MNRAS-2015-Mateos-1422-40.pdf (930.17 kB)
Revisiting the relationship between 6 mu m and 2-10 keV continuum luminosities of AGN
journal contribution
posted on 2016-02-03, 11:49 authored by S. Mateos, FJ Carrera, A. Alonso-Herrero, E. Rovilos, A. J. Hernan-Caballero, X. Barcons, Andrew William Blain, A. Caccianiga, R. Della Ceca, P. SevergniniWe have determined the relation between the AGN luminosities at rest-frame 6 μm associated with the dusty torus emission and at 2–10 keV energies using a complete, X-ray-flux-limited sample of 232 AGN drawn from the Bright Ultra-hard XMM-Newton Survey. The objects have intrinsic X-ray luminosities between 1042 and 1046 erg s−1 and redshifts from 0.05 to 2.8. The rest-frame 6 μm luminosities were computed using data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and are based on a spectral energy distribution decomposition into AGN and galaxy emission. The best-fitting relationship for the full sample is consistent with being linear, L6 μm ∝ L0.99±0.032−10keVL2−10keV0.99±0.03, with intrinsic scatter, Δ log L6 μm ∼ 0.35 dex. The L6μm/L2−10keVL6μm/L2−10keV luminosity ratio is largely independent of the line-of-sight X-ray absorption. Assuming a constant X-ray bolometric correction, the fraction of AGN bolometric luminosity reprocessed in the mid-IR decreases weakly, if at all, with the AGN luminosity, a finding at odds with simple receding torus models. Type 2 AGN have redder mid-IR continua at rest-frame wavelengths <12 μm and are overall ∼1.3–2 times fainter at 6 μm than type 1 AGN at a given X-ray luminosity. Regardless of whether type 1 and type 2 AGN have the same or different nuclear dusty toroidal structures, our results imply that the AGN emission at rest-frame 6 μm is not isotropic due to self-absorption in the dusty torus, as predicted by AGN torus models. Thus, AGN surveys at rest-frame ∼6 μm are subject to modest dust obscuration biases.
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Citation
Monthly Notices Of The Royal Astronomical Society, 2015, 449 (2), pp. 1422-1440 (19)Author affiliation
/Organisation/COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING/Department of Physics and AstronomyVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
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Monthly Notices Of The Royal Astronomical SocietyPublisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)issn
0035-8711eissn
1365-2966Acceptance date
2015-02-11Copyright date
2015Available date
2016-02-03Publisher DOI
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http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/content/449/2/1422Language
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Science & TechnologyPhysical SciencesAstronomy & Astrophysicsgalaxies: activequasars: supermassive black holesinfrared: galaxiesX-rays: galaxiesACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEIBRIGHT SERENDIPITOUS SURVEYRAY SPECTRAL PROPERTIESSUPERMASSIVE BLACK-HOLESDIGITAL-SKY-SURVEYDEEP FIELD-SOUTHX-RAYXMM-NEWTONENERGY-DISTRIBUTIONSINFRARED-EMISSION
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