SDSS/XMM-Newton: Spectral Properties of 153 Bright Hard X-ray AGN

A catalog of 153 bright hard X-ray sources from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and XMM-Newton observations. The data combine XMM-Newton and Chandra Deep Field South observations to explore intrinsic AGN absorption behavior across redshift and luminosity. This table was created by NASA's HEASARC in July 2007 based on a CDS catalog.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between AGN obscuration and luminosity based on derived column density values.
• Investigating the apparent increase in obscured AGN fraction at high redshifts (z > 2).
• Cross-matching X-ray spectral properties with optical survey data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
• Calibrating or testing simulations related to column density estimation at high redshifts.

Strengths

• Focuses on a well-defined subset of 153 brighter sources with 2-8 keV fluxes > 3e-14 erg cm^-2 s^-1.
• Sample has high redshift completeness (100% for Chandra data, 85% for XMM-Newton data).
• Derived column density values are based on X-ray spectral fits, providing quantitative physical measurements.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description notes that column densities may be overestimated at high redshifts based on simulations.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, based on CDS Catalog J/A+A/459/693.

Collection Method

X-ray spectral fitting of combined XMM-Newton and Chandra Deep Field South observations.

Time Range

Observational data time range not specified in description.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 18:57:43.675695; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Sky survey data; specific spatial coverage not detailed.