A. Caccianiga

The XMM-Newton serendipitous survey: V - The Second XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue

Aims. Pointed observations with XMM-Newton provide the basis for creating catalogues of X-ray sources detected serendipitously in each field. This paper describes the creation and characteristics of the 2XMM catalogue. Methods. The 2XMM catalogue has been compiled from a new processing of the XMM-Newton EPIC camera data. The main features of the processing pipeline are described in detail. Results. The catalogue, the largest ever made at X-ray wavelengths, contains 246 897 detections drawn from 3491 public XMM-Newton observations over a 7-year interval, which relate to 191 870 unique sources. The catalogue fields cover a sky area of more than 500 deg(2). The non-overlapping sky area is similar to 360 deg(2) (similar to 1% of the sky) as many regions of the sky are observed more than once by XMM-Newton. The catalogue probes a large sky area at the flux limit where the bulk of the objects that contribute to the X-ray background lie and provides a major resource for generating large, well-defined X-ray selected source samples, studying the X-ray source population and identifying rare object types. The main characteristics of the catalogue are presented, including its photometric and astrometric properties

The XMM-Newton serendipitous survey - IV. Optical identification of the XMM-Newton medium sensitivity survey (XMS)

Aims. X-ray sources at intermediate fluxes (a few x 10(-14) erg cm(-2) s(-1)) with a sky density of similar to 100 deg(-2) are responsible for a significant fraction of the cosmic X-ray background at various energies below 10 keV. The aim of this paper is to provide an unbiased and quantitative description of the X-ray source population at these fluxes and in various X-ray energy bands. Methods. We present the XMM-Newton Medium sensitivity Survey (XMS), including a total of 318 X-ray sources found among the serendipitous content of 25 XMM-Newton target fields. The XMS comprises four largely overlapping source samples selected at soft (0.5-2 keV), intermediate (0.5-4.5 keV), hard (2-10 keV) and ultra-hard (4.5-7.5 keV) bands, the first three of them being flux-limited. Results. We report on the optical identification of the XMS samples, complete to 85-95%. At the flux levels sampled by the XMS we find that the X-ray sky is largely dominated by Active Galactic Nuclei. The fraction of stars in soft X-ray selected samples is below 10%, and only a few per cent for hard selected samples. We find that the fraction of optically obscured objects in the AGN population stays constant at around 15-20% for soft and intermediate band selected X-ray sources, over 2 decades of flux. The fraction of obscured objects amongst the AGN population is larger (similar to 35-45%) in the hard or ultra-hard selected samples, and constant across a similarly wide flux range. The distribution in X-ray-to-optical flux ratio is a strong function of the selection band, with a larger fraction of sources with high values in hard selected samples. Sources with X-ray-to-optical flux ratios in excess of 10 are dominated by obscured AGN, but with a significant contribution from unobscured AGN.

XMM-Newton observations reveal AGN in apparently normal galaxies

We have performed a detailed analysis of 3 optically normal galaxies extracted from the XMM Bright Serendipitous Source Sample. Thanks to the good statistics of the XMM-Newton data, we have unveiled the presence of an AGN in all of them. In particular, we detect both X-ray obscured (NH > 10 22 cm −2 ) and unobscured (NH < 10 22 cm −2 ) AGNs with intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosities in the range between 10 42 -10 43 erg s −1 . We find that the X-ray and optical properties of the sources discussed here could be explained assuming a standard AGN hosted by galaxies with magnitudes MR < M ∗ , taking properly into account the absorption associated with the AGN, the optical faintness of the nuclear emission with respect to the host galaxy, and the inadequate set-up and atmospheric conditions during the optical spectroscopic observations. Our new spectroscopic observations have revealed the expected AGN features also in the optical band. These results clearly show that optical spectroscopy sometimes can be inefficient in revealing the presence of an AGN, which instead is clearly found from an X-ray spectroscopic investigation. This remarks the importance of being careful in proposing the identification of X-ray sources (especially at faint fluxes) when only low quality optical spectra are in hand. This is particularly important for faint surveys (such as those with XMM-Newton and Chandra), in which optically dull but X-ray active objects are being found in sizeable numbers.

