Publicação
Unveiling the faintest X-ray AGN populations in the NewATHENA Era: Insights from Cosmological Simulations
| Resumo: | Recent astronomical observations have significantly advanced our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. However, current facilities still face considerable challenges, particularly in the highenergy X-ray regime, which is essential for studying Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). These limitations have driven the development of next-generation observatories, such as ESA’s forthcoming NewATHENA mission. Designed as a powerful X-ray observatory, NewATHENA will combine an unprecedented collecting area, survey capabilities, and energy resolution. As NewATHENA advances through phase B (preliminary design), a detailed testing campaign is necessary to ensure the mission meets its science goals, especially given the incomplete understanding of the AGN population at high redshift. This thesis utilizes the IllustrisTNG cosmological simulation to generate an X-ray AGN mock catalogue tailored to assess NewATHENA’s capabilities. By bridging the gap between theory and observation, these simulations provide a virtual laboratory to explore AGN characteristics and detectability. A comprehensive end-to-end simulation of a potential survey with NewATHENA, conducted using the SIXTE software, predicts the detection of approximately 254000 AGN, including 21000 at redshifts greater than 3 and 33 during the Epoch of Reionization. These findings suggest that, for the first time, X-ray observations could select an AGN population in the Epoch of Reionization, offering new insights into this crucial phase of cosmic evolution. Ultimately, these predictions will refine NewATHENA’s mission design by providing critical insights to optimize the telescope’s observational strategy. |
|---|---|
| Autores principais: | Covas, Nuno Miguel Andrez de Oliveira |
| Assunto: | Astronomia raio-x AGN a alto desvio para o vermelho Missão NewATHENA Simulações Cosmológicas IllustrisTNG Teses de mestrado - 2024 |
| Ano: | 2024 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa |
| Resumo: | Recent astronomical observations have significantly advanced our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution. However, current facilities still face considerable challenges, particularly in the highenergy X-ray regime, which is essential for studying Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). These limitations have driven the development of next-generation observatories, such as ESA’s forthcoming NewATHENA mission. Designed as a powerful X-ray observatory, NewATHENA will combine an unprecedented collecting area, survey capabilities, and energy resolution. As NewATHENA advances through phase B (preliminary design), a detailed testing campaign is necessary to ensure the mission meets its science goals, especially given the incomplete understanding of the AGN population at high redshift. This thesis utilizes the IllustrisTNG cosmological simulation to generate an X-ray AGN mock catalogue tailored to assess NewATHENA’s capabilities. By bridging the gap between theory and observation, these simulations provide a virtual laboratory to explore AGN characteristics and detectability. A comprehensive end-to-end simulation of a potential survey with NewATHENA, conducted using the SIXTE software, predicts the detection of approximately 254000 AGN, including 21000 at redshifts greater than 3 and 33 during the Epoch of Reionization. These findings suggest that, for the first time, X-ray observations could select an AGN population in the Epoch of Reionization, offering new insights into this crucial phase of cosmic evolution. Ultimately, these predictions will refine NewATHENA’s mission design by providing critical insights to optimize the telescope’s observational strategy. |
|---|