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We examine the host morphologies of heavily obscured active galactic nuclei(AGN) at $z\sim1$ to test whether obscured supermassive black hole growth atthis epoch is preferentially linked to galaxy mergers. Our sample consists of154 obscured AGN with $N_{\rm H}>10^{23.5}$ cm$^{-2}$ and $z<1.5$. Using visualclassifications, we compare the morphologies of these AGN to control samples ofmoderately obscured ($10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$ $<N_{\rm H}< 10^{23.5}$ cm$^{-2}$) andunobscured ($N_{\rm H}<10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$) AGN. These control AGN are matchedin redshift and intrinsic X-ray luminosity to our heavily obscured AGN. We findthat heavily obscured AGN at z~1 are twice as likely to be hosted by late-typegalaxies relative to unobscured AGN ($65.3^{+4.1}_{-4.6}\%$ vs$34.5^{+2.9}_{-2.7}\%$) and three times as likely to exhibit merger orinteraction signatures ($21.5^{+4.2}_{-3.3}\%$ vs $7.8^{+1.9}_{-1.3}\%$). Theincreased merger fraction is significant at the 3.8$\sigma$ level. We also findthat the incidence of point-like morphologies is inversely proportional toobscuration. If we exclude all point sources and consider only extended hosts,we find the correlation between merger fraction and obscuration is stillevident, however at a reduced statistical significance ($2.5\sigma$). The factthat we observe a different disk/spheroid fraction versus obscuration indicatesthat viewing angle cannot be the only thing differentiating our three AGNsamples, as a simple unification model would suggest. The increased fraction ofdisturbed morphologies with obscuration supports an evolutionary scenario, inwhich Compton-thick AGN are a distinct phase of obscured SMBH growth followinga merger/interaction event. Our findings also suggest that some of themerger-triggered SMBH growth predicted by recent AGN fueling models may behidden among the heavily obscured, Compton-thick population.

Are Compton-Thick AGN the Missing Link Between Mergers and Black Hole Growth?