SIX Survey: 113 Hard X-Ray Sources for AGN Evolution Study

113 faint hard X-ray sources, including 86 active galactic nuclei, were detected by merging Swift/BAT and INTEGRAL/IBIS observations. The survey covers 6200 square degrees of sky and was created by NASA HEASARC in August 2012. Its sensitivity is enhanced over individual mission surveys, addressing the unresolved portion of the cosmic X-ray background.

Use Cases

• Studying the evolution of active galactic nuclei at redshifts below 0.4 based on the sample composition.
• Identifying faint, previously undetected hard X-ray sources contributing to the cosmic X-ray background.
• Calibrating or testing new generation hard X-ray telescopes with focusing techniques using the faint source sample.
• Analyzing source classifications (Seyfert-like, blazars, galaxies, clusters) across a wide 6200 square degree sky area.

Strengths

• Merged observations from two missions (Swift/BAT and INTEGRAL/IBIS) enhance exposure time and reduce systematic uncertainties.
• Covers a wide sky area of 6200 square degrees, including the North Ecliptic Pole and Coma region.
• Contains 113 sources with signal-to-noise ratios above 4.8 sigma, providing a statistically significant sample.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect observational bias inherent to the specific sky regions and missions used.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, based on Table 2 from the referenced paper in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.

Collection Method

Observations merged from the Swift/BAT and INTEGRAL/IBIS hard X-ray missions.

Time Range

Observational timeframe not specified; catalog created in August 2012.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 17:36:39.603450; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Sky coverage of 6200 square degrees, focusing on the North Ecliptic Pole and extending to the Coma region.