The XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey. Identification and optical spectral properties

Abstract

AIMS: We present the optical classification and redshift of 348 X-ray selected sources from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey (XBS) which contains a total of 400 objects (identification level = 87%). About 240 are new identifications. In particular, we discuss in detail the classification criteria adopted for the Active Galactic Nuclei population. METHODS: By means of systematic spectroscopic campaigns and through the literature search we have collected an optical spectrum for the large majority of the sources in the XBS survey and applied a well-defined classification ``flow-chart''. RESULTS: We find that the AGN represent the most numerous population at the flux limit of the XBS survey (~10^-13 erg cm^-2 s^-1) constituting 80% of the XBS sources selected in the 0.5-4.5 keV energy band and 95% of the ``hard'' (4.5-7.5 keV) selected objects. Galactic sources populate significantly the 0.5-4.5 keV sample (17%) and only marginally (3%) the 4.5-7.5 keV sample. The remaining sources in both samples are clusters/groups of galaxies and normal galaxies (i.e. probably not powered by an AGN). Furthermore, the percentage of type2 AGN (i.e. optically absorbed AGNs with A_V>2mag) dramatically increases going from the 0.5-4.5 keV sample (f=N_AGN2/N_AGN=7%) to the 4.5-7.5 keV sample (f=32%). We finally propose two simple diagnostic plots that can be easily used to obtain the spectral classification for relatively low redshift AGNs even if the quality of the spectrum is not good.

arXiv comment14 pages plus 7 additional pages of table, accepted for publication on A&A

References in corpus (33)

• Stellar population synthesis at the resolution of 2003
• A Search for "Dwarf" Seyfert Nuclei. III. Spectroscopic Parameters and Properties of the Host Galaxies
• Deep Extragalactic X-ray Surveys
• A spectrophotometric atlas of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies
• The HELLAS2XMM survey: IV. Optical identifications and the evolution of the accretion luminosity in the Universe
• A Classic Type 2 QSO
• The K20 survey. VII. The spectroscopic catalogue: spectral properties and evolution of the galaxy population
• The Deep X-ray Radio Blazar Survey (DXRBS). I. Methods and First Results
• The 2dF QSO Redshift Survey - V. The 10k catalogue
• The evolution of faint AGN between z~1 and z~5 from the COMBO-17 survey
• The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog II. First Data Release
• The Bright SHARC Survey: The Cluster Catalog
• Chandra Detection of a TypeII Quasar at z=3.288
• Exploring the X-ray Sky with the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey
• XMM-Newton observations expose AGN in apparently normal galaxies
• The XMM-Newton HBS28 sample: studying the obscuration in hard X-ray selected AGNs
• Spectroscopic identification of ten faint hard X-ray sources discovered by Chandra
• The classification of BL Lacertae objects: the Ca H&K break
• Discovery of a very X-ray luminous galaxy cluster at z=0.89 in the WARPS survey
• Elusive AGN in the XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey
• A uniform analysis of the Lyman alpha forest at z = 0-5: III. HST FOS Spectral Atlas
• The Narrow-Line Region of Seyfert Galaxies: Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies versus Broad-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• The Central Engines of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies
• The stellar content of the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey
• The CLASS blazar survey. I - selection criteria and radio properties
• Optical and X-ray properties of the RIXOS AGN: II - Emission lines
• Optical Polarization of 52 Radio-Loud QSOs and BL Lac Objects
• XMM-Newton spectroscopy of an X-ray selected sample of RL AGNs
• Quasars As Absorption Probes Of The Hubble Deep Field
• An X-ray bright ERO hosting a type 2 QSO
• 1WGAJ1226.9+3332: a high redshift cluster discovered by Chandra
• QSOs and Absorption Line Systems Surrounding the Hubble Deep Field
• A possible X-ray jet from the starburst galaxy NGC6217

Cited by in corpus (40)

• The XMM-Newton Serendipitous Survey. V. The Second XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue
• Absorption Properties and Evolution of Active Galactic Nuclei
• The incidence of obscuration in active galactic nuclei
• The XMM-Newton Wide-Field Survey in the COSMOS field (XMM-COSMOS): demography and multiwavelength properties of obscured and unobscured luminous AGN
• Mergers, AGN, and 'Normal' Galaxies: Contributions to the Distribution of Star Formation Rates and Infrared Luminosity Functions
• The Extended Chandra Deep Field-South Survey: Optical spectroscopy of faint X-ray sources with the VLT and Keck
• An Optical View of BL Lacertae Objects
• Revisiting the relationship between 6 μm and 2-10 keV continuum luminosities of AGN
• The cosmological properties of AGN in the XMM-Newton Hard Bright Survey
• The XMM-Newton Serendipitous Survey. VI. The X-ray Luminosity Function
• High precision X-ray logN-logS distributions: implications for the obscured AGN population
• The NuSTAR Extragalactic Survey: A First Sensitive Look at the High-Energy Cosmic X-ray Background Population
• The XMM-Newton Serendipitous Survey V. Optical identification of the XMM-Newton Medium sensitivity Survey (XMS)
• The X-ray spectral properties of the AGN population in the XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey
• Are Most Low-Luminosity AGN Really Obscured?
• The NuSTAR Serendipitous Survey: The 40 month Catalog and the Properties of the Distant High Energy X-ray Source Population
• Cross-correlation of the 2XMMi catalogue with Data Release 7 of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
• The 5 - 10 keV AGN luminosity function at 0.01<z<4.0
• X-ray absorption, nuclear infrared emission and dust covering factors of AGN: testing Unification Schemes
• Studying the relationship between X-ray emission and accretion in AGNs using the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey
• INTEGRAL/IBIS 17-yr hard X-ray all-sky survey
• The optical-UV spectral energy distribution of the unabsorbed AGN population in the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey
• Swift-XRT follow-up of gravitational wave triggers during the third aLIGO/Virgo observing run
• Optical identification of XMM sources in the CFHTLS
• A new sample of X-ray selected narrow emission-line galaxies. I. The nature of optically elusive AGN
• Spectroscopic identifications of Spitzer sources in the SWIRE/XMM-NEWTON/ELAIS-S1 field: a large fraction of Active Galactic Nuclei with high F(24micron)/F(R) ratio
• The Micro-Arcsecond Scintillation-Induced Variability (MASIV) Survey III. Optical Identifications and New Redshifts
• A Suzaku observation of the ULIRG IRAS19254-7245: disclosing the AGN component
• Searching for luminous absorbed sources in the WISE AGN catalogue
• The relationship between [OIII]5007A equivalent width and obscuration in AGN
• A new sample of X-ray selected narrow emission-line galaxies. II. Looking for True Seyfert 2
• The XMM-Newton Wide Angle Survey (XWAS)
• Insights Into AGN and Host Galaxy Co-evolution From Hard X-ray Emission
• The XMM-Newton Bright Survey sample of absorbed quasars: X-ray and accretion properties
• Exploring the Active Galactic Nuclei population with extreme X-ray to optical flux ratios (Fx/Fo >50)
• Key results from an XMM-Newton and Chandra study of a new sample of extreme ULXs from the 2XMM catalogue
• Black-hole masses of type 1 AGN in the XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey
• 3D mapping of the neutral X-ray absorption in the local interstellar medium: The Gaia and XMM-Newton synergy
• Extinction and AGN over host galaxy contrast effects on the optical spectroscopic classification of AGN
• A New Method to Determine X-ray Luminosity Functions of AGN and their Evolution with Redshift