Exploring AGN Activity over Cosmic Time with the SKA [GA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1501.04820


In this Chapter we present the motivation for undertaking both a wide and deep survey with the SKA in the context of studying AGN activity across cosmic time. With an rms down to 1 $\mu$Jy/beam at 1 GHz over 1,000 – 5,000 deg$^2$ in 1 year (wide tier band 1/2) and an rms down to 200 nJy/beam over 10 – 30 deg$^2$ in 2000 hours (deep tier band 1/2), these surveys will directly detect faint radio-loud and radio-quiet AGN (down to a 1 GHz radio luminosity of about $2\times10^{23}$ W/Hz at $z=6$). For the first time, this will enable us to conduct detailed studies of the cosmic evolution of radio AGN activity to the cosmic dawn ($z\gtrsim6$), covering all environmental densities.

Read this paper on arXiv…

V. Smolcic, P. Padovani, J. Delhaize, et. al.
Wed, 21 Jan 15
42/52

Comments: 17 pages, 7 figures, to appear as part of ‘Continuum Science’ in Proceedings ‘Advancing Astrophysics with the SKA (AASKA14)’