H. Messias, J. Afonso, M. Salvato, B. Mobasher, A. M. Hopkins

Abstract
When actively accreting, a super-massive black-hole will show a characteristic spectrum which may greatly dominate over that of its host. In this active galactic nucleus (AGN) phase, however, in the presence of large contents of gas and dust, the AGN-induced high-energy radiation may become elusive. The near-to-mid-infrared (nmIR) spectral range offers a means to trace this absorbed energy, since it will be "reprocessed" and emitted at these wavelengths by dust heated to high temperatures (~100-500K). We report on the work pursued by Messias et al. (2012, 2014) exploring this spectral-range to select obscured AGN, which remain elusive at shorter wavelengths, and characterising the selected AGN population in terms of luminosity, obscuration level, and redshift. Although the work focus on the spectral range and filter-set covered by James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), planned to be launched 10 years before Athena, it sets a point-of-view worth considering for Athena observing strategy.

Exploring the Hot and Energetic Universe: The first scientific conference dedicated to the Athena X-ray observatory.

2015 September

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