We present an analysis of the mid-infrared (MIR) and optical properties of type 1 (broad-line) quasars detected by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The MIR color-redshift relation is characterized to z ~ 3, with predictions to z = 7. We demonstrate how combining MIR and optical colors can yield even more efficient selection of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) than MIR or optical colors alone. Composite spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are constructed for 259 quasars with both Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Spitzer photometry, supplemented by near-IR, GALEX, VLA, and ROSAT data, where available. We discuss how the spectral diversity of quasars influences the determination of bolometric luminosities and accretion rates; assuming the mean SED can lead to errors as large as 50% for individual quasars when inferring a bolometric luminosity from an optical luminosity. Finally, we show that careful consideration of the shape of the mean quasar SED and its redshift dependence leads to a lower estimate of the fraction of reddened/obscured AGNs missed by optical surveys as compared to estimates derived from a single mean MIR to optical flux ratio.

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Spectral energy distributions and multiwavelength selection of type 1 quasars

Mid-infrared photometry provides a robust technique for identifying active galaxies. While the ultraviolet to mid-infrared (λ 5 μm) continuum of stellar populations is dominated by the composite blackbody curve and peaks at approximately 1.6 μm, the ultraviolet to mid-infrared continuum of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is dominated by a power law. Consequently, with a sufficient wavelength baseline, one can easily distinguish AGNs from stellar populations. Mirroring the tendency of AGNs to be bluer than galaxies in the ultraviolet, where galaxies (and stars) sample the blue, rising portion of stellar spectra, AGNs tend to be redder than galaxies in the mid-infrared, where galaxies sample the red, falling portion of the stellar spectra. We report on Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared colors, derived from the IRAC Shallow Survey, of nearly 10,000 spectroscopically identified sources from the AGN and Galaxy Evolution Survey. On the basis of this spectroscopic sample, we find that simple mid-infrared color criteria provide remarkably robust separation of active galaxies from normal galaxies and Galactic stars, with over 80% completeness and less than 20% contamination. Considering only broad-lined AGNs, these mid-infrared color criteria identify over 90% of spectroscopically identified quasars and Seyfert 1 galaxies. Applying these color criteria to the full imaging data set, we discuss the implied surface density of AGNs and find evidence for a large population of optically obscured active galaxies.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/432523/pdf

Mid-Infrared Selection of Active Galaxies

We analyze a sample of ~2600 Spitzer MIPS 24 μm sources brighter than ~80 μJy and located in the Chandra Deep Field-South to characterize the evolution of the comoving infrared (IR) energy density of the universe up to z ~ 1. Using published ancillary optical data, we first obtain a nearly complete redshift determination for the 24 μm objects associated with R 24 mag counterparts at z 1. These sources represent ~55%-60% of the total MIPS 24 μm population with f24 μm 80 μJy, the rest of the sample likely lying at higher redshifts. We then determine an estimate of their total IR luminosities using various libraries of IR spectral energy distributions. We find that the 24 μm population at 0.5 z 1 is dominated by "luminous infrared galaxies" (i.e., 1011 L☉ ≤ LIR ≤ 1012 L☉), the counterparts of which appear to be also luminous at optical wavelengths and tend to be more massive than the majority of optically selected galaxies. A significant number of fainter sources (5 × 1010 L☉ LIR ≤ 1011 L☉) are also detected at similar distances. We finally derive 15 μm and total IR luminosity functions (LFs) up to z ~ 1. In agreement with the previous results from the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) and SCUBA and as expected from the MIPS source number counts, we find very strong evolution of the contribution of the IR-selected population with look-back time. Pure evolution in density is firmly excluded by the data, but we find considerable degeneracy between strict evolution in luminosity and a combination of increases in both density and luminosity [L ∝ (1 + z), ∝ (1 + z)]. A significant steepening of the faint-end slope of the IR luminosity function is also unlikely, as it would overproduce the faint 24 μm source number counts. Our results imply that the comoving IR energy density of the universe evolves as (1 + z)3.9±0.4 up to z ~ 1 and that galaxies luminous in the infrared (i.e., LIR ≥ 1011 L☉) are responsible for 70% ± 15% of this energy density at z ~ 1. Taking into account the contribution of the UV luminosity evolving as (1 + z)~2.5, we infer that these IR-luminous sources dominate the star-forming activity beyond z ~ 0.7. The uncertainties affecting these conclusions are largely dominated by the errors in the k-corrections used to convert 24 μm fluxes into luminosities.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/432789/pdf