The cosmological properties of AGN in the XMM-Newton Hard Bright Survey

Aims. We investigate here the X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of absorbed (NH between 4 × 10 21 and 10 24 cm −2 ) and unabsorbed (NH 10 24 cm −2 ) AGN. Methods. To carry out this investigation, we have used the XMM-Newton Hard Bright Serendipitous Sample (HBSS), a complete sample of bright X-ray sources (fx > 7 × 10 −14 erg cm −2 s −1 ) at high galactic latitude (|b| > 20 ◦ ) selected in the 4.5−7.5 keV energy band. The HBSS sample is now almost completely identified (97% spectroscopic identifications) and it can be safely used for a statistical investigation. The HBSS contains 62 AGN out of which 40 are unabsorbed (or marginally absorbed; NH 3 × 10 42 erg s −1 is 0.57 ± 0.11; we find that F decreases with the intrinsic luminosity, and probably, increases with the redshift. Our data are consistent with a flat Log NH distribution for NH between 10 20 and 10 24 cm −2 . Finally, by comparing the results obtained here with those obtained using an optically-selected sample of AGN we derive, in an indirect way, the XLF of Compton thick AGN; the latter is well described by a XLF similar, in shape, to that of absorbed AGN, but having a normalization of about a factor of 2 above. The density ratio between Compton thick AGN (NH ≥ 10 24 cm −2 )a nd Compton thin AGN (NH ≤ 10 24 cm −2 ) decreases from 1.08 ± 0.44 at ∼10 43 erg s −1 to 0.57 ± 0.22 at ∼10 44 erg s −1 to 0.23 ± 0.15 at ∼10 45 erg s −1 . Conclusions. The results presented here on the anti-correlation between F and −Lx are fully consistent with the hypothesis of a reduction of the covering factor of the gas as a function of the luminosity and are clearly inconsistent with the simplest unified scheme of AGN. These results strongly support the recently proposed radiation-limited clumpy dust torus model although alternative physical models are also consistent with the observations.

The XMM-Newton HBS28 sample: Studying the obscuration in hard X-ray selected AGNs

This paper presents the analysis of a statistically complete sample of 28 serendipitous X-ray sources selected in 82 pointed XMM-Newton fields down to a count-rate of 0.002 counts s(-1) (4.5-7.5 keV energy band). This is the first sample selected in this energy range to have complete spectroscopic identifications and redshift determinations for all the objects. Apart from one Galactic source (an interacting binary), all the objects are AGNs. Their optical and X-ray properties (derived from the spectral analysis of the XMM-EPIC data) are compared together. The good correlation between the optical spectral type and the X-ray absorption properties supports the AGN unified model. Only one object that does not fit the relation between optical and X-ray absorption is found, namely a Seyfert 1.9 with no evidence of obscuration in the X-ray band (N-H 10(22) cm(-2)), corresponding to a surface density of 0.7 deg(-2) at the flux limit the sample (4-7 x 10(-14) erg s(-1) cm(-2) in the 4.5-7.5 keV energy band). Among these obscured objects, two sources show a large (intrinsic) luminosity (L[2-10 keV] > 10(44) erg s(-1)) and are thus classified as type 2 QSO. Finally, we have compared the fraction of X-ray absorbed AGNs (26%) with that predicted by the current XRB synthesis models at the flux limit of the survey. We find that the models significantly (similar to90% confidence level) over predict the fraction of absorbed AGNs thus confirming also in this hard energy band (4.5-7.5 keV) similar results recently obtained in the 2-10 keV band.

Uncovering obscured luminous AGN with WISE

SM and FJC acknowledge financial support by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through grant AYA2010-21490-C02-01. SM, FJC and A.A.-H. acknowledge financial support by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through grant AYA2012-31447. SM, FJC and A.A.- H. acknowledge financial support from the ARCHES project (7th Framework of the European Union, No. 313146). SM acknowledges financial support from the JAE-Doc program (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientficas, cofunded by FSE). AA-H acknowledges support from the Universidad de Cantabria through the Augusto G. Linares program. AB acknowledges a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. PS acknowledges financial support from ASI (grant No. I/009/10/0). AR acknowledges support from an IUCAA post-doctoral fellowship.

