Storm in a Teacup: X-Ray View