NO CLEAR SUBMILLIMETER SIGNATURE OF SUPPRESSED STAR FORMATION AMONG X-RAY LUMINOUS ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

Many theoretical models require powerful active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to suppress star formation in distant galaxies and reproduce the observed properties of today's massive galaxies. A recent study based on Herschel-SPIRE submillimeter observations claimed to provide direct support for this picture, reporting a significant decrease in the mean star formation rates (SFRs) of the most luminous AGNs (LX >1044 erg s–1) at z ≈ 1-3 in the Chandra Deep Field-North (CDF-N). In this Letter, we extend these results using Herschel-SPIRE 250 μm data in the COSMOS and Chandra Deep Field-South fields to achieve an order-of-magnitude improvement in the number of sources at LX >1044 erg s–1. On the basis of our analysis, we find no strong evidence for suppressed star formation in LX >1044 erg s–1 AGNs at z ≈ 1-3. The mean SFRs of the AGNs are constant over the broad X-ray luminosity range of LX ≈1043-1045 erg s–1 (with mean SFRs consistent with typical star-forming galaxies at z ≈ 2; (SFRs) ≈ 100-200 M☉ yr–1). We suggest that the previous CDF-N results were likely due to low number statistics. We discuss our results in the context of current theoretical models.