Title: The LSST AGN Science Collaboration: Organization, Preparatory Activities, and XMM-SERVS Results in the Deep-Drilling Fields

Abstract:

The LSST Active Galactic Nuclei Science Collaboration (AGN SC), which currently comprises roughly 270 members worldwide, aims to lead many of the large-scale LSST investigations of growing supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in AGNs. I will briefly summarize the membership and organization of the AGN SC, and describe how interested scientists can become involved. I will then highlight recent and ongoing AGN SC activities, including the development of preparatory data sets to enable impactful early science, contributions to survey-cadence optimization, forecasting science outcomes with simulations, and outreach to the scientific community and general public.

I will emphasize science results and data products from the XMM-SERVS X-ray survey, which covers the prime multiwavelength regions of three LSST Deep-Drilling Fields (DDFs). XMM-SERVS has detected roughly 12,000 X-ray sources - about 86% of which are AGNs - and these will be critical for empirically calibrating LSST AGN selection. Recent XMM-SERVS investigations include an assessment of the role of dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs) in merger-driven galaxy-SMBH coevolution, measurements of the star-formation properties of AGNs, selection of X-ray AGNs in dwarf galaxies, a refined method for tracing SMBH growth via accretion and mergers, and follow-up studies of extremely X-ray-variable AGNs. These XMM-SERVS projects have produced extensive data products that will facilitate efficient, community-wide research in the DDFs.

Bio:

W. Niel Brandt is the Eberly Family Chair Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics and a Professor of Physics at Penn State. His work focuses on observational studies of supermassive black holes and cosmic surveys, with primary interests including active galactic nuclei, galaxy evolution, transients, and high-energy astrophysics. He uses data from Chandra, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR and plans to analyze forthcoming data from new X-ray missions, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, and the MOONS spectrograph. His honors include the Bruno Rossi Prize and fellowships of the American Astronomical Society, AAAS, and APS, as well as NASA Group Achievement Awards to the NuSTAR teams.