A UFO Seen Edge-On: Resolving Ultrafast Outflow Emission on $\sim$200-pc Scales with $Chandra$ in the Active Nucleus of Mrk 34

TL;DR

This study uses Chandra imaging spectroscopy to resolve ultrafast outflow features in the nucleus of Mrk 34, revealing high-velocity gas within 200 parsecs that may influence AGN feedback mechanisms.

Contribution

First spatially and spectrally resolved detection of ultrafast outflow emission features in Mrk 34's nucleus using Chandra data.

Findings

High-velocity outflow material within 200 pc of the nucleus.

Outflow velocities potentially 12-28 times greater than optical outflows.

Possible link between ultrafast outflows and large-scale AGN feedback.

Abstract

We present $Chandra$ ACIS imaging spectroscopy of the nucleus of the Seyfert 2 Galaxy Mrk 34. We identify spatially and spectrally resolved features in the band that includes Fe K$\alpha$, Fe XXV and Fe XXVI. These features indicate high-velocity ($\gtrsim15,000\,\rm{km\,s}^{-1}$ line-of-sight) material separated spanning $\sim$0.5 arcsec, within $\sim200$ pc of the nucleus. This outflow could have deprojected velocities $\sim12-28\times$ greater than the [O III] emitting outflows, and could potentially dominate the kinetic power in the outflow. This emission may point to the origins of the optical and X-ray winds observed at larger radii, and could indicate a link between ultra-fast outflows and AGN feedback on $\gtrsim$kpc scales.