The XXL survey: first results and future

TL;DR

The XXL survey's initial results demonstrate its potential for advancing cosmological research and understanding the evolution of cosmic structures, with plans to deepen the survey for richer future data.

Contribution

This paper presents the first results from the XXL survey and advocates for increasing survey depth to enhance scientific outcomes and future mission calibration.

Findings

First release of XXL data set with initial scientific results

Proposal to increase survey depth to 40 ks for future observations

Potential to improve cosmological constraints and study high-redshift clusters

Abstract

The XXL survey currently covers two 25 sq. deg. patches with XMM observations of ~10ks. We summarise the scientific results associated with the first release of the XXL data set, that occurred mid 2016. We review several arguments for increasing the survey depth to 40 ks during the next decade of XMM operations. X-ray (z<2) cluster, (z<4) AGN and cosmic background survey science will then benefit from an extraordinary data reservoir. This, combined with deep multi-$\lambda$ observations, will lead to solid standalone cosmological constraints and provide a wealth of information on the formation and evolution of AGN, clusters and the X-ray background. In particular, it will offer a unique opportunity to pinpoint the z>1 cluster density. It will eventually constitute a reference study and an ideal calibration field for the upcoming eROSITA and Euclid missions.