We propose to detect the X-ray emission of a sample of five extreme QSOs, selected to be bright at mid-IR Spitzer and Radio (VLA) waveleghts but with faint near-IR and optical counterparts. They could be the tip of the iceberg of a population of heavily obscured AGN which may carry a large fraction of accretion and of the SMBH mass density at z>2. The proposed observations are crucial to evaluate the fraction of the mid-infrared selected type 2 QSOs which would have been selected also by X-ray surveys, and to assess whether the mid-IR selection is truly more efficient in discovering the long sougth population of high-z Compton thick AGN postulated in all AGN synthesis models for the CXB, with obvious important consequences for the estimates of the SMBH mass density.
Publication
No observations found associated with the current proposal
Instrument
EPN, RGS1, OM, RGS2, EMOS1, EMOS2
Temporal Coverage
2006-09-01T10:43:18Z/2007-03-22T03:32:06Z
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.
European Space Agency, 2008, The Dark Side Of Accretion: Chasing Type 2 Qsos, 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-93sefud
