Discovering and studying obscured AGN at z>1-3 is important not only to complete the AGN census, but also because they can pinpoint galaxies where nuclear accretion and star-formation are coeval, and mark the onset of AGN feedback. We present the latest results on the characterization of z=1-3 galaxies selected for their high mid-infrared to optical flux ratio, showing that they are massive and strongly star-forming galaxies, and that many do host highly obscured AGN. We present a pilot program to push the search of moderately obscured AGN up to z=5-6 and discuss the perspectives of this line of research.
Large extragalactic surveys allow us to trace, in a statistical sense, how supermassive black holes, their host galaxies, and their dark matter halos evolve together over cosmic time, and so explore the consequences of AGN feedback on galaxy evolution. Recent studies have found significant links between the accretion states of black holes and galaxy stellar populations, local environments, and obscuration by gas and dust. This article describes some recent results and shows how such studies may provide new constraints on models of the co-evolution of galaxies and their central SMBHs. Finally, …
We present the results of recent studies on the co-evolution of galaxies and the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) using Herschel far-infrared and Chandra X-ray observations in the Boötes survey region. For a sample of star-forming (SF) galaxies, we find a strong correlation between galactic star formation rate and the average SMBH accretion rate in SF galaxies. Recent studies have shown that star formation and AGN accretion are only weakly correlated for individual AGN, but this may be due to the short variability timescale of AGN relative to star formation. Averaging over the full AGN populat…
We identify 85 variable galaxies in the GOODS North and South fields using 5 epochs of HST ACS V-band (F606W) images spanning 6 months. The variables are identified through significant flux changes in the galaxy's nucleus and represent ~2% of the survey galaxies. With the aim of studying the active galaxy population in the GOODS fields, we compare the variability-selected sample with X-ray and mid-IR AGN candidates. Forty-nine percent of the variables are associated with X-ray sources identified in the 2Ms Chandra surveys. Twenty-four percent of X-ray sources likely to be AGN are optical varia…
It is still a matter of intense debate how supermassive black holes (SMBH) grow, and the role played by feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the co-evolution of SMBHs and galaxies. To test the coevolution proposed by theoretical models, we compile a large AGN sample of 5639 X-ray detected AGN, over a wide redshift range, spanning nearly three orders of magnitude in X-ray luminosity. The AGN have been detected in the {\it{COSMOS-Legacy}}, the Bo$\rm \ddot{o}$tes, the XMM-{\it{XXL}} and the eFEDS fields. Using the specific star formation rate estimates, we split the AGN host galaxies in…
Hard X-ray surveys like those provided by IBIS and BAT on board the INTEGRAL and Swift satellites list a significant number of sources which are unidentified and/or unclassified and which deserve multiwaveband observations to be properly characterized. In this work we have been able to follow up 148 such sources, finding 27 X-ray binaries and 121 Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). From the AGN sample we extracted a set of 94 AGN, belonging to the INTEGRAL/IBIS and Swift/BAT surveys, for which we performed an X-ray study to determine absorption and 2-10 keV flux by means of XMM-Newton and Swift/XRT …
We employ the Chandra Multiwavelength Project (ChaMP) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to study the fraction of X-ray-active galaxies in the field out to z = 0.7. We utilize spectroscopic redshifts from SDSS and ChaMP, as well as photometric redshifts from several SDSS catalogs, to compile a parent sample of more than 100,000 SDSS galaxies and nearly 1,600 Chandra X-ray detections. Detailed ChaMP volume completeness maps allow us to investigate the local fraction of active galactic nuclei (AGN), defined as those objects having broad-band X-ray luminosities L_X (0.5-8 keV) > 10^42 erg s^…
Significant progress has been made in the last few years on understanding how supermassive black holes form and grow. In this paper, we begin by reviewing the spectral signatures of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) ranging from radio to hard X-ray wavelengths. We then describe the most commonly used methods to find these sources, including optical/UV, radio, infrared and X-ray emission and optical emission lines. We then describe the main observational properties of the obscured and unobscured AGN population. Finally, we summarize the cosmic history of black hole accretion, i.e., when in the histo…
