implying a genuine deficit of hard ionizing photons. Crucially, the red mid-infrared colors in both systems originate from compact, unresolved nuclear emission confined to the nuclear star cluster. These results demonstrate that compact nuclear starbursts can mimic AGN-like mid-infrared colors without accretion, and that commonly used AGN diagnostics may not uniquely identify accreting black holes in metal-poor dwarf galaxies. Our findings suggest that such systems may not provide the conditions required for efficient black hole growth and/or may lie near or below the regime where black hole seeds can form.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

A Detailed Look at a Trio of Changing-Look Quasars: Spectral Energy Distributions and the Dust Extinction Test

Changing-look quasars exhibit dramatic variability in broad emission-line fluxes on short timescales. This behavior is challenging to many models of the quasar broad line region, due in large part to the short transition times between high and low states. In order to constrain the cause of the dramatic variability, we obtained contemporaneous Hubble Space Telescope UV and Hobby Eberly Telescope optical spectra of three changing-look quasars caught in their low state. We use these spectra, along with archival spectra taken during both the high and low states, to investigate potential scenarios for the change in state. Our data strongly disfavor a variable dust obscuration scenario for these three CLQs, and instead suggest that the observed transformation reflects a change in the intrinsic luminosity of the central engine. We also find that the low-state spectral energy distributions of all three quasars are reminiscent of those of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei, which suggests that the transition may result from a change in accretion flow structure caused by a reduced Eddington ratio.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

The NuSTAR Local AGN $N_{\rm H}$ Distribution Survey (NuLANDS) I: Towards a Truly Representative Column Density Distribution in the Local Universe

Hard X-ray-selected samples of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) provide one of the cleanest views of supermassive black hole accretion, but are biased against objects obscured by Compton-thick gas column densities of $N_{\rm H}$ $>$ 10$^{24}$ cm$^{-2}$. To tackle this issue, we present the NuSTAR Local AGN $N_{\rm H}$ Distribution Survey (NuLANDS)$-$a legacy sample of 122 nearby ($z$ $<$ 0.044) AGN primarily selected to have warm infrared colors from IRAS between 25$-$60 $μ$m. We show that optically classified type 1 and 2 AGN in NuLANDS are indistinguishable in terms of optical [OIII] line flux and mid-to-far infrared AGN continuum bolometric indicators, as expected from an isotropically selected AGN sample, while type 2 AGN are deficient in terms of their observed hard X-ray flux. By testing many X-ray spectroscopic models, we show the measured line-of-sight column density varies on average by $\sim$ 1.4 orders of magnitude depending on the obscurer geometry. To circumvent such issues we propagate the uncertainties per source into the parent column density distribution, finding a directly measured Compton-thick fraction of 35 $\pm$ 9%. By construction, our sample will miss sources affected by severe narrow-line reddening, and thus segregates sources dominated by small-scale nuclear obscuration from large-scale host-galaxy obscuration. This bias implies an even higher intrinsic obscured AGN fraction may be possible, although tests for additional biases arising from our infrared selection find no strong effects on the measured column-density distribution. NuLANDS thus holds potential as an optimized sample for future follow-up with current and next-generation instruments aiming to study the local AGN population in an isotropic manner.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Local Analogs of Primordial Galaxies: In Search of Intermediate Mass Black Holes with JWST NIRSpec

Local low metallicity galaxies with signatures of possible accretion activity are ideal laboratories in which to search for the lowest mass black holes and study their impact on the host galaxy. Here we present the first JWST NIRSpec IFS observations of SDSS J120122.30+021108.3, a nearby ($z=0.00354$) extremely metal poor dwarf galaxy with no optical signatures of accretion activity but identified by WISE to have extremely red mid-infrared colors consistent with AGNs. We identify over one hundred lines between $\sim$ 1.7-5.2 microns, an unresolved nuclear continuum source with an extremely steep spectral slope consistent with hot dust from an AGN ($F_ν\approxν^{-1.5}$), and a plethora of H I, He I, and H$_2$ lines, with no lines from heavier elements, CO or ice absorption features, or PAHs.Our observations reveal that the red WISE source arises exclusively from a bright central unresolved source ($<$ 3pc) suggestive of an AGN, yet there are no He II lines or coronal lines identified in the spectrum, and, importantly, there is no evidence that the radiation field is harder in the nuclear source compared with surrounding regions. These observations can be explained with a young ($<$ 5 Myr) nuclear star cluster with stellar mass $\sim3\times 10^4$ M$_\odot$ and a deeply embedded AGN with bolometric luminosity $\sim$ $2\times10^{41}$ ergs $^{-1}$. The implied black hole mass is $\sim$ 1450 M$_\odot$, based on the Eddington limit, roughly consistent with that expected based on extrapolations of black hole galaxy scaling relations derived for more massive black holes. Longer wavelength observations are crucial to confirm this scenario.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Stripe 82-XL: the $\sim$54.8 deg$^2$ and $\sim$18.8 Ms Chandra and XMM-Newton point source catalog and number of counts

