Exploring the Complex X-ray Spectrum of Radio Loud Type 2 AGN 3C 223

We present the analysis of the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectra of 3C 223, a radio loud Type 2 quasar at z=0.1365 which was a Compton-thick (N_H > 10²⁴ cm^-2) candidate. We do not measure a Compton-thick column density for this source, but find that the obscuring medium is complex and non-homogenous with an average global column density (N_H,global = 9.2 x 10²² cm^-2) that is lower than that intersecting our line of sight (N_H,los = 6.2 x 10²³ cm^-2) . A relatively high normalization between the transmitted and Compton-scattered emission has several interesting implications about the geometry of the obscurer and the interaction between the X-ray photons and reprocessing medium. 3C 223 joins the list of well-studied nearby AGN whose X-ray spectra reveal inhomogeneities in the obscuring torus requiring physically motivated spectral models that are adept at handling this complexity to provide more accurate insight into the circumnuclear environment and best harness data from current and future X-ray missions.