XBOOTES: Optical and Near-IR Counterparts for 3213 Chandra X-Ray Sources
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Description
The XBootes Survey catalog from NASA presents optical and near-infrared counterparts for 3213 X-ray point sources detected by the Chandra Observatory in the 9.3 square-degree Bootes Field. Using a Bayesian identification scheme, optical counterparts were found for 98% of the X-ray sources, with the data collected over a two-week period in March and April 2003. This version 1.0 table, created in November 2006, contains the matched optical and X-ray characteristics.
Use Cases
Identify high-redshift and dust-obscured AGN based on high X-ray to optical flux ratios (f_X/f_o > 10).
Study the spectral properties of X-ray sources by comparing hardness for sources with different flux ratios.
Analyze the population of optically blank X-ray sources (down to R ~ 25.5) as potential extreme AGN.
Investigate the correlation between X-ray brightness and optical galaxy types (early-type vs. star-forming).
Strengths
Covers a large contiguous area of 9.3 square degrees with deep, complementary X-ray, optical, and near-IR observations.
High identification success rate, with optical counterparts found for 98% of the 3213 X-ray point sources.
Includes a large subsample of 773 sources with high X-ray to optical flux ratios (f_X/f_o > 10) for focused study.
Limitations
Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific modeling tasks.
Data is from 2005/2006; newer surveys may offer more recent or deeper observations.
Provenance
Source
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), based on data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey.
Collection Method
X-ray sources detected using the CIAO 3.0.2 wavelet detection algorithm (wavdetect) on ACIS-I observations; optical counterparts matched using a Bayesian identification scheme.
Time Range
Observations taken in March and April 2003.
Freshness
Last updated 2026-03-13 18:28:22.453675; freshness should be verified.
Geography
Covers the Bootes Field region of the sky.
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