We present an enhanced version of the publicly-available Stripe 82X catalog (S82-XL), featuring a comprehensive set of 22,737 unique X-ray point sources identified with a significance $\gtrsim 4σ$. This catalog is four times larger than the original Stripe 82X catalog, by including additional archival data from the Chandra and XMM-Newton telescopes. Now covering $\sim54.8$ deg$^2$ of non-overlapping sky area, the S82-XL catalog roughly doubles the area and depth of the original catalog, with limiting fluxes (half-area fluxes) of 3.4$\times 10^{-16}$ (2.4$\times 10^{-15}$), 2.9$\times 10^{-15}$ (1.5$\times 10^{-14}$), and 1.4$\times 10^{-15}$ (9.5$\times 10^{-15}$) erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ across the soft (0.5-2 keV), hard (2-10 keV), and full (0.5-10 keV) bands, respectively. S82-XL occupies a unique region of flux-area parameter space compared to other X-ray surveys, identifying sources with rest-frame luminosities from $1.2\times 10^{38}$ to $1.6\times 10^{47}$ erg s$^{-1}$ in the 2-10 keV band (median X-ray luminosity, $7.2\times 10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$), and spectroscopic redshifts up to $z\sim6$. By using hardness ratios, we derived Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) obscuration obtaining a median value of $N_H=21.6_{-1.6}^{+1.0}$, and an overall, obscured fraction ($\log N_H/\mathrm{cm^{-2}}>22$) of $\sim 36.9\%$. S82-XL serves as a benchmark in X-ray surveys and, with its extensive multiwavelength data, is especially valuable for comprehensive studies of luminous AGNs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Exploring Changing-look Active Galactic Nuclei with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey V: First Year Results

"Changing-look" active galactic nuclei (CL-AGNs) challenge our basic ideas about the physics of accretion flows and circumnuclear gas around supermassive black holes. Using first-year Sloan Digital Sky Survey V (SDSS-V) repeated spectroscopy of nearly 29,000 previously known AGNs, combined with dedicated follow-up spectroscopy, and publicly available optical light curves, we have identified 116 CL-AGNs where (at least) one broad emission line has essentially (dis-)appeared, as well as 88 other extremely variable systems. Our CL-AGN sample, with 107 newly identified cases, is the largest reported to date, and includes $\sim0.4\%$ of the AGNs reobserved in first-year SDSS-V operations. Among our CL-AGNs, 67% exhibit dimming while 33% exhibit brightening. Our sample probes extreme AGN spectral variability on months to decades timescales, including some cases of recurring transitions on surprisingly short timescales ($\lesssim 2$ months in the rest frame). We find that CL events are preferentially found in lower-Eddington-ratio ($f_{Edd}$) systems: Our CL-AGNs have a $f_{Edd}$ distribution that significantly differs from that of a carefully constructed, redshift- and luminosity-matched control sample (Anderson-Darling test yielding $p_{\rm AD}\approx 6\times10^{-5}$; median $f_{Edd}\approx0.025$ vs. $0.043$). This preference for low $f_{Edd}$ strengthens previous findings of higher CL-AGN incidence at lower $f_{Edd}$, found in smaller samples. Finally, we show that the broad MgII emission line in our CL-AGN sample tends to vary significantly less than the broad H$β$ emission line. Our large CL-AGN sample demonstrates the advantages and challenges in using multi-epoch spectroscopy from large surveys to study extreme AGN variability and physics.

