HEAVILY OBSCURED AGN IN STAR-FORMING GALAXIES AT z ≃ 2

We study the properties of a sample of 211 heavily obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) candidates in the extended Chandra Deep Field-South selecting objects with f(24 mu m)/f(R) > 1000 and R - K > 4.5. Of these, 18 were detected in X-rays and found to be obscured AGNs with neutral hydrogen column densities of similar to 10(23) cm(-2). In the X-ray-undetected sample, the following evidence suggests a large fraction of heavily obscured (Compton-thick) AGN: (1) The stacked X-ray signal of the sample is strong, with an observed ratio of soft to hard X-ray counts consistent with a population of similar to 90% heavily obscured AGNs combined with 10% star-forming galaxies. (2) The X-ray-to-mid-IR ratios for these sources are significantly larger than that of star-forming galaxies and similar to 2 orders of magnitude smaller than for the general AGN population, suggesting column densities of N(H) greater than or similar to 5 x 10(24) cm(-2). (3) The Spitzer near-and mid-IR colors of these sources are consistent with those of the X-ray-detected samples if the effects of dust self-absorption are considered. Spectral fitting to the rest-frame UV/optical light (dominated by the host galaxy) returns stellar masses of similar to 10(11) M(circle dot) and < E(B - V)> = 0.5, and reveals evidence for a significant young stellar population, indicating that these sources are experiencing considerable star formation. This sample of heavily obscured AGN candidates implies a space density at z similar to 2 of similar to 10(-5) Mpc(-3), finding a strong evolution in the number of L(X) > 10(44) erg s(-1) sources from z = 1.5 to 2.5, possibly consistent with a short-lived heavily obscured phase before an unobscured quasar is visible.