A V-Band Survey for Variable Galactic Nuclei in the Hubble Deep Field

Abstract

We present the results of a 2-epoch variability survey in the Hubble Deep Field with the goal of investigating the population of AGN to z=1. The primary data sets analyzed for galactic variability are the original HDF observations obtained in 1995 and a second V-band image obtained 5 years later in 2000. We find evidence for nuclear variability in 16 of 217 galaxies brighter than V_nuc=27.5. Correcting for incompleteness and spurious detections, variable nuclei make up ~8% of the surveyed galaxies. Seven of our variable sources are coincident with X-ray sources detected in the 2Ms Chandra survey. We find that 44% of the variable nuclei are associated with mid-IR detections at 15 microns and 31% are detected at 1.4GHz. Optical spectra are available for 13 of the 16 variables. One is a broad-line AGN and 2 others show weak evidence of type 2 AGNs. With the assumption that these variables are all active nuclei, we estimate the AGN LF at 0.4<z<1.1 extending to M_B=-15. We find evidence for an increase in the number density of faint AGN when comparing to the local Seyfert luminosity function. The LF for optically varying nuclei appears to rise in number density with no evidence of turning over at these faint magnitudes.