| Name | 079566 |
| Title | A COMPLETE CENSUS OF THE COMPTON-THICK AGN POPULATION IN OUR COSMIC BACKYARD |
| URL | https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0795660101 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-at1e04i |
| Author | European Space Agency |
| Description | We propose for a total of 150 ks NuSTAR and 30 ks XMM-Newton observations to characterise the intrinsic power and obscuring properties of four of the nearest active galactic nuclei (AGN) to us. We are carrying out the first complete and direct measurement of the column density (N H) distribution of AGN in a local volume-limited (D < 15 Mpc) AGN survey using primarily NuSTAR. Prior to our program, only 50% of the AGN had reliable obscuration measurements. We have recently improved this to 75%, and found a Compton-thick AGN fraction of at least 30%. This is higher than that directly measured in flux-limited AGN samples. NuSTAR observations of these four targets will be crucial in bringing the local N H distribution of AGN to 100% completeness. |
| Publication | No observations found associated with the current proposal |
| Instrument | EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2 |
| Temporal Coverage | 2017-12-16T02:17:25Z/2017-12-16T12:29:05Z |
| Version | 17.56_20190403_1200 |
| Mission Description | The European Space Agency's (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESA's second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations. Since Earth's atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis. |
| Creator Contact | https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/xmm-newton/xmm-newton-helpdesk |
| Date Published | 2019-01-09T23:00:00Z |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, 2019, A Complete Census Of The Compton-Thick Agn Population In Our Cosmic Backyard, 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-at1e04i |