The clustering properties of AGNs/quasars in CatWISE2020 catalog

Abstract

We study the clustering properties of 1,307,530 AGNs/quasars in the CatWISE2020 catalog prepared using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) survey data. For angular moments $\ell \gtrapprox 10$ ($\lessapprox 18^\circ$) down to non-linear scales, the results are in agreement with the standard $\Lambda$CDM cosmology, with a galaxy bias roughly matching that of the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) AGNs. We further explore the redshift dependence of the fraction of infrared bright AGNs on stellar mass, $f_{\rm IB} \sim M_*^{\alpha_0 + \alpha_1 z}$, and find $\alpha_1=1.27^{+0.25}_{-0.30}$, ruling out a non-evolution hypothesis at $\approx 4.6\sigma$ confidence level. The results are consistent with the measurements obtained with NVSS AGNs, though considerably more precise thanks to the significantly higher number density of objects in CatWISE2020. The excess dipole and high clustering signal above angular scale $\approx 18^\circ$ remain anomalous.