We describe the initial results of a new program aimed to ultimately yield ~10^4^ fully characterized X-ray source identifications - a sample about an order of magnitude larger than earlier efforts. The technique is detailed and employs X-ray data from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey (RASS, Cat. <IX/10>, <IX/29>) and optical imaging and spectroscopic follow-up from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS, <J/AJ/123/567>); these two surveys prove to be serendipitously very well matched in sensitivity. As part of the SDSS software pipelines, optical objects in the SDSS photometric catalogs are automatically positionally cross-correlated with RASS X-ray sources. Then priorities for follow-on SDSS optical spectra of candidate counterparts are automatically assigned using an algorithm based on the known ratios of fX/fopt for various classes of X-ray emitters at typical RASS fluxes of 10^-13^ergs/cm^2^/s. SDSS photometric parameters for optical morphology, magnitude, and colors, plus FIRST radio information, serve as proxies for object class.
We investigate the Eddington ratio distribution of X-ray-selected broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the redshift range 1.0<z<2.2, where the number density of AGNs peaks. Combining the optical and Subaru/Fiber Multi Object Spectrograph near-infrared spectroscopy, we estimate black hole masses for broad-line AGNs in the Chandra Deep Field South (CDF-S), Extended Chandra Deep Field South (E-CDF-S), and the XMM-Newton Lockman Hole (XMM-LH) surveys. AGNs with similar black hole masses show a broad range of AGN bolometric luminosities, which are calculated from X-ray luminosities, indicating that the accretion rate of black holes is widely distributed. We find a substantial fraction of massive black holes accreting significantly below the Eddington limit at z<~2, in contrast to what is generally found for luminous AGNs at high redshift. Our analysis of observational selection biases indicates that the "AGN cosmic downsizing" phenomenon can be simply explained by the strong evolution of the comoving number density at the bright end of the AGN luminosity function, together with the corresponding selection effects. However, one might need to consider a correlation between the AGN luminosity and the accretion rate of black holes, in which luminous AGNs have higher Eddington ratios than low-luminosity AGNs, in order to understand the relatively small fraction of low-luminosity AGNs with high accretion rates in this epoch. Therefore, the observed downsizing trend could be interpreted as massive black holes with low accretion rates, which are relatively fainter than less-massive black holes with efficient accretion.
We present a study of the structure of the high-mass star-forming region RCW 38 and the spatial distribution of its young stellar population. Spitzer Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) photometry (3-8um) is combined with Two Micron All Sky Survey near-IR data to identify young stellar objects (YSOs) by IR-excess emission from their circumstellar material. Chandra X-ray data are used to identify class III pre-main-sequence stars lacking circumstellar material. We identify 624 YSOs: 23 class 0/I and 90 flat spectrum protostars, 437 class II stars, and 74 class III stars. We also identify 29 (27 new) O star candidates over the IRAC field. Seventy-two stars exhibit IR-variability, including 7 class 0/I and 12 flat spectrum YSOs. A further 177 tentative candidates are identified by their location in the IRAC [3.6] versus [3.6]-[5.8] color-magnitude diagram. We find strong evidence of subclustering in the region.
We report on a multiwavelength study of a partially embedded region of star formation centered on the Herbig Be star LkH{alpha} 101. Using two 40ks Chandra observations, we detect 213 X-ray sources in the ~17'x17' ACIS-I field. We combine the X-ray data with Two Micron All Sky Survey near-IR observations and Spitzer IRAC and MIPS 24um observations to obtain a complete picture of the cluster. A total of 158 of the X-ray sources have infrared counterparts. Of these, we find nine protostars, 48 Class II objects, five transition objects, and 72 Class III objects. From the Spitzer data we identify an additional 10 protostars, 53 Class II objects, and four transition disk candidates which are not detected by Chandra. We obtained optical spectra of a sample of both X-ray-detected and non-X-ray-detected objects. Combining the X-ray, Spitzer, and spectral data, we obtain independent estimates of cluster distance and the total cluster size -excluding protostars. We obtain consistent distance estimates of 510^+100^_-40_pc and a total cluster size of 255^+50^_-25_ stars. We find the Class II:III ratio is about 5:7 with some evidence that the Class III sources are spatially more dispersed. The cluster appears very young with three sites of active star formation and a median age of about 1Myr.
