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A remarkably flat relationship between the average star formation rate and AGN luminosity for distant X-ray AGN

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Chris HarrisonORCiD

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Abstract

© 2015 The Authors. In this study, we investigate the relationship between the star formation rate (SFR) and AGN luminosity (LAGN) for ~2000 X-ray detected AGN. The AGN span over three orders of magnitude in X-ray luminosity (10⁴² 2-8 keV < 10^45.5 erg s^-1) and are in the redshift range z = 0.2-2.5. Using infrared (IR) photometry (8-500 μm), including deblended Spitzer and Herschel images and taking into account photometric upper limits, we decompose the IR spectral energy distributions into AGN and star formation components. Using the IR luminosities due to star formation, we investigate the average SFRs as a function of redshift and AGN luminosity. In agreement with previous studies, we find a strong evolution of the average SFR with redshift, tracking the observed evolution of the overall star-forming galaxy population. However, we find that the relationship between the average SFR and AGN luminosity is broadly flat at all redshifts and across all the AGN luminosities investigated; in comparison to previous studies, we find less scatter amongst the average SFRs across the wide range of AGN luminosities investigated. By comparing to empirical models, we argue that the observed flat relationship is due to short time-scale variations in AGN luminosity, driven by changes in the mass accretion rate, which wash out any underlying correlations between SFR and LAGN. Furthermore, we show that the exact form of the predicted relationship between SFR and AGN luminosity (and its normalization) is highly sensitive to the assumed intrinsic Eddington ratio distribution.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Stanley F, Harrison CM, Alexander DM, Swinbank AM, Aird JA, Del Moro A, Hickox RC, Mullaney JR

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Year: 2015

Volume: 453

Issue: 1

Pages: 591-604

Print publication date: 11/10/2015

Online publication date: 17/08/2015

Acceptance date: 22/07/2015

ISSN (print): 0035-8711

ISSN (electronic): 1365-2966

Publisher: Oxford University Press

URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stv1678

DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stv1678

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