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arXiv2024

Accretion and Obscuration in Merger-Dominated Luminous Red Quasars

We present an analysis of the X-ray properties 10 luminous, dust-reddened quasars from the FIRST-2MASS (F2M) survey based on new and archival Chandra observations. These systems are interpreted to be young, transitional objects predicted by merger-driven models of quasar/galaxy co-evolution. The sources have been well-studied from the optical through mid-infrared, have Eddington ratios above 0.1, and possess high-resolution imaging, most of which shows disturbed morphologies indicative of a recent or ongoing merger. When combined with previous X-ray studies of five other F2M red quasars, we find that the sources, especially those hosted by mergers, have moderate to high column densities ($N_H \simeq 10^{22.5-23.5}$ cm$^{-2}$) and Eddington ratios high enough to enable radiation pressure to blow out the obscuring material. We confirm previous findings that red quasars have dust-to-gas ratios that are significantly lower than the value for the Milky Way's interstellar medium, especially when hosted by a merger. The dust-to-gas ratio for two red quasars that lack evidence for merging morphology is consistent with the Milky Way and they do not meet the radiative feedback conditions for blowout. These findings support the picture of quasar/galaxy co-evolution in which a merger results in feeding of and feedback from an AGN. We compare the F2M red quasars to other obscured and reddened quasar populations in the literature, finding that, although morphological information is lacking, nearly all such samples meet blowout conditions and exhibit outflow signatures suggestive of winds and feedback.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

The High Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P): Bringing the Cosmic X-ray Background into Focus

Since the discovery of the cosmic X-ray background (CXB), astronomers have strived to understand the accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) contributing to its peak in the 10-40 keV band. Existing soft X-ray telescopes could study this population up to only 10 keV, and, while NuSTAR (focusing on 3--24 keV) made great progress, it also left significant uncertainties in characterizing the hard X-ray population, crucial for calibrating current population synthesis models. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of simulations of two extragalactic surveys (deep and wide) with the High-Energy X-ray Probe (HEX-P), each observed for 2 Ms. Applying established source detection techniques, we show that HEX-P surveys will reach a flux of $\sim$10$^{-15}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ in the 10-40 keV band, an order of magnitude fainter than current NuSTAR surveys. With the large sample of new hard X-ray detected sources ($\sim2000$), we showcase HEX-P's ability to resolve more than 80% of the CXB up to 40 keV into individual sources. The expected precision of HEX-P's resolved background measurement will allow us to distinguish between population synthesis models of SMBH growth. HEX-P leverages accurate broadband (0.5-40 keV) spectral analysis and the combination of soft and hard X-ray colors to provide obscuration constraints even for the fainter sources, with the overall objective of measuring the Compton-thick fraction. With unprecedented sensitivity in the 10--40 keV band, HEX-P will explore the hard X-ray emission from AGN to flux limits never reached before, thus expanding the parameter space for serendipitous discoveries. Consequently, it is plausible that new models will be needed to capture the population HEX-P will unveil.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2023

The Accretion History of AGN: The Spectral Energy Distributions of X-ray Luminous AGN

Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from X-ray to far-infrared (FIR) wavelengths are presented for a sample of 1246 X-ray luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN; $L_{0.5-10\rm{keV}}>10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$), with $z_{\rm{spec}}<1.2$, selected from Stripe 82X, COSMOS, and GOODS-N/S. The rest-frame SEDs show a wide spread ($\sim2.5$ dex) in the relative strengths of broad continuum features at X-ray, ultraviolet (UV), mid-infrared (MIR), and FIR wavelengths. A linear correlation (log-log slope of 0.7$\pm0.04$) is found between $L_{\rm{MIR}}$ and $L_{\rm{X}}$. There is significant scatter in the relation between the $L_{\rm{UV}}$ and $L_{\rm{X}}$ due to heavy obscuration, however the most luminous and unobscured AGN show a linear correlation (log-log slope of 0.8$\pm0.06$) in the relation above this scatter. The relation between $L_{\rm{FIR}}$ and $L_{\rm{X}}$ is predominantly flat, but with decreasing dispersion at $L_{\rm{X}}>10^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The ratio between the "galaxy subtracted" bolometric luminosity and the intrinsic $L_{\rm{X}}$ increases from a factor of $\sim$$10-70$ from log $L_{\rm{bol}}/{\rm(erg\; s}^{-1})=44.5-46.5$. Characteristic SED shapes have been determined by grouping AGN based on relative strengths of the UV and MIR emission. The average $L_{1μ\rm{m}}$ is constant for the majority of these SED shapes, while AGN with the strongest UV and MIR emission have elevated $L_{1μ\rm{m}}$, consistent with the AGN emission dominating their SEDs at optical and NIR wavelengths. A strong correlation is found between the SED shape and both the $L_{\rm{X}}$ and $L_{\rm{bol}}$, such that $L_{\rm{bol}}/L_{\rm{X}}=20.4\pm1.8$, independent of the SED shape. This is consistent with an evolutionary scenario of increasing $L_{\rm{bol}}$ with decreasing obscuration as the AGN blows away circumnuclear gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph for the James Webb Space Telescope -- III. Single Object Slitless Spectroscopy

