The (anti)correlation of the sub-mm and X-ray background sources

Abstract

The connection between the sub-mm and the hard X-ray backgrounds is studied by comparing data at 2-10 keV and at 850um for a sample of 34 sources at fluxes (or limiting fluxes) which resolve most of the background in the two bands. These data were obtained with new SCUBA observations and by correlating data sets available from the literature. None of the 11 hard X-ray (2-10 keV) sources has a counterpart at 850um, with the exception of a faint Chandra source, which is a candidate type 2 QSO at high redshift. These data indicate that 2-10 keV sources brighter than 10^-15 erg s-1 cm-2, which make at least 75% of the background in this band, contribute for less than 7% to the submillimetric background. Out of the 24 SCUBA sources 23 are undetected by Chandra. These data indicate that most of these SCUBA sources must be powered either by starburst activity, or by an AGN which is obscured by a column Nh > 10^25 cm-2, with a reflection efficiency in the hard X-rays significantly lower than 1% in most cases.

3 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the Fourth Italian Conference on AGNs (MemSAIt)