Published August 2016 | Version v1
Journal article

The XXL Survey I. Scientific motivations - XMM-Newton observing plan - Follow-up observations and simulation programme

Others:
Ecosystèmes aquatiques et changements globaux (UR EABX) ; Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)
CEA/DCC/DRRV/SCD, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, Marcoule ; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)
Département d'Astrophysique, de physique des Particules, de physique Nucléaire et de l'Instrumentation Associée (DAPNIA) ; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) ; Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Herschel Science Centre ; European Space Agency (ESA)
Joseph Louis LAGRANGE (LAGRANGE) ; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) (UNS) ; COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur ; COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Université Côte d'Azur (UCA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
College of Computing (GATECH) ; Georgia Institute of Technology [Atlanta]
Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Astronomia ; Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna [Bologna] (UNIBO)
INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna (OABO) ; Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)
INAF- Milano ; Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)
Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik (MPE)
Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (IAP) ; Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR_7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)) ; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Sub-department of Astrophysics [Oxford] ; Department of Physics [Oxford] ; University of Oxford [Oxford]-University of Oxford [Oxford]
Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon (CRAL) ; École normale supérieure - Lyon (ENS Lyon)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL) ; Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Université de Genève = University of Geneva (UNIGE)
INAF-IASF Milano ; Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)
Institut d'Astrophysique et de Géophysique [Liège] ; Université de Liège
Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers (IRFU) ; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris-Saclay
Département de Géologie ; Université de Montréal (UdeM)
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Énergies (LPNHE) ; Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Sr. PLM Consultant
Département d'Electronique, des Détecteurs et d'Informatique pour la Physique (ex SEDI) (DEDIP) ; Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers (IRFU) ; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris-Saclay-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris-Saclay
Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing (ISARS/NOA) ; National Observatory of Athens (NOA)
Department of Earth and Space Sciences [Göteborg] ; Chalmers University of Technology [Göteborg]
Université Quebec ; Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
AUTRES
Astronomical Observatory of Kiev ; Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Laboratoire SUBATECH Nantes (SUBATECH) ; Mines Nantes (Mines Nantes)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
ISDC Data Centre for Astrophysics ; Université de Genève = University of Geneva (UNIGE)
INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (OAPD) ; Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)
Lund Observatory ; Lund University [Lund]
Argelander Institute for Astronomy (AlfA) ; Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
Leiden Observatory [Leiden] ; Universiteit Leiden [Leiden]
KIPAC, Stanford (KIPAC) ; Stanford University-SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) ; Stanford University
Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay (ISMO) ; Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
University of Reading (UOR)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
Service de Physique Théorique (SPhT) ; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) ; NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH)

Description

Context. The quest for the cosmological parameters that describe our universe continues to motivate the scientific community to undertake very large survey initiatives across the electromagnetic spectrum. Over the past two decades, the Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories have supported numerous studies of X-ray-selected clusters of galaxies, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and the X-ray background. The present paper is the first in a series reporting results of the XXL-XMM survey; it comes at a time when the Planck mission results are being finalised. Aims. We present the XXL Survey, the largest XMM programme totaling some 6.9 Ms to date and involving an international consortium of roughly 100 members. The XXL Survey covers two extragalactic areas of 25 deg(2) each at a point-source sensitivity of similar to 5 x 10(-15) erg s(-1) cm(-2) in the [0.5-2] keV band (completeness limit). The survey's main goals are to provide constraints on the dark energy equation of state from the space-time distribution of clusters of galaxies and to serve as a pathfinder for future, wide-area X-ray missions. We review science objectives, including cluster studies, AGN evolution, and large-scale structure, that are being conducted with the support of approximately 30 follow-up programmes. Methods. We describe the 542 XMM observations along with the associated multi-lambda and numerical simulation programmes. We give a detailed account of the X-ray processing steps and describe innovative tools being developed for the cosmological analysis. Results. The paper provides a thorough evaluation of the X-ray data, including quality controls, photon statistics, exposure and background maps, and sky coverage. Source catalogue construction and multi-lambda associations are briefly described. This material will be the basis for the calculation of the cluster and AGN selection functions, critical elements of the cosmological and science analyses. Conclusions. The XXL multi-lambda data set will have a unique lasting legacy value for cosmological and extragalactic studies and will serve as a calibration resource for future dark energy studies with clusters and other X-ray selected sources. With the present article, we release the XMM XXL photon and smoothed images along with the corresponding exposure maps.

Abstract

International audience

Additional details

Created:
December 4, 2022
Modified:
December 1, 2023