High precision X-ray log N - Log S distributions: Implications for the obscured AGN population

Context. Our knowledge of the properties of AGN, especially those of optical type-2 objects, is very incomplete. Because extragalactic source count distributions are dependent on the cosmological and statistical properties of AGN, they provide a direct method of investigating the underlying source populations. Aims. We aim to constrain the extragalactic source count distributions over a broad range of X-ray fluxes and in various energy bands to test whether the predictions from X-ray background synthesis models agree with the observational constraints provided by our measurements. Methods. We have used 1129 XMM-Newton observations at |b| > 20 ◦ covering a total sky area of 132.3 deg 2 to compile the largest complete samples of X-ray selected objects to date both in the 0.5− 1k eV, 1− 2k eV, 2−4.5 keV, 4.5−10 keV bands employed in standard XMM-Newton data processing and in the 0.5−2 keV and 2−10 keV energy bands more usually considered in source count studies. Our survey includes in excess of 30 000 sources and spans fluxes from ∼10 −15 to 10 −12 erg cm −2 s −1 below 2 keV and from ∼10 −14 to 10 −12 erg cm −2 s −1 above 2 keV where the bulk of the cosmic X-ray background energy density is produced. Results. The very large sample size we obtained means our results are not limited by cosmic variance or low counting statistics. A break in the source count distributions was detected in all energy bands except the 4.5−10 keV band. We find that an analytical model comprising 2 power-law components cannot adequately describe the curvature seen in the source count distributions. The shape of the logN(>S ) − logS is strongly dependent on the energy band with a general steepening apparent as we move to higher energies. This is due to the fact that non-AGN populations, comprised mainly of stars and clusters of galaxies, contribute up to 30% of the source population at energies <2 keV and at fluxes ≥10 −13 erg cm −2 s −1 , and these populations of objects have significantly flatter source count distributions than AGN. We find a substantial increase in the relative fraction of hard X-ray sources at higher energies, from ≥55% below 2 keV to ≥77% above 2 keV. However, the majority of sources detected above 4.5 keV still have significant flux below 2 keV. Comparison with predictions from the synthesis models suggest that the models might be overpredicting the number of faint absorbed AGN, which would call for fine adjustment of some model parameters such as the obscured to unobscured AGN ratio and/or the distribution of column densities at intermediate obscuration.

X-ray spectra of XMM-Newton serendipitous medium flux sources

We report on the results of a detailed analysis of the X-ray spectral properties of a large sample of sources detected serendipitously with the XMM-Newton observatory in 25 selected fields, for which optical identification is in progress. The survey covers a total solid angle of ∼3.5 deg 2 and contains 1137 sources with ∼10 −15 10 43 erg s −1 , and therefore classified as type 2 AGNs) is significantly higher (40%), with a hint of moderately higher columns. After correcting for absorption, we do not find evidence for a redshift evolution of the underlying power law index of BLAGNs, which stays roughly constant at Γ ∼ 1.9, with intrinsic dispersion of 0.4. A small fraction (∼7%) of BLAGNs and NELGs require the presence of a soft excess, that we model as a black body with temperature ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 keV. Comparing our results on absorption to popular X-ray background synthesis models, we find absorption in only ∼40% of the sources expected. This is due to a deficiency of heavily absorbed sources (with NH ∼ 10 22 −10 24 cm −2 ) in our sample in comparison with the models. We therefore conclude that the synthesis models require some revision in their specific parameters.

Properties of flat-spectrum radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies

We have conducted a multiwavelength survey of 42 radio loud narrow-1ine Seyfert 1 galaxies (RLNLS1s), selected by searching among all the known sources of this type and omitting those with steep radio spectra. We analyse data from radio frequencies to X-rays, and supplement these with information available from online catalogs and the literature in order to cover the full electromagnetic spectrum. This is the largest known multiwavelength survey for this type of source. We detected 90% of the sources in X-rays and found 17% at gamma rays. Extreme variability at high energies was also found, down to timescales as short as hours. In some sources, dramatic spectral and flux changes suggest interplay between a relativistic jet and the accretion disk. The estimated masses of the central black holes are in the range

The X-ray spectral properties of the AGN population in the XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey

\sim 10^{6-8}M_{\odot}