Far-Infrared Star Formation Rates of Quasar Host Galaxies from Multiwavelength Spectral Energy Distribution Decomposition

Abstract

Reliable star formation rates (SFRs) are essential for studying the connection between black hole growth and quasar host galaxies. We study the far-infrared (FIR) SFRs and the host galaxy properties of 202 SDSS and PG quasars at $0.02<z\lesssim 0.8$, spanning $\log ({\mathrm{SFR}}_{\mathrm{FIR}}/M_{\odot }{\mathrm{yr}}^{-1})\simeq -0.45$--$2.76$, using multiwavelength spectral energy distribution (SED) decomposition. The photometry covers wavelengths from the optical to the FIR and is supplemented by JCMT/SCUBA-2 observations at 450 and 850 $\hat{I}¼$m. We model the SEDs with CIGALE and AGNfitter and adopt multiple cold dust templates to quantify systematic uncertainties. The median model-dependent scatter among the five FIR SFR estimates is $0.14$ dex, and AGNfitter gives FIR SFRs lower than the mean CIGALE estimate by a median of $0.09$ dex. For the 58 quasars with SCUBA-2 coverage, including SCUBA-2 data changes the adopted FIR SFR by only $\sim$0.01 dex on average but can affect individual sources with limited Herschel coverage or radio-loud emission. Within our FIR-constrained sample, many quasar hosts lie on or above the star-forming main sequence, but the redshift-dependent FIR selection of the SDSS subsample limits conclusions about the full quasar-host population. We find no clear correlation between the main-sequence (MS) offset and the direct Eddington ratio, while the offset is positively related to the infrared-based $L_{\mathrm{tor}}/L_{\mathrm{Edd}}$ proxy. The minimum radiation field intensity in the dust model, $U_{\min }$, increases with bolometric luminosity and dust temperature. WISE W2 (4.6 $\hat{I}¼$m) and W3 (12 $\hat{I}¼$m) combined with Herschel bands can also provide useful empirical indicators of $f_{\mathrm{AGN}}$.

42 pages, 24 figures