A Large, Uniform Sample of X-Ray-emitting Active Galactic Nuclei from the ROSAT All Sky and Sloan Digital Sky Surveys: The Data Release 5 Sample

Abstract

We describe further results of a program aimed at yielding ∼10⁴ fully characterized optical identifications of ROSAT X-ray sources. Our program employs X-ray data from the ROSAT All Sky Survey (RASS) and both optical imaging and spectroscopic data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). RASS/SDSS data from 5740 deg² of sky spectroscopically covered in SDSS Data Release 5 provide an expanded catalog of 7000 confirmed quasars and other active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that are probable RASS identifications. Again, in our expanded catalog the identifications as X-ray sources are statistically secure, with only a few percent of the SDSS AGNs likely to be randomly superposed on unrelated RASS X-ray sources. Most identifications continue to be quasars and Seyfert 1 galaxies with 15 < m < 21 and 0.01 < z < 4, but the total sample size has grown to include very substantial numbers of even quite rare AGNs, e.g., it now includes several hundreds of candidate X-ray-emitting BL Lac objects and narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. In addition to exploring rare subpopulations, such a large total sample may be useful when considering correlations between the X-ray and the optical and may also serve as a resource list from which to select the "best" object (e.g., X-ray-brightest AGN of a certain subclass at a preferred redshift or luminosity) for follow-up X-ray spectral or alternate detailed studies.