The changing active galactic nucleus population

We investigate how the fraction of broad-line sources in the active galactic nucleus (AGN) population changes with X-ray luminosity and redshift. We first construct the rest-frame hard-energy (2-8 keV) X-ray luminosity function (HXLF) at z=0.1-1 using Chandra Lockman Hole-Northwest wide-area data, Chandra Deep Field-North 2 Ms data, other Chandra deep field data, and the ASCA Large Sky Survey data. We find that broad-line AGNs dominate above similar to3x10(43) ergs s(-1) and have a mean luminosity of 1.3x10(44) ergs s(-1). Type II AGNs can become an important component of the X-ray population only at Seyfert-like X-ray luminosities. We then construct z=0.1-0.5 and z=0.5-1 HXLFs and compare them with both the local HXLF measured from HEAO 1 A2 survey data and the z=1.5-3 HXLF measured from soft-energy (0.5-2 keV) Chandra and ROSAT data. We find that the number density of L-X>10(44) ergs s(-1) sources (quasars) steadily declines with decreasing redshift, while the number density of LX=10(43)-10(44) ergs s(-1) sources peaks at z=0.5-1. Strikingly, however, the number density of broad-line AGNs remains roughly constant with redshift while their average luminosities decline at the lower redshifts, showing another example of cosmic downsizing.