Host galaxies and environment of active galactic nuclei : a study of the XMM large scale structure survey
Tasse, C.
Citation
Tasse, C. (2008, January 31). Host galaxies and environment of active galactic nuclei : a study of the XMM large scale structure survey. Leiden Observatory, Faculty of Science, Leiden University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/12586
Version: Corrected Publisher’s Version
License: Licence agreement concerning inclusion of doctoral thesis in the Institutional Repository of the University of Leiden
Downloaded from: https://hdl.handle.net/1887/12586
Note: To cite this publication please use the final published version (if applicable).
Host galaxies and environment of active galactic nuclei
A study of the XMM Large Scale Structure survey
Cover designed by Gilles Tasse.
In the sky: Canada-France Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey optical data+ Very Large Array radio data at 325 MHz (contours). At the cen- ter of the front page: the radio galaxy J0226.3- 0400.
Host galaxies and environment of active galactic nuclei
A study of the XMM Large Scale Structure survey
Proefschrift
ter verkrijging van
de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden,
op gezag van Rector Magnificus prof.mr. P.F. van der Heijden, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties
te verdedigen op donderdag 31 januari 2008 klokke 13.45 uur
door
Cyril TASSE
geboren te Saint-Brieuc (Frankrijk) in 1979
Promotiecommissie
Promotor: Prof. dr. G. Miley Co-promotor: Dr. H. R¨ottgering
Referent: Prof. dr. R. Windhorst (Arizona State University) Overige leden: Dr. P. Best (Royal Observatory Edinburgh)
Prof. dr. M. Franx Dr. P. Katgert Prof. dr. K. Kuijken
“There is no absolute up or down, as Aristotle thought; no absolute position in space; but the position of a body is relative
to that of other bodies. Everywhere there is incessant relative change in position throughout the Universe, and the observer is
always at the center of things.”
Giordano Bruno, Cause, Principle, and Unity (1584)
Contents
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Active galactic nuclei: old and newer paradigm . . . 1
1.2 Triggering processes of the AGN activity . . . 3
1.3 Galaxy formation: brief sketch . . . 4
1.4 AGN and galaxy formation . . . 5
1.5 This Thesis . . . 6
2 Low-frequency observations of the XMM Large Scale Structure field. 11 2.1 Introduction . . . 12
2.2 Observations . . . 13
2.2.1 Observational strategy . . . 14
2.2.2 Data Reduction . . . 14
2.3 Source list . . . 16
2.3.1 Detection . . . 16
2.3.2 Noise dependent errors . . . 16
2.3.3 Calibration errors . . . 18
2.3.4 Completeness: . . . 20
2.3.5 Extended flux density estimation . . . 21
2.4 Results . . . 22
2.4.1 325MHz Results . . . 22
2.4.2 A Radio halo candidate at 325 MHz . . . 25
2.4.3 74MHz Results . . . 25
2.4.4 Source Identification from Literature: . . . 28
2.5 Conclusion and Future Work . . . 29
Appendices 33 A Radio images . . . 33
3 GMRT observations of the XMM large scale structure survey field 37 3.1 Introduction . . . 38
3.2 Observations and data reduction . . . 40
3.2.1 Radio Continuum at 610 MHz . . . 40
3.2.2 Radio Continuum at 240 MHz . . . 41
3.3 Source extraction . . . 42
viii Host galaxies and environment of active galactic nuclei
3.4 Determination of source parameters and associated errors . . . 43
3.4.1 Astrometry . . . 43
3.4.2 Flux densities . . . 44
3.5 Results . . . 46
