The environmental dependence of X-ray AGN activity at z ∼ 0.4

ABSTRACT We present an analysis of the X-ray active galactic nucleus (AGN) population in a sample of seven massive galaxy clusters in the redshift range 0.35 < z < 0.45. We utilize high-quality Chandra X-ray imaging to robustly identify AGN and precisely determine cluster masses and centroids....

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Veröffentlicht in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2020-11, Vol.498 (3), p.4095-4108
Hauptverfasser: Noordeh, E, Canning, R E A, King, A, Allen, S W, Mantz, A, Morris, R G, Ehlert, S, von der Linden, A, Brandt, W N, Luo, B, Xue, Y Q, Kelly, P
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:ABSTRACT We present an analysis of the X-ray active galactic nucleus (AGN) population in a sample of seven massive galaxy clusters in the redshift range 0.35 < z < 0.45. We utilize high-quality Chandra X-ray imaging to robustly identify AGN and precisely determine cluster masses and centroids. Follow-up VIsible Multi-Object Spectrograph optical spectroscopy allows us to determine which AGN are cluster members. Studying the subset of AGN with 0.5–8 keV luminosities >6.8 × 1042 erg s−1, within r ≤ 2r500 (approximately the virial radius), we find that the cluster AGN space density scales with cluster mass as $\sim M^{-2.0^{+0.8}_{-0.9}}$. This result rules out zero mass dependence of the cluster X-ray AGN space density at the 2.5σ level. We compare our cluster X-ray AGN sample to a control field with identical selection and find that the cluster AGN fraction is significantly suppressed relative to the field when considering the brightest galaxies with V < 21.5. For fainter galaxies, this difference is not present. Comparing the X-ray hardness ratios of cluster member AGN to those in the control field, we find no evidence for enhanced X-ray obscuration of cluster member AGN. Lastly, we see tentative evidence that disturbed cluster environments may contribute to enhanced AGN activity.
ISSN:0035-8711
1365-2966
DOI:10.1093/mnras/staa2682