We report on results of a 96.7ks Chandra observation of one of the youngest, most embedded, and most massive young stellar clusters studied in X-rays: RCW 38. We detect 460 sources in the field, of which 360 are confirmed to be associated with the RCW 38 cluster. The cluster members range in luminosity from 10^30^ to 10^33.5^ergs/s. Over 10% of the cluster members with over 100 counts exhibit flares, while about 15% of the cluster members with over 30 counts are variable. Of the sources identified as cluster members, 160 have near-infrared (NIR) counterparts either in the Two Micron All Sky Survey database or detected via Very Large Telescope observations. Of these, about 20% appear to have optically thick disks. An additional 353 members are identified through NIR observations, of which at least 50% possess optically thick disks. We fit over 100 X-ray sources as absorbed Raymond-Smith-type plasmas and find that the column to the cluster members varies from 10^21.5^ to 10^23^cm^-2^. We compare the gas to dust absorption signatures in these stars and find NH=A_V_(2x10^21^)cm^-2^. We find that the cluster contains 31 candidate OB stars and is centered about 10" (0.1pc) west of the primary source of the ionization, the O5 star IRS 2. The cluster has a peak central density of about 400 X-ray sources/pc^2^. We estimate that the total cluster membership exceeds 2000 stars.
We report on the results of an approximately 90ks Chandra observation of a complex region that hosts multiple sites of recent and active star formation in ARA OB1a. The field is centered on the embedded cluster RCW 108-IR and includes a large portion of the open cluster NGC 6193. We detect over 420 X-ray sources in the field and combined these data with deep near-IR, Spitzer/IRAC and Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) mid-IR data. We find about 360 of the X-ray sources have near-IR counterparts. We divide the region into five parts based on the X-ray point source characteristics and extended 8um emission. The most clearly defined regions are the central region, identified by embedded sources with high luminosities in both the near-IR and X-ray as well as high X-ray temperatures (~3keV), and the eastern region, identified by low extinction and ~1keV X-ray temperatures. The cluster members range in X-ray luminosity from 10^29^ to 10^33^erg/s. Over 18% of the cluster members with over 100 counts exhibit flares. All sources with over 350 counts are variable. Overall about 10% (16% in RCW 108-IR) appear to have optically thick disks as derived from their position in the (J-H), (H-K) diagram. The disk fraction becomes much higher when IRAC data are employed. We fit the bulk of the X-ray spectra as absorbed Raymond-Smith-type plasmas, and find that the column to the RCW 108-IR members varies from 10^21^ to 10^23^cm^-2^. We find that the field contains 41 candidate O or B stars, and estimate that the total number of pre-main-sequence stars in the field is about 1600+/-200.
We have obtained two deep exposures of the {rho} Oph cloud core region with the ROSAT High Resolution Imager. The improved position accuracy (1"-6") with respect to previous recent X-ray observations (ROSAT PSPC, and ASCA) allows us to remove positional ambiguities for the detected sources. We also cross-correlate the X-ray positions with IR sources found in the ISOCAM survey of the same region at 6.7 and 14.3{mu}m, in addition to sources (optical and IR) known from ground-based observations, which are young stars (T Tauri stars, with and without circumstellar disks, and protostars). We thus obtain the best-studied sample of X-ray emitting stars in a star-forming region (63 X-ray sources detected, and 55 identified).
We present the results obtained in the X-ray and infrared study in the star-forming region NGC2023. The X-ray observation (ID=0112640201) was performed as a single 30ks exposure on 2002. Afer our processing, the useful exposure time was reduced around to 15ks. Spitzer photometry (AORKEY 8773120 and 8773632) we used MOPEX to create the mosaic image and DAOPHOT package to derived the fluxes. Optical photometry (V and I magnitude) was obtained from DENIS and Mid-Infrared from 2MASS and WISE. We used Robitaille et al. (2007ApJS..169..328R) to SED fitting and derived stellar parameters.
We report on the X-ray and multiwavelength properties of 11 radio-quiet quasars with weak or no emission lines identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with redshift z=0.4-2.5. Our sample was selected from the Plotkin et al. catalog (2010, Cat. J/AJ/139/390) of radio-quiet, weak-featured active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The distribution of relative X-ray brightness for our low-redshift weak-line quasar (WLQ) candidates is significantly different from that of typical radio-quiet quasars, having an excess of X-ray weak sources, but it is consistent with that of high-redshift WLQs. Over half of the low-redshift WLQ candidates are X-ray weak by a factor of >~5, compared to a typical SDSS quasar with similar UV/optical luminosity. These X-ray weak sources generally show similar UV emission-line properties to those of the X-ray weak quasar PHL 1811 (weak and blueshifted high-ionization lines, weak semiforbidden lines, and strong UV Fe emission); they may belong to the notable class of PHL 1811 analogs. The average X-ray spectrum of these sources is somewhat harder than that of typical radio-quiet quasars.
We present the results of X-ray and near-infrared (NIR) observations of L1448, a star-forming region in the Perseus cloud complex using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the 4m telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. We detect 72 X-ray sources in a ~17'x17' region with a 68 ks ACIS exposure down to the X-ray flux limit of ~10^-15^ergs/s/cm2 (0.5-8keV), for which we conduct follow-up NIR imaging observations in a concentric ~11'x11' region with FLAMINGOS down to mi_Ks_~17mag. Twelve X-ray sources have NIR or optical counterparts.