The main focus of this thesis is the IR spectral regime, which since the 70's and 80's has revolutionised our understanding of the Universe. A multi-wavelength analysis on Extremely Red Galaxy populations is first presented in one of the most intensively observed patch of the sky, the Chandra Deep Field South. By adopting a purely statistical methodology, we consider all the photometric and spectroscopic information available on large samples of Extremely Red Objects (EROs, 553 sources), IRAC EROs (IEROs, 259 sources), and Distant Red Galaxies (DRGs, 289 sources). We derive general properties:…
(Abridged) We attempt to infer the accretion mechanism and radiative processes giving rise to the SEDs of a well-defined optically-selected sample of LINERs showing a definite detection of broad Halpha emission (LINER 1s). We construct SEDs for six LINER~1s with simultaneous UV and X-ray fluxes, and we looked for multiwavelength, radio to X-ray and UV to X-ray, correlations. At a given X-ray luminosity, the average SED of the six LINER 1s in our sample: (1) resembles the SED of radio-loud quasars in the radio band, <log R_X>~-2.7, (2) exhibits a weak UV bump, <alpha_ox>~-1.17+-0.02 with a disp…
We present the results of our 600 ks RGS observation as part of the multiwavelength campaign on Mrk 509. The very high quality of the spectrum allows us to investigate the ionized outflow with an unprecedented accuracy due to the long exposure and the use of the RGS multipointing mode. We detect multiple absorption lines from the interstellar medium and from the ionized absorber in Mrk 509. A number of emission components are also detected, including broad emission lines consistent with an origin in the broad line region, the narrow OVII forbidden emission line and also (narrow) radiative reco…
We present radio and X-ray observations, as well as optical light curves, for a subset of 26 BL Lac candidates from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) lacking strong radio emission and with z<2.2. Half of these 26 objects are shown to be stars, galaxies, or absorbed quasars. We conclude that the other 13 objects are Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) with abnormally weak emission features; ten of those 13 are definitively radio-quiet, and, for those with available optical light curves, their level of optical flux variability is consistent with radio-quiet quasars. We cannot exclude the possibility …
We present a multiwavelength study of the AGN-host starburst galaxy PKS 0529-549 at z~2.6. We use (1) new ALMA observations of the dust continuum and of the [CI] 370 um line, tracing molecular gas, (2) SINFONI spectroscopy of the [OIII] 5007 Ang line, tracing ionized gas, and (3) ATCA radio continuum images, tracing synchrotron emission. Both [CI] and [OIII] show regular velocity gradients, but their systemic velocities and position angles differ by ~300 km/s and ~30 degrees, respectively. The [CI] is consistent with a rotating disc, aligned with the dust and stellar continuum, while the [OIII…
The science achievable with SKA HI surveys will be greatly increased through the combination of HI data with that at other wavelengths. These multiwavelength datasets will enable studies to move beyond an understanding of HI gas in isolation to instead understand HI as an integral part of the highly complex baryonic processes that drive galaxy evolution. As they evolve, galaxies experience a host of environmental and feedback influences, many of which can radically impact their gas content. Important processes include: accretion (hot and cold mode, mergers), depletion (star formation, galactic…
The systematic targeting of extended Ly$α$ emission around high-redshift quasars resulted in the discovery of rare and bright Enormous Ly$α$ Nebulae (ELANe) associated with multiple active galactic nuclei (AGN). We here initiate "a multiwavelength study of ELAN environments" (AMUSE$^2$) focusing on the ELAN around the $z\sim3$ quasar SDSS J1040+1020, a.k.a. the Fabulous ELAN. We report on VLT/HAWK-I, APEX/LABOCA, JCMT/SCUBA-2, SMA/850$μ$m, ALMA/CO(5-4) and 2mm observations and compare them to previously published VLT/MUSE data. The continuum and line detections enable a first estimate of the s…