The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph instrument (NIRISS) is the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) contribution to the suite of four science instruments of JWST. As one of the three NIRISS observing modes, the Single Object Slitless Spectroscopy (SOSS) mode is tailor-made to undertake time-series observations of exoplanets to perform transit spectroscopy. The SOSS permits observing point sources between 0.6 and 2.8 um at a resolving power of 650 at 1.25 um using a slit-less cross-dispersing grism while its defocussing cylindrical lens enables observing targets as bright as J=6.7 by spreading light across 23 pixels along the cross-dispersion axis. This paper officially presents the design of the SOSS mode, its operation, characterization, and its performance, from ground-based testing and flight-based Commissioning. On-sky measurements demonstrate a peak photon conversion efficiency of 55% at 1.2 um. The first time-series on the A-type star BD+60o1753 achieves a flux stability close to the photon-noise limit, so far tested to a level of 20 parts per million on 40-minute time-scales after simply subtracting a long-term trend. Uncorrected 1/f noise residuals underneath the spectral traces add an extra source of noise equivalent to doubling the readout noise. Preliminary analysis of a HAT-P-14b transit time-series indicates that it is difficult to remove all the noise in pixels with partially saturated ramps. Overall, the SOSS delivers performance at the level required to tackle key exoplanet science programs such as detecting secondary atmospheres on terrestrial planets and measuring abundances of several chemical species in gas giants.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph for the James Webb Space Telescope -- I. Instrument Overview and in-Flight Performance

The Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) is the science module of the Canadian-built Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) onboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). NIRISS has four observing modes: 1) broadband imaging featuring seven of the eight NIRCam broadband filters, 2) wide-field slitless spectroscopy (WFSS) at a resolving power of $\sim$150 between 0.8 and 2.2 $μ$m, 3) single-object cross-dispersed slitless spectroscopy (SOSS) enabling simultaneous wavelength coverage between 0.6 and 2.8 $μ$m at R$\sim$700, a mode optimized for exoplanet spectroscopy of relatively bright ($J<6.3$) stars and 4) aperture masking interferometry (AMI) between 2.8 and 4.8 $μ$m enabling high-contrast ($\sim10^{-3}-10^{-4}$) imaging at angular separations between 70 and 400 milliarcsec for relatively bright ($M<8$) sources. This paper presents an overview of the NIRISS instrument, its design, its scientific capabilities, and a summary of in-flight performance. NIRISS shows significantly better response shortward of $\sim2.5\,μ$m resulting in 10-40% sensitivity improvement for broadband and low-resolution spectroscopy compared to pre-flight predictions. Two time-series observations performed during instrument commissioning in the SOSS mode yield very stable spectro-photometry performance within $\sim$10% of the expected noise. The first space-based companion detection of the tight binary star AB Dor AC through AMI was demonstrated.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

A candidate runaway supermassive black hole identified by shocks and star formation in its wake

The interaction of a runaway supermassive black hole (SMBH) with the circumgalactic medium (CGM) can lead to the formation of a wake of shocked gas and young stars behind it. Here we report the serendipitous discovery of an extremely narrow linear feature in HST/ACS images that may be an example of such a wake. The feature extends 62 kpc from the nucleus of a compact star-forming galaxy at z=0.964. Keck LRIS spectra show that the [OIII]/H$β$ ratio varies from ~1 to ~10 along the feature, indicating a mixture of star formation and fast shocks. The feature terminates in a bright [OIII] knot with a luminosity of 1.9x10$^{41}$ ergs/s. The stellar continuum colors vary along the feature, and are well-fit by a simple model that has a monotonically increasing age with distance from the tip. The line ratios, colors, and the overall morphology are consistent with an ejected SMBH moving through the CGM at high speed while triggering star formation. The best-fit time since ejection is ~39 Myr and the implied velocity is v~1600 km/s. The feature is not perfectly straight in the HST images, and we show that the amplitude of the observed spatial variations is consistent with the runaway SMBH interpretation. Opposite the primary wake is a fainter and shorter feature, marginally detected in [OIII] and the rest-frame far-ultraviolet. This feature may be shocked gas behind a binary SMBH that was ejected at the same time as the SMBH that produced the primary wake.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

On the cosmic evolution of AGN obscuration and the X-ray luminosity function: XMM-Newton and Chandra spectral analysis of the 31.3 deg$^2$ Stripe 82X