3.6 Radio spectra analysis . . . 49
3.6.1 The multi frequency radio sample . . . 49
3.6.2 Comparison with VLA data . . . 49
3.6.3 Spectral fits . . . 51
3.6.4 Subsample definition . . . 52
3.7 Conclusion and Future Work . . . 54
Appendices 57 A Radio images . . . 57
4 Radio-loud AGN in the XMM-LSS field: optical identification and sample selection 61 4.1 Introduction . . . 62
4.2 Surveys of the XMM-LSS field . . . 63
4.2.1 VLA Radio data at 74 and 325 MHz . . . 63
4.2.2 GMRT Radio data at 230 and 610 MHz . . . 63
4.2.3 CFHTLS-W1 optical data . . . 64
4.2.4 SWIRE survey data . . . 66
4.2.5 Field selection . . . 66
4.3 Optical and infrared identification of radio sources . . . 66
4.3.1 Visual inspection and classification . . . 67
4.3.2 Optical identification: the likelihood ratio method . . . 68
4.3.3 Contamination correction . . . 70
4.3.4 Completeness and reliability . . . 71
4.3.5 Infrared association . . . 72
4.4 Spectral Energy Distribution fitting . . . 73
4.4.1 Theoretical approach: ZPEG . . . 74
4.4.2 Semi empirical approach . . . 76
4.5 Subsample selection . . . 77
4.5.1 Selection of the basic sample . . . 77
4.5.2 Type-1 AGN contamination . . . 78
4.5.3 Starburst selection . . . 79
4.6 Output parameters accuracies . . . 82
4.6.1 ZPEG standards . . . 82
4.6.2 The influence of emission lines . . . 84
4.7 Radio sources’ hosts properties . . . 84
4.7.1 Basic observed properties . . . 85
4.7.2 ZPEG outputs . . . 87
4.8 Conclusion . . . 87
Contents ix
Appendices 91
A Centroid uncertainties for Class 2 sources . . . 91
B Comments on individual sources . . . 92
B1 Class 3 sources . . . 92
B2 Class 4 sources . . . 93
C Tables . . . 94
D overlays . . . 98
5 Radio-loud AGN in the XMM-LSS field: a dichotomy on environment and accretion mode? 105 5.1 Introduction . . . 106
5.2 A sample of radio selected AGN in the XMM-LSS field . . . 107
5.3 Intrinsic properties of the host galaxies of radio sources . . . 110
5.3.1 Stellar mass functions . . . 110
5.3.2 V/Vmaxstatistics . . . 111
5.3.3 Infrared properties of radio sources’ hosts . . . 113
5.4 The environment of the host galaxies of radio sources . . . 114
5.4.1 The overdensity parameter . . . 117
5.4.2 The environment of radio sources . . . 117
5.4.3 Comparison with X-ray selected galaxy clusters . . . 119
5.5 Discussion and conclusions . . . 121
Appendices 125 A Number density estimator . . . 125
B Overdensity estimator . . . 126
B1 Probability functions . . . 126
B2 Overdensity parameter . . . 126
6 Internal and environmental properties of X-ray selected AGN. 129 6.1 Introduction . . . 130
6.2 Multiwavelength dataset . . . 131
6.2.1 XMM-LSS X-ray survey . . . 131
6.2.2 Optical and infrared surveys . . . 131
6.3 A sample of X-ray selected Type-2 AGN . . . 133
6.3.1 Optical identification . . . 133
6.3.2 Spectral energy distribution fitting and sample selection . . . 134
6.3.3 Extinction correction . . . 135
6.4 Properties of X-ray selected AGN . . . 136
6.4.1 Basic properties of X-ray selected AGN . . . 136
6.4.2 Luminosity function . . . 138
6.4.3 Stellar mass function . . . 139
6.4.4 Infrared properties . . . 139
6.4.5 Environment . . . 141
6.5 Summary and discussion . . . 141
x Host galaxies and environment of active galactic nuclei
Appendices 145
A Table . . . 145
7 Summary and discussion 151
7.1 Summary . . . 151 7.2 Discussion . . . 152
Nederlandse Samenvatting 155
R´esum´e en franc¸ais 161
Curriculum Vitae 167
Acknowledgement 169