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Register a new userThe Number Density of Intermediate and High Luminosity Active Galactic Nuclei at z~2-3
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We use the combination of the 2 Ms Chandra X-ray image, new J and H band images, and the Spitzer IRAC and MIPS images of the Chandra Deep Field-North to obtain high spectroscopic and photometric redshift completeness of high and intermediate X-ray luminosity sources in the redshift interval z=2-3. We measure the number densities of z=2-3 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and broad-line AGNs in the rest-frame 2-8 keV luminosity intervals 10^44-10^45 and 10^43-10^44 ergs/s and compare with previous lower redshift results. We confirm a decline in the number densities of intermediate-luminosity sources at z>1. We also measure the number density of z=2-3 AGNs in the luminosity interval 10^43-10^44.5 ergs/s and compare with previous low and high-redshift results. Again, we find a decline in the number densities at z>1. In both cases, we can rule out the hypothesis that the number densities remain flat to z=2-3 at above the 5-sigma level.
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We present new results for a sample of 33 narrow-lined UV-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs), identified in the course of a spectroscopic survey for star-forming galaxies at z ~ 2-3. The rest-frame UV composite spectrum for our AGN sample shows several emission lines characteristic of AGNs, as well as interstellar absorption features seen in star-forming Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs). We report a detection of NIV]1486, which has been observed in high-redshift radio galaxies, as well as in rare optically-selected quasars. The UV continuum slope of the composite spectrum is significantly redder than that of a sample of non-AGN UV-selected star forming galaxies. Blueshifted SiIV absorption provides evidence for outflowing highly-ionized gas in these objects at speeds of ~ 10^(3) km/s, quantitatively different from what is seen in the outflows of non-AGN LBGs. Grouping the individual AGNs by parameters such as Ly-alpha equivalent width, redshift, and UV continuum magnitude allows for an analysis of the major spectroscopic trends within the sample. Stronger Ly-alpha emission is coupled with weaker low-ionization absorption, which is similar to what is seen in the non-AGN LBGs, and highlights the role that cool interstellar gas plays in the escape of Ly-alpha photons. However, the AGN composite does not show the same trends between Ly-alpha strength and extinction seen in the non-AGN LBGs. These results represent the first such comparison at high-redshift between star-forming galaxies and similar galaxies that host AGN activity.
We use stellar population synthesis modeling to analyze the host galaxy properties of a sample of 33 UV-selected, narrow-lined active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z ~ 2 - 3. In order to quantify the contribution of AGN emission to host galaxy broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs), we use the subsample of 11 AGNs with photometric coverage spanning from rest-frame UV through near-IR wavelengths. Modeling the SEDs of these objects with a linear combination of stellar population and AGN templates, we infer the effect of the AGN on derived stellar population parameters. We also estimate the typical bias in derived stellar populations for AGNs lacking rest-frame near-IR wavelength coverage, and develop a method for inferring the true host galaxy properties. We compare AGN host galaxy properties to those of a sample of UV-selected, star-forming non-AGNs in the same redshift range, including a subsample carefully matched in stellar mass. Although the AGNs have higher masses and SFRs than the full non-active sample, their stellar population properties are consistent with those of the mass-selected sample, suggesting that the presence of an AGN is not connected with the cessation of star-formation activity in star-forming galaxies at z ~ 2 - 3. We suggest that a correlation between M_BH and galaxy stellar mass is already in place at this epoch. Assuming a roughly constant Eddington ratio for AGNs at all stellar masses, we are unable to detect the AGNs in low-mass galaxies because they are simply too faint.
