SIMBAD references

2003ApJ...596L..23S - Astrophys. J., 596, L23-L26 (2003/October-2)

The changing active galactic nucleus population.

STEFFEN A.T., BARGER A.J., COWIE L.L., MUSHOTZKY R.F. and YANG Y.

Abstract (from CDS):

We investigate how the fraction of broad-line sources in the active galactic nucleus (AGN) population changes with X-ray luminosity and redshift. We first construct the rest-frame hard-energy (2-8 keV) X-ray luminosity function (HXLF) at z=0.1-1 using Chandra Lockman Hole-Northwest wide-area data, Chandra Deep Field-North 2 Ms data, other Chandra deep field data, and the ASCA Large Sky Survey data. We find that broad-line AGNs dominate above ∼3x1043 ergs/s and have a mean luminosity of 1.3x1044 ergs/s. Type II AGNs can become an important component of the X-ray population only at Seyfert-like X-ray luminosities. We then construct z=0.1-0.5 and z=0.5-1 HXLFs and compare them with both the local HXLF measured from HEAO 1 A2 survey data and the z=1.5-3 HXLF measured from soft-energy (0.5-2 keV) Chandra and ROSAT data. We find that the number density of LX>1044 ergs/s sources (quasars) steadily declines with decreasing redshift, while the number density of LX=1043-1044 ergs/s sources peaks at z=0.5-1. Strikingly, however, the number density of broad-line AGNs remains roughly constant with redshift while their average luminosities decline at the lower redshifts, showing another example of cosmic downsizing.

Abstract Copyright:

Journal keyword(s): Cosmology: Observations - Galaxies: Active - Galaxies: Evolution - Galaxies: Formation

Simbad objects: 3

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