MIDIS: Quantifying the active galactic nucleus component of X-ray-detected galaxies
Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 704, pp. A100
Abstract
X-ray and infrared surveys provide efficient, and to some degree complementary, means of detecting and characterising active galactic nuclei (AGNs), with the infrared also providing an important probe of the host galaxies. To this end we combine the deepest X-ray survey from the Chandra Deep Field-South (CDF-S) ‘7-Ms’ survey with the deepest mid-infrared (5.6 μm) image from the JWST/MIRI Deep Imaging Survey (MIDIS) in the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) to study the infrared counterparts and point-source emission of 31 X-ray sources with a median, intrinsic, rest-frame X-ray luminosity of log 10 ( L Xc 0.5−7 keV ) = 42.04 ± 0.22 erg s −1 . The sample includes 24 AGNs with a redshift range, set by the X-ray detectability, of z ≃ 0.5−3, with the bulk of the sources lying at z ≃ 1−2, i.e. around the epoch of cosmic noon. Through a multi-wavelength morphological decomposition, employing three separate classifications (visual, parametric, and non-parametric), we separate (where present) the luminosity of the point-like AGN component from the remainder of the host-galaxy emission. The unprecedented mid-infrared sensitivity and imaging resolution of MIRI allows, in many cases, for the direct characterisation of point-like (i.e. unresolved) components in the galaxies’ emission. We establish a broad agreement between the three morphological classifications. At least 70% of the X-ray sources, including some classified as galaxies, show unresolved emission in the MIRI images, with the unresolved-to-total flux fraction at rest-frame 2 μm ranging from ∼0.2 to ∼0.9. At high X-ray luminosities (log 10 ( L Xc ) > 43 erg s −1 ), we derive a consistent rest-frame near-infrared 2 μm point-source luminosity to that derived for local AGNs, whilst at lower X-ray luminosities we identify an excess in the 2 μm emission compared to pre-JWST studies. We speculate that this offset may be driven by a combination of Compton-thick AGN components and nuclear starburst, merger-driven activity. Our observations highlight the complex nature of X-ray sources in the distant Universe and demonstrate the power of JWST/MIRI in quantifying their nuclear infrared emission.
Authors 26
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DTU Space · Technical University of Denmark
Affiliation as printed
Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)
DTU Space, Elektrovej
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Affiliation as printed
School of Physics & Astronomy, Space Park Leicester, University of Leicester
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Affiliation as printed
Centro de Astrobiologıa (CAB), CSIC-INTA
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Leiden University · Leiden Observatory
Affiliation as printed
Leiden Observatory, Leiden University
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Affiliation as printed
School of Physics & Astronomy, Space Park Leicester, University of Leicester
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centro de Astrobiología
Affiliation as printed
Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA
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Stockholm University · AlbaNova
Affiliation as printed
Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Oscar Klein Centre, AlbaNova University Centre
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centro de Astrobiología
Affiliation as printed
Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centro de Astrobiología
Affiliation as printed
Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA
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Affiliation as printed
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen
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University of Arizona · University of Groningen
Affiliation as printed
Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen
Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centro de Astrobiología
Affiliation as printed
Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA
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Stockholm University · AlbaNova
Affiliation as printed
Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Oscar Klein Centre, AlbaNova University Centre
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Leiden University · Heidelberg University · Leiden Observatory
Affiliation as printed
Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University
Leiden Observatory, Leiden University
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Space Telescope Science Institute · Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas · Centro de Astrobiología
Affiliation as printed
Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
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Affiliation as printed
Physikalisches Institut der Universität zu Köln
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Space Telescope Science Institute · European Space Agency
Affiliation as printed
European Space Agency, ESA Office, Space Telescope Science Institute
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Affiliation as printed
DARK, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
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European Space Agency · European Space Astronomy Centre
Affiliation as printed
Telespazio UK for the European Space Agency, ESAC
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Affiliation as printed
DARK, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
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Stockholm University · AlbaNova
Affiliation as printed
Department of Astronomy, Stockholm University, Oscar Klein Centre, AlbaNova University Centre
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Affiliation as printed
Physikalisches Institut der Universität zu Köln
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Leiden University · Leiden Observatory
Affiliation as printed
Leiden Observatory, Leiden University
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University of Vienna · ETH Zurich · Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
Dept. of Astrophysics, University of Vienna
ETH Zürich, Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics
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Leiden University · Leiden Observatory
Affiliation as printed
Leiden Observatory, Leiden University
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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives · Université Paris-Saclay · Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation · Sorbonne Paris Cité · Université Paris Diderot
Affiliation as printed
AIM, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité
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