Infrared Properties of High Redshift and X-ray Selected AGN Samples

Abstract

The NASA/ISO Key Project on active galactic nuclei (AGN) seeks to better understand the broad-band spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these sources from radio to X-rays, with particular emphasis on infrared properties. The ISO sample includes a wide variety of AGN types and spans a large redshift range. Two subsamples are considered herein: 8 high-redshift (1 < z < 4.7) quasars; and 22 hard X-ray selected sources. The X-ray selected AGN show a wide range of IR continuum shapes, extending to cooler colors than the optical/radio sample of [7]. Where a far-IR turnover is clearly observed, the slopes are < 2.5 in all but one case so that non-thermal emission remains a possibility. The highest redshift quasars show extremely strong, hot IR continua requiring ∼ 100M⊙ of 500–1000K dust with ∼ 100 times weaker optical emission. Possible explanations for these unusual properties include: reflection of the optical light from material above/below a torus; strong obscuration of the optical continuum; or an intrinsic deficit of optical emission. A cosmology of (H_0, Ω^m , Ω^k , Ω_Λ ) = (50 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹, 1, 0, 0) is assumed.

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