The clustering properties of AGNs/quasars in CatWISE2020 catalog

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the clustering of over 1.3 million AGNs/quasars from the CatWISE2020 catalog, confirming standard cosmological models at certain scales and exploring redshift dependence of infrared bright AGNs, with results more precise than previous surveys.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed clustering analysis of a large infrared-selected AGN sample from CatWISE2020, including redshift dependence and comparison with prior surveys.

Findings

Clustering results align with $ m \Lambda$CDM cosmology at certain scales.

Redshift dependence of infrared bright AGN fraction is significant.

Higher precision results due to larger object density in CatWISE2020.

Abstract

We study the clustering properties of 1,307,530 AGNs/quasars in the CatWISE2020 catalog prepared using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) survey data. For angular moments $\ell \gtrapprox 10$ ($\lessapprox 18^\circ$) down to non-linear scales, the results are in agreement with the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology, with a galaxy bias roughly matching that of the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) AGNs. We further explore the redshift dependence of the fraction of infrared bright AGNs on stellar mass, $f_{\rm IB} \sim M_*^{\alpha_0 + \alpha_1 z}$, and find $\alpha_1=1.27^{+0.25}_{-0.30}$, ruling out a non-evolution hypothesis at $\approx 4.6\sigma$ confidence level. The results are consistent with the measurements obtained with NVSS AGNs, though considerably more precise thanks to the significantly higher number density of objects in CatWISE2020. The excess dipole and high clustering signal above angular scale $\approx 18^\circ$ remain anomalous.