We present X-ray spectral analysis of XMM and Chandra observations in the 31.3 deg$^2$ Stripe-82X (S82X) field. Of the 6181 X-ray sources in this field, we analyze a sample of 2937 active galactic nuclei (AGN) with solid redshifts and sufficient counts determined by simulations. Our results show a population with median values of spectral index $Γ=1.94_{-0.39}^{+0.31}$, column density log$\,N_{\mathrm{H}}/\mathrm{cm}^{-2}=20.7_{-0.5}^{+1.2}$ and intrinsic, de-absorbed, 2-10 keV luminosity log$\,L_{\mathrm{X}}/\mathrm{erg\,s}^{-1}=44.0_{-1.0}^{+0.7}$, in the redshift range 0-4. We derive the intrinsic fraction of AGN that are obscured ($22\leq\mathrm{log}\,N_{\mathrm{H}}/\mathrm{cm}^{-2}<24$), finding a significant increase in the obscured AGN fraction with redshift and a decline with increasing luminosity. The average obscured AGN fraction is $57\pm4\%$ for log$\,L_{\mathrm{X}}/\mathrm{erg\,s}^{-1}>43$. This work constrains the AGN obscuration and spectral shape of the still uncertain high-luminosity and high-redshift regimes (log$\,L_{\mathrm{X}}/\mathrm{erg\,s}^{-1}>45.5$, $z>3$), where the obscured AGN fraction rises to $64\pm12\%$. We report a luminosity and density evolution of the X-ray luminosity function, with obscured AGN dominating at all luminosities at $z>2$ and unobscured sources prevailing at log$\,L_{\mathrm{X}}/\mathrm{erg\,s}^{-1}>45$ at lower redshifts. Our results agree with evolutionary models in which the bulk of AGN activity is triggered by gas-rich environments and in a downsizing scenario. Also, the black hole accretion density (BHAD) is found to evolve similarly to the star formation rate density, confirming the co-evolution between AGN and host-galaxy, but suggesting different time scales in their growing history. The derived BHAD evolution shows that Compton-thick AGN contribute to the accretion history of AGN as much as all other AGN populations combined.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

The Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph for the James Webb Space Telescope -- IV. Aperture Masking Interferometry

The James Webb Space Telescope's Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (JWST-NIRISS) flies a 7-hole non-redundant mask (NRM), the first such interferometer in space, operating at 3-5 \micron~wavelengths, and a bright limit of $\simeq 4$ magnitudes in W2. We describe the NIRISS Aperture Masking Interferometry (AMI) mode to help potential observers understand its underlying principles, present some sample science cases, explain its operational observing strategies, indicate how AMI proposals can be developed with data simulations, and how AMI data can be analyzed. We also present key results from commissioning AMI. Since the allied Kernel Phase Imaging (KPI) technique benefits from AMI operational strategies, we also cover NIRISS KPI methods and analysis techniques, including a new user-friendly KPI pipeline. The NIRISS KPI bright limit is $\simeq 8$ W2 magnitudes. AMI (and KPI) achieve an inner working angle of $\sim 70$ mas that is well inside the $\sim 400$ mas NIRCam inner working angle for its circular occulter coronagraphs at comparable wavelengths.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

A Transient "Changing-look'' Active Galactic Nucleus Resolved on Month Timescales from First-year Sloan Digital Sky Survey V Data

We report the discovery of a new ``changing-look'' active galactic nucleus (CLAGN) event, in the quasar SDSS J162829.17+432948.5 at z=0.2603, identified through repeat spectroscopy from the fifth Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V). Optical photometry taken during 2020--2021 shows a dramatic dimming of $Δ$g${\approx}$1 mag, followed by a rapid recovery on a timescale of several months, with the ${\lesssim}$2 month period of rebrightening captured in new SDSS-V and Las Cumbres Observatory spectroscopy. This is one of the fastest CLAGN transitions observed to date. Archival observations suggest that the object experienced a much more gradual dimming over the period of 2011--2013. Our spectroscopy shows that the photometric changes were accompanied by dramatic variations in the quasar-like continuum and broad-line emission. The excellent agreement between the pre- and postdip photometric and spectroscopic appearances of the source, as well as the fact that the dimmest spectra can be reproduced by applying a single extinction law to the brighter spectral states, favor a variable line-of-sight obscuration as the driver of the observed transitions. Such an interpretation faces several theoretical challenges, and thus an alternative accretion-driven scenario cannot be excluded. The recent events observed in this quasar highlight the importance of spectroscopic monitoring of large active galactic nucleus samples on weeks-to-months timescales, which the SDSS-V is designed to achieve.

astro-ph.GA↗