x-ray surveys hold the key to many outstanding problems in agn reseach, including studies of the luminosity function, evolution and emission mechanisms of agn. of particular interest at the moment is the origin of the x-ray background, and what fraction of its emission is caused by active/high luminosity or low luminosity objects. the rosat pspc is the most sensitive intrument we yet have to survey the x-ray sky, and we are in the process of compiling a complete x-ray selected sample of objects down to a flux limit of 3 x 10^-14 ergs/cm2/s. this threshold is an order of magnitude lower than that achieved by the emss. this survey is the rixos survey, and it together with deep rosat surveys are showing that narrow line galaxies such as seyfert 2.s liners and starburst galaxies are an important fraction of the extra- galactic population at the lowest flux levels. in order to fully understand these objects, we need as wide a range of data as possible. ir data will enable us to study in more detail the continuum emission mechanisms in these objects, and we will relate the ir emission to the optical and x-ray emission. our sample consists of those objects at the faint x-ray fluxes, but these sources are actually at the top end of the luminosity distribution for narrow line galaxies. we therefore will not only be able to study these objects and their continuum emission, but we will be able to compare these objects with the lower luminosity galaxies which are more normal. further, since we have a much larger range of redshifts in our sample than has been accesible by other surveys, we will be able to look for evolutionary effects, and relate the narrow line galaxies to more active objects over a wide range of redshifts.
Instrument
PHT03
Temporal Coverage
1997-06-01T04:21:43Z/1997-07-08T05:52:48Z
Version
1.0
Mission Description
The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) was the world's first true orbiting infrared observatory. Equipped with four highly-sophisticated and versatile scientific instruments, it was launched by Ariane in November 1995 and provided astronomers world-wide with a facility of unprecedented sensitivity and capabilities for a detailed exploration of the Universe at infrared wavelengths.
European Space Agency, 1998, Far Ir Observation Of X-Ray Selected Emission Line Galaxies From The Rixos Survey, 1.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-ijrnblg
