COSMOS Observations: X-Ray

Imaging in the X-Ray domain allows the detection of Active Galaxy Nuclei and clusters of galaxies. Together with the ACS HST and spectroscopic data, the role of environment and galaxy morphology in the evolution of AGN activity will be measured.

• XMM/Newton

  We have so far secured 1.4 megaseconds of observing time with XMM/Newton in the AO3 and AO4 observing cycles. With the XMM data, we shall probe for the first time the 3D clustering as a function of redshift in the X-ray band and detect sufficient numbers of AGN to probe the accretion history at high redshift.

  Additional information on the XMM campaign can be found on the XMM-COSMOS website.

• Chandra

  The Chandra COSMOS Survey (C-COSMOS) covers the central area of the COSMOS field to ∼2x10^-16 cgs (0.5-2 keV) with a series of 36 heavily overlapped ACIS-I 50 ksec pointings, giving a total exposure of 200 ksec over ∼0.8 sq. deg. A catalog of 1760 X-ray sources has been produced, compared with about 200 in the combined Chandra Deep Surveys, CDF-N and -S. This flux range will include many starburst dominated galaxies as well as AGNs. Thanks to the large and deep COSMOS data set a multi-wavelength ID program has yielded counterparts to 95% of the C-COSMOS X-ray sources, whose properties we have begun to study.

  Updated June 2008.