Origin of the discrepant AGN luminosity–star-formation-rate correlations

Determine why the correlation between AGN luminosity and star-formation rate disappears after removing their common dependence on gas mass in some observational studies but persists as a residual correlation in others, including whether differences between the studied samples account for the discrepancy.

Background

The paper discusses conflicting observational results concerning the relationship between AGN luminosity and host-galaxy star formation. One study found that the correlation vanishes after controlling for the shared dependence on gas mass, whereas another reported a residual correlation interpreted as possible positive AGN feedback. The paper identifies the origin of this discrepancy as unresolved and notes that differences between the observational samples may be responsible.