Optical Spectroscopy and X-Ray Detections of a Sample of Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei Selected in the Mid-Infrared from Two Spitzer Space Telescope Wide-Area Surveys

January 2007 • 2007AJ....133..186L

Authors • Lacy, M. • Petric, A. O. • Sajina, A. • Canalizo, G. • Storrie-Lombardi, L. J. • Armus, L. • Fadda, D. • Marleau, F. R.

Abstract • We present optical spectroscopy of a sample of 77 luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars selected on the basis of their mid-infrared colors. Our objects are selected from the Spitzer Extragalactic First Look Survey and the SWIRE XMM-Newton Large-Scale Structure Survey (XMM-LSS) fields, with a typical 24 μm flux density of 5 mJy. The median redshift is 0.6, with a range of ~0.05-4. Only 33% (25 out of 77) of these objects are normal type 1 quasars, with no obscuration. Forty-four percent (34 out of 77) are type 2 objects, with high-ionization, narrow emission lines, and 14% (11 out of 77) are dust-reddened type 1 quasars, showing broad lines but a dust-reddened or unusually weak quasar continuum. Nine percent (7 out of 77) show no sign of an AGN in the optical spectrum, having either starburst spectra or spectra that could be of either starburst or LINER type. These latter objects are analogous to the X-ray-detected population of AGNs with weak or nonexistent optical AGN emission (the X-ray-bright, optically normal galaxies). Of our objects from the SWIRE field, 21 fall within moderately deep XMM-Newton exposures. All the unobscured quasars and about half the obscured quasars are detected in these exposures. This sample, when taken together with other samples of Spitzer-selected AGNs and quasars and results from X-ray studies, confirms that obscured AGNs dominate the AGN and quasar number counts of all rapidly accreting supermassive black hole systems, at least for z<~4. This implies a high radiative efficiency for the black hole accretion process.

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Lee Armus

Senior Scientist