Related papers: The fraction of Compton-thick sources in an INTEGR…
We study the NH distribution in a complete sample of 88 AGN selected in the 20-40 keV band from INTEGRAL/IBIS observations. We find that the fraction of absorbed (NH > 10^22 cm^-2) sources is 43% while Compton thick AGN comprise 7% of the…
Aims. We present a 0.2--200 keV broad-band study of absorbed AGN observed with INTEGRAL, XMM-Newton, Chandra and ASCA to investigate the continuum shape and the absorbing/reflecting medium properties. Methods. The sources are selected in…
We present the 2-100 keV spectral analysis of 30 candidate Compton thick (CT-) active galactic nuclei (AGN) selected in the Swift-BAT 100-month survey. The average redshift of these objects is $\langle z\rangle\sim$0.03 and they all lie…
The Compton-thick Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) arguably constitute the most elusive class of sources as they are absorbed by large column densities above logN_H(cm^-2)=24. These extreme absorptions hamper the detection of the central source…
In this work we present the most comprehensive INTEGRAL AGN sample which lists 272 objects. Here we mainly use this sample to study the absorption properties of active galaxies, to probe new AGN classes and to test the AGN unification…
For a significant number of the sources detected at high energies (>10 keV) by the INTEGRAL/IBIS and Swift/BAT instruments there is either a lack information about them in the 2-10 keV range or they are totally unidentified. Herein, we…
It is well accepted that unabsorbed as well as absorbed AGN are needed to explain the nature and the shape of the Cosmic X-ray background, even if the fraction of highly absorbed objects (dubbed Compton-thick sources) substantially still…
The all-sky hard X-ray survey performed by Swift/BAT allowed the detection of many heavily obscured Compton-thick AGN. In our previous work, we have identified more than 50 candidate Compton-thick AGN in the local Universe, corresponding to…
In order to investigate the role of absorption in AGN with jets, we have studied the column density distribution of a hard X-ray selected sample of radio galaxies, derived from the INTEGRAL/IBIS and Swift/BAT AGN catalogues (~7-10% of the…
We present X-ray spectral analysis of the brightest sources (f_{2-10 keV}>10^{-15}$ cgs) in the Chandra Deep Field North. Our sample consists of 222 sources; for the vast majority (171) either a spectroscopic or a photometric redshift is…
We present the results from an X-ray spectral analysis of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the Chandra Deep Field-South, AEGIS-XD and Chandra-COSMOS surveys, focussing on the identification and characterisation of the most heavily obscured,…
The existence of a large population of Compton thick (CT, $N_{H}>10^{24} cm^{-2}$) AGN is a key ingredient of most Cosmic X-ray background synthesis models. However, direct identification of these sources, especially at high redshift, is…
Heavily obscured accretion is believed to represent an important stage in the growth of supermassive black holes, and to play an important role in shaping the observed spectrum of the Cosmic X-ray Background (CXB). Hard X-ray (E$>$10 keV)…
X-ray surveys provide the most efficient means for the detection of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). However, they face difficulties in detecting the most heavily obscured Compton-thick AGN. The BAT detector on board the Gehrels/Swift mission,…
(ABRIDGED) We investigate here the XLF of absorbed (Nh between 4E21 and E24 cm-2) and unabsorbed (Nh < 4E21 cm-2) AGN, the fraction of absorbed AGN as a function of Lx (and z), the intrinsic Nh distribution of the AGN population, and the…
I present a review of X-ray and mid-IR surveys for Compton-thick Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). These are the most highly obscured sources having hydrogen column densities >1.5x10^24 cm-2. Key surveys in the local Universe are presented…
The fraction of Compton thick sources is one of the main uncertainties left in understanding the AGN population. The Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) all-sky survey, for the first time gives us an unbiased sample of AGN for all but the…
We present a detailed X-ray spectral analysis of a complete sample of hard X-ray selected AGN in the Northern Galactic Cap of the 58-month Swift Burst Alert Telescope (Swift/BAT) catalog, consisting of 100 AGN with b>50deg. This region has…
Heavily obscured, Compton Thick (CT, NH>10^24 cm^-2) AGN may represent an important phase in AGN/galaxy co-evolution and are expected to provide a significant contribution to the cosmic X-ray background (CXB). Through direct X-ray spectra…
We present new estimates on the fraction of heavily X-ray obscured, Compton-thick (CT) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) out to a redshift of $z \leq$ 0.8. From a sample of 540 AGNs selected by mid-IR (MIR) properties in observed X-ray survey…