We present medium resolution (R~20,000) HST/COS ultraviolet spectra covering 1155-1760 A of the Seyfert 1 Mrk 509 obtained simultaneously with a Chandra/LETGS spectrum as part of a multiwavelength campaign in 2009 that included observations with XMM-Newton, SWIFT, and Integral. Our high S/N spectrum detects additional complexity in the absorption troughs from a variety of sources in Mrk 509, including the outflow from the active nucleus, the ISM and halo of the host galaxy, and infalling clouds or stripped gas from a merger that are illuminated by the AGN. Variability between the STIS and COS …
We report the final optical identifications of the medium-depth (~60 ksec), contiguous (2 deg^2) XMM-Newton survey of the COSMOS field. XMM-Newton has detected ~800 X-ray sources down to limiting fluxes of ~5x10^{-16}, ~3x10^{-15}, and ~7x10^{-15} erg/cm2/s in the 0.5-2 keV, 2-10 keV and 5-10 keV bands, respectively. The work is complemented by an extensive collection of multi-wavelength data from 24 micron to UV, available from the COSMOS survey, for each of the X-ray sources, including spectroscopic redshifts for ~50% of the sample, and high-quality photometric redshifts for the rest. The XM…
Our understanding of the cosmic evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) has been revolutionized by the advent of large multiwavelength extragalactic surveys, which have enabled detailed statistical studies of the host galaxies and large-scale structures of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We give an overview of some recent results on SMBH evolution, including the connection between AGN activity and star formation in galaxies, the role of galaxy mergers in fueling AGN activity, the nature of luminous obscured AGN, and the connection between AGN and their host dark matter halos. We conclude b…
We present a large robust sample of 1503 reliable and unconfused 70microm selected sources from the multiwavelength data set of the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). Using the Spitzer IRAC and MIPS photometry, we estimate the total infrared luminosity, L_IR (8--1000 microns), by finding the best fit template from several different template libraries. The long wavelength 70 and 160 micron data allow us to obtain a reliable estimate of L_IR, accurate to within 0.2 and 0.05 dex, respectively. The 70 micron data point enables a significant improvement over the luminosity estimates possible with on…
Multiwavelength identification of AGN is crucial not only to obtain a more complete census, but also to learn about the physical state of the nuclear activity (obscuration, efficiency, etc.). A panchromatic strategy plays an especially important role when the host galaxies are star-forming. Selecting far-Infrared galaxies at 0.3<z<1, and using AGN tracers in the X-ray, optical spectra, mid-infrared, and radio regimes, we found a twice higher AGN fraction than previous studies, thanks to the combined AGN identification methods and in particular the recent Mass-Excitation (MEx) diagnostic diagra…
We review results from cosmic X-ray surveys of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) over the past ~ 15 yr that have dramatically improved our understanding of growing supermassive black holes in the distant universe. First, we discuss the utility of such surveys for AGN investigations and the capabilities of the missions making these surveys, emphasizing Chandra, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR. Second, we briefly describe the main cosmic X-ray surveys, the essential roles of complementary multiwavelength data, and how AGNs are selected from these surveys. We then review key results from these surveys on the …
Over the last few years, the existence of mutual feedback effects between accreting supermassive black holes powering AGN and star formation in their host galaxies has become evident. This means that the formation and the evolution of AGN and galaxies should be considered as one and the same problem. As a consequence, the search for, and the characterization of the evolutive and physical properties of AGN over a large redshift interval is a key topic of present research in the field of observational cosmology. Significant advances have been obtained in the last ten years thanks to the sizable …
In the era of deep, large-area far-infrared (FIR) surveys from the Herschel Space Telescope, the bulk of the star-formation in distant galaxies, once hidden by dust, is now being revealed. The FIR provides probably the cleanest view of SF in the host galaxies of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) over cosmic time. We report results from studies of the relationships between SF, AGN activity and AGN obscuration out to z=2.5, which employ some of the deepest Herschel and X-ray datasets currently available, while spanning orders of magnitude in the dynamic range of AGN properties. We highlight the role…
