AGN Selection
Part of my research has been dedicated to AGN identification techniques, in very close connection with my SED modeling work. My focus has been on infrared wavelengths, particularly on the WISE mission. In Stern et al. (2012) and in Assef et al. (2013) we defined selection criteria for AGN using photometry from the WISE AllSky catalog. Different criteria were tailored to improve either the reliability (R90/R75 for 90%/75% reliability) or the completeness (C90/75 for 90%/75% completeness) of the samples. We later updated the criteria in Assef et al. (2018a) to the AllWISE catalog photometry and produced catalogs of selected AGN over 30,000 deg2.
Studying the most variable reliably AGN we identified in Assef et al. (2018a), we found a luminous transient in an AGN visible at both mid-IR and optical wavelengths, which we presented in Assef et al. (2018b). We show this transient is best modeled as a super luminous supernovae. We speculate it may be located within the torus of the AGN given a number of similar transients in the mid-IR without optical counterparts.
Selected Articles
AGN Selection Image Gallery
The R90 AGN Catalog
The R90 AGN Catalog, S/N>10 in W2
The C75 AGN Sample
The C75 AGN Sample, S/N>10 in W2
Super Luminous Super Nova in W0948+0318
Lightcurve in UV, optical and mid-IR bands of the transient event in W0948+0318 that we associated with a Super Luminous Super Novae in Assef et al. (2018b).