Description
We present the results of a program to acquire high-quality optical spectra of X-ray sources detected in the Extended-Chandra Deep Field-South (E-CDF-S) and its central 2Ms area. New spectroscopic redshifts, up to z=4, are measured for 283 counterparts to Chandra sources with deep exposures (t~2-9hr per pointing) using multi-slit facilities on both VLT (VIMOS) and Keck (DEIMOS), thus bringing the total number of spectroscopically identified X-ray sources to over 500 in this survey field. Since our new spectroscopic identifications are mainly associated with X-ray sources in the shallower 250ks coverage, we provide a comprehensive catalog of X-ray sources detected in the E-CDF-S including the optical and near-infrared counterparts, determined by a likelihood routine, and redshifts (both spectroscopic and photometric), that incorporate published spectroscopic catalogs, thus resulting in a final sample with a high fraction (80%) of X-ray sources having secure identifications. Our redshift catalog includes 17 type-2 QSOs at 1<~z<~3.5. Based on our deepest (9 hr) VLT/VIMOS observation, we identify "elusive" optically faint galaxies (Rmag~25) at z~2-3 based upon the detection of interstellar absorption lines (e.g., OII+SiIV, CII], CIV).
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