Black holes through cosmic time: Exploring the distant X-ray Universe with extragalactic Chandra surveys

Abstract

Extragalactic X-ray surveys are exceptionally powerful tools for studying the evolution of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies, by detecting large numbers of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and star-forming galaxies over a wide range of redshifts and cosmic environments. With its sensitivity and superb angular resolution, Chandra has been at the forefront of recent extragalactic surveys. This article provides a brief overview of Chandra surveys, and highlights a few recent results on the composition of the cosmic X-ray background, insights on X-ray source populations, and links between AGN and galaxy evolution, as well as discussing prospects for surveys with future X-ray missions.

11 pages, 5 figures, Chandra Newsletter cover article, Winter 2009. For the full newsletter see http://cxc.harvard.edu/newsletters/