The Most Obscured AGNs in the XMM-SERVS Fields

Abstract

We perform X-ray spectral analyses to derive characteristics (e.g., column density, X-ray luminosity) of $\approx$10,200 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the XMM-Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (XMM-SERVS), which was designed to investigate the growth of supermassive black holes across a wide dynamic range of cosmic environments. Using physical torus models (e.g., Borus02) and a Bayesian approach, we uncover 22 representative Compton-thick (CT; $N_{\mathrm{H}}>1.5\times 10^{24}\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^{-2}$) AGN candidates with good signal-to-noise ratios as well as a large sample of 136 heavily obscured AGNs. We also find an increasing CT fraction (\fct ) from low ($z<0.75$) to high ($z>0.75$) redshift. Our CT candidates tend to show hard X-ray spectral shapes and dust extinction in their SED fits, which may shed light on the connection between AGN obscuration and host-galaxy evolution.

12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

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• Mapping the Growth of Supermassive Black Holes as a Function of Galaxy Stellar Mass and Redshift
• X-ray spectral properties of dust-obscured galaxies in the XMM-SERVS coverage of the XMM-LSS field
• The XMM-SERVS X-ray eXtended Galaxy Cluster (XVXGC) catalog
• Exploring the physical properties of Type II Quasar candidates at intermediate redshifts with CIGALE
• Flavor Matters, but Matter Flavors: Matter Effects on Flavor Composition of Astrophysical Neutrinos
• The Drivers of the Decline in Supermassive Black Hole Growth at $z<2$