AGN evolution from large and deep X-ray surveys

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent progress in understanding AGN evolution through large X-ray surveys, highlighting the connection between black hole activity and galaxy formation over cosmic time.

Contribution

It summarizes recent observational results from major X-ray surveys like COSMOS and CDFS, emphasizing the integrated study of AGN and host galaxy evolution.

Findings

Advances in AGN census over large redshift ranges.

Insights into the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies.

Progress in characterizing host galaxy properties.

Abstract

Over the last few years, the existence of mutual feedback effects between accreting supermassive black holes powering AGN and star formation in their host galaxies has become evident. This means that the formation and the evolution of AGN and galaxies should be considered as one and the same problem. As a consequence, the search for, and the characterization of the evolutive and physical properties of AGN over a large redshift interval is a key topic of present research in the field of observational cosmology. Significant advances have been obtained in the last ten years thanks to the sizable number of XMM-Newton and Chandra surveys, complemented by multiwavelength follow-up programs. We will present some of the recent results and the ongoing efforts (mostly from the COSMOS and CDFS surveys) aimed at obtaining a complete census of accreting Black Holes in the Universe, and a characterization of the host galaxies properties.