Infrared Luminosity Functions from the Chandra Deep Field-South: The Spitzer View on the History of Dusty Star Formation at 0 ≲ z ≲ 1*

We have carried out a survey of the north and south ecliptic poles, EP-N and EP-S, respectively, with the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). The primary objective was to cross-calibrate WISE with the Spitzer and Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) photometric systems by developing a set of calibration stars that are common to these infrared missions. The ecliptic poles were continuous viewing zones for WISE due to its polar-crossing orbit, making these areas ideal for both absolute and internal calibrations. The Spitzer IRAC and MIPS imaging survey covers a complete area of 0.40 deg^2 for the EP-N and 1.28 deg^2 for the EP-S. WISE observed the whole sky in four mid-infrared bands, 3.4, 4.6, 12, and 22 μm, during its eight-month cryogenic mission, including several hundred ecliptic polar passages; here we report on the highest coverage depths achieved by WISE, an area of ~1.5 deg^2 for both poles. Located close to the center of the EP-N, the Sy-2 galaxy NGC 6552 conveniently functions as a standard calibrator to measure the red response of the 22 μm channel of WISE. Observations from Spitzer-IRAC/MIPS/IRS-LL and WISE show that the galaxy has a strong red color in the mid-infrared due to star-formation and the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN), while over a baseline >1 year the mid-IR photometry of NGC 6552 is shown to vary at a level less than 2%. Combining NGC 6552 with the standard calibrator stars, the achieved photometric accuracy of the WISE calibration, relative to the Spitzer and MSX systems, is 2.4%, 2.8%, 4.5%, and 5.7% for W1 (3.4 μm), W2 (4.6 μm), W3 (12 μm), and W4 (22 μm), respectively. The WISE photometry is internally stable to better than 0.1% over the cryogenic lifetime of the mission. The secondary objective of the Spitzer-WISE Survey was to explore the poles at greater flux-level depths, exploiting the higher angular resolution Spitzer observations and the exceptionally deep (in total coverage) WISE observations that potentially reach down to the confusion limit of the survey. The rich Spitzer and WISE data sets were used to study the Galactic and extragalactic populations through source counts, color-magnitude and color-color diagrams. As an example of what the data sets facilitate, we have separated stars from galaxies, delineated normal galaxies from power-law-dominated AGNs, and reported on the different fractions of extragalactic populations. In the EP-N, we find an AGN source density of ~260 deg^(–2) to a 12 μm depth of 115 μJy, representing 15% of the total extragalactic population to this depth, similar to what has been observed for low-luminosity AGNs in other fields.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/735/2/112/pdf

The Spitzer-WISE Survey of the Ecliptic Poles

Using a sample of ~28,000 sources selected at 3.6-4.5 μm with Spitzer observations of the Hubble Deep Field North, the Chandra Deep Field South, and the Lockman Hole (surveyed area ~664 arcmin^2), we study the evolution of the stellar mass content of the universe at 0 10^12.0 M_☉) assembled the bulk of their stellar content rapidly (in 1-2 Gyr) beyond z ~ 3 in very intense star formation events (producing high specific SFRs). Galaxies with 10^11.5 2.5 is dominated by optically faint (Rgsim 25) red galaxies (distant red galaxies or BzK sources), which account for ~30% of the global population of galaxies, but contribute at least 60% of the cosmic stellar mass density. Bluer galaxies (e.g., Lyman break galaxies) are more numerous but less massive, contributing less than 50% of the global stellar mass density at high redshift.

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The Stellar Mass Assembly of Galaxies from z = 0 to z = 4: Analysis of a Sample Selected in the Rest-Frame Near-Infrared with Spitzer

The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) shallow survey covers 8.5 deg2 in the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey in Bootes with three or more 30 s exposures per position. An overview of the survey design, reduction, calibration, star-galaxy separation, and initial results is provided. The survey includes ≈370,000, 280,000, 38,000, and 34,000 sources brighter than the 5 σ limits of 6.4, 8.8, 51, and 50 μJy at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 μm, respectively, including some with unusual spectral energy distributions.

J. L. Pipher

Papers

The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) Shallow Survey