Quantifying obscuration bias in hard X-ray AGN selection

We propose a test of obscuration bias r^ant for hard Xray surveys of activegalactic nuclei (AGN). From a representative sample of 75 local AGN selected inthe farinfrared to be observed in NuSTAR legacy surveys, we have compiled asubset of objects with predicted hard X ray fluxes placing them above theSwift/BAT 70month catalogue detection sensitivity, but which are not detectedeven in deeper BAT maps. Extreme obscuration is the likely primary cause of hardXray deficit in all. We propose XMMNewton observations of 8 of these that lacksensitive soft Xray constraints. Our aim is to quantify the obscuration (i.e.orientation) bias in hard Xrays from accurate broadband Xray fits, andultimately, to construct an N_H distribution requiring minimal bias corrections. truncated!, Please see actual data for full text [truncated!, Please see actual data for full text]