XZ: Deriving redshifts from X-ray spectra of obscured AGN

TL;DR

This paper introduces the XZ method, which estimates redshifts of obscured AGN using only low-resolution X-ray spectra, providing an effective alternative to optical spectroscopy and multiwavelength approaches.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel Bayesian X-ray spectral fitting technique that constrains AGN redshifts solely from X-ray data, incorporating a complex spectral model and background fitting.

Findings

Redshift constraints for 74 out of 321 sources in Chandra deep fields.

An 8% outlier rate when compared with spectroscopic redshifts.

Effective redshift estimation without additional data, useful for deep surveys.

Abstract

Context: Redshifts are fundamental for our understanding of extragalactic X-ray sources. Ambiguous counterpart associations, expensive optical spectroscopy and/or multimission multiwavelength coverage to resolve degeneracies make estimation often difficult in practice. Aims: We attempt to constrain redshifts of obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) using only low-resolution X-ray spectra. Methods: Our XZ method fits AGN X-ray spectra with a moderately complex spectral model incorporating a corona, torus obscurer and warm mirror. Using the Bayesian X-ray Astronomy (BXA) package, we constrain redshift, column density, photon index and luminosity simultaneously. The redshift information primarily comes from absorption edges in Compton-thin AGN, and from the Fe K$\alpha$ fluorescent line in heavily obscured AGN. A new generic background fitting method allows us to extract more information from limited numbers of source counts. Results: We derive redshift constraints for 74/321 hard-band detected sources in the Chandra deep field South. Comparing with spectroscopic redshifts, we find an outlier fraction of 8%, indicating that our model assumptions are valid. For three Chandra deep fields, we release our XZ redshift estimates. Conclusions: The independent XZ estimate is easy to apply and effective for a large fraction of obscured AGN in todays deep surveys without the need for any additional data. Comparing to different redshift estimation methods, XZ can resolve degeneracies in photometric redshifts, help to detect potential association problems and confirm uncertain single-line spectroscopic redshifts. With high spectral resolution and large collecting area, this technique will be highly effective for Athena/WFI observations.