T. Maccacaro

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 extended medium sensitivity survey distant cluster sample - X-ray data and interpretation of the luminosity evolution

The X-ray properties of a cluster of galaxies subsample of the Einstein Extended Medium Sensitivity Survey is described. A summary of this sample and its implication has been presented previously; this paper gives the full details. The cluster subsample is 98.4 percent identified and contains 93 X-ray-selected clusters to a redshift of 0.58. The cluster X-ray luminosity function at three cosmic epochs is derived. While the present luminosity function agrees with previous determinations at the lowest redshifts, it is found that the volume density of high-luminosity clusters is greater now than it was in the past. The normalization, shape, and time dependence of the luminosity function can be described by a simple hierarchical formation model with parameters which also describe the temperature function of an independent sample of low-redshift clusters. In this model the comoving hot gas density remains constant with time at least to redshifts of order 0.35.

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 Serendipitous Survey - I. The role of XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre

This paper describes the performance of XMM-Newton for serendipitous surveys and summarises the scope and potential of the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Survey. The role of the Survey Science Centre (SSC) in the XMM-Newton project is outlined. The SSCs follow-up and identification programme for the XMM-Newton serendipitous survey is described together with the presentation of some of the first results.

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.

A Medium Survey of the Hard X-Ray Sky with the ASCA Gas Imaging Spectrometer: The (2-10 keV) Number Counts Relationship

In this paper, we report the first results of a medium survey program conducted in the 2-10 keV energy band using data from the GIS2 instrument onboard the ASCA satellite. We have selected from the ASCA public archive (as of 1996 February 14) 87 images suitable for this project. Sixty serendipitous X-ray sources with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 3.5 were found. The 2-10 keV flux of the detected sources ranges from ~1.1 × 10-13 ergs cm-2 s-1 to ~4.1 × 10-12 ergs cm-2 s-1. Using this sample, we have extended the description of the 2-10 keV log N(>S)-log S to a flux limit of ~6.3 × 10-14 ergs cm-2 s-1 (the faintest detectable flux), i.e., about 2.7 orders of magnitude fainter than the Piccinotti et al. determination. The derived number-flux relationship is well described by a power-law model, N(>S) = K × S-α, with best-fit values α = 1.67 ± 0.18 and K = 2.85 × 10-21 deg-2. At the flux limit of the survey, about 27% of the cosmic X-ray background in the 2-10 keV energy band is resolved in discrete sources. A flattening of the number-flux relationship, within a factor of 10 from the flux limit of the present survey, is expected in order to avoid saturation. The implications of these results for models of the origin of the hard X-ray background are briefly discussed.

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.

The XMM-Newton serendipitous survey: II - First results from the AXIS high galactic latitude medium sensitivity survey

We present the first results on the identifications of a medium sensitivity survey (X-ray flux limit 2 x 10(-14) erg cm(-2) s(-1) in the 0.5-4.5 keV band) at high galactic latitude (\b\ > 20degrees) carried out with the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory within the AXIS observing programme. This study is being conducted as part of the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre activities towards the identification of the sources in the X-ray serendipitous sky survey. The sample contains 29 X-ray sources in a solid angle of 0.26 deg(2) (source density 113 +/- 21 sources deg(-2)), out of which 27 (93%) have been identified. The majority of the sources are broad-line AGN (19), followed by narrow emission line X-ray emitting galaxies (6, all of which turn out to be AGN), 1 nearby non-emission line galaxy (NGC 4291) and 1 active coronal star. Among the identified sources we find 2 broad-absorption line QSOs (z similar to 1.8 and z similar to 1.9), which constitute similar to10% of the AGN population at this flux level, similar to optically selected samples. Identifications of a further 10 X-ray sources fainter than our survey limit are also presented.