The mass-metallicity relation (MZR) of type-2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at 1.2 < z < 4.0 is investigated by using high-z radio galaxies (HzRGs) and X-ray selected radio-quiet AGNs. We combine new rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) spectra of two radio-quiet type-2 AGNs obtained with FOCAS on the Subaru Telescope with existing rest-frame UV emission lines, i.e., CIV1549, HeII1640, and CIII]1909, of a sample of 16 HzRGs and 6 additional X-ray selected type-2 AGNs, whose host stellar masses have been estimated in literature. We divided our sample in three stellar mass bins and calculated averaged emission-line flux ratios of CIV1549/HeII1640 and CIII]1909/CIV1549. Comparing observed emission-line flux ratios with photoionization model predictions, we estimated narrow line region (NLR) metallicities for each mass bin. We found that there is a positive correlation between NLR metallicities and stellar masses of type-2 AGNs at z ~ 3. This is the first indication that AGN metallicities are related to their hosts, i.e., stellar mass. Since NLR metallicities and stellar masses follow a similar relation as the MZR in star-forming galaxies at similar redshifts, our results indicate that NLR metallicities are related to those of the host galaxies. This study highlights the importance of considering lower-mass X-ray selected AGNs in addition to radio galaxies to explore the metallicity properties of NLRs at high redshift.
Identifying the source population of ionizing radiation, responsible for the reionization of the universe, is currently a hotly debated subject with conflicting results. Studies of faint, high-redshift star-forming galaxies, in most cases, fail to detect enough escaping ionizing radiation to sustain the process. Recently, the capacity of bright quasi-stellar objects to ionize their surrounding medium has been confirmed also for faint active galactic nuclei (AGNs), which were found to display an escaping fraction of ~74% at z~4. Such levels of escaping radiation could sustain the required UV background, given the number density of faint AGNs is adequate. Thus, it is mandatory to accurately measure the luminosity function of faint AGNs (L~L*) in the same redshift range. For this reason we have conducted a spectroscopic survey, using the wide field spectrograph IMACS at the 6.5m Baade Telescope, to determine the nature of our sample of faint AGN candidates in the COSMOS field. This sample was assembled using photometric redshifts, color, and X-ray information. We ended up with 16 spectroscopically confirmed AGNs at 3.6<z<4.2 down to a magnitude of i$_{AB}$=23.0 for an area of 1.73 deg$^{2}$. This leads to an AGN space density of ~1.6$times10^{-6} Mpc^{-3}$ (corrected) at z~4 for an absolute magnitude of M$_{1450}$=-23.5. This is higher than previous measurements and seems to indicate that AGNs could make a substantial contribution to the ionizing background at z~4. Assuming that AGN physical parameters remain unchanged at higher redshifts and fainter luminosities, these sources could be regarded as the main drivers of cosmic reionization.
We combine deep X-ray survey data from the Chandra observatory and the wide-area/shallow XMM-XXL field to estimate the AGN X-ray luminosity function in the redshift range z=3-5. The sample consists of nearly 340 sources with either photometric (212) or spectroscopic (128) redshift in the above range. The combination of deep and shallow survey fields provides a luminosity baseline of three orders of magnitude, Lx(2-10keV)~1e43-1e46erg/s at z>3. We follow a Bayesian approach to determine the binned AGN space density and explore their evolution in a model-independent way. Our methodology accounts for Poisson errors in the determination of X-ray fluxes and uncertainties in photometric redshift estimates. We demonstrate that the latter is essential for unbiased measurement of space densities. We find that the AGN X-ray luminosity function evolves strongly between the redshift intervals z=3-4 and z=4-5. There is also suggestive evidence that the amplitude of this evolution is luminosity dependent. The space density of AGN with Lx<1e45erg/s drops by a factor of 5 between the redshift intervals above, while the evolution of brighter AGN appears to be milder. Comparison of our X-ray luminosity function with that of UV/optical selected QSOs at similar redshifts shows broad agreement at bright luminosities, Lx>1e45erg/s. The faint-end slope of UV/optical luminosity functions however, is steeper than for X-ray selected AGN. This implies that the type-I AGN fraction increases with decreasing luminosity at z>3, opposite to trends established at lower redshift. We also assess the significance of AGN in keeping the hydrogen ionised at high redshift. Our X-ray luminosity function yields ionising photon rate densities that are insufficient to keep the Universe ionised at redshift z>4. A source of uncertainty in this calculation is the escape fraction of UV photons for X-ray selected AGN.
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