Observational Constraints on Correlated Star Formation and Active
  Galactic Nuclei in Late-Stage Galaxy Mergers
  Galaxy mergers are capable of triggering both star formation and active
galactic nuclei (AGN) and therefore may represent an important pathway in the
co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes (SMBHs). However,
correlated enhancements of merger-induced star formation and AGN triggering may
be hidden by the variable conditions and timescales during which they occur. In
Paper I, we presented evidence of merger-triggered AGN in a sample of six
late-stage galaxy mergers (2-8 kpc nuclear separations). In this follow-up
work, we use multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope imaging and additional
archival data to examine their star-forming properties to test for
merger-triggered star formation, and if it is correlated with SMBH growth. We
find that the morphological asymmetries are correlated with enhanced specific
star formation rates, indicating the presence of merger-triggered star
formation. Additionally, the stellar populations become younger with increasing
radius from the nucleus, indicating that the merger-induced star formation
primarily occurs on global scales. However, we also find that the star
formation rate enhancements are consistent with or lower than those of larger
separation galaxy pair samples. This result is consistent with simulations
predicting a decline of the global star formation rates in late-stage galaxy
mergers with <10 kpc nuclear separations. Finally, we find that enhancements in
specific star formation rate and AGN luminosity are positively correlated, but
that an average temporal delay of >10^8 yrs likely exists between the peak of
global star formation and the onset of AGN triggering in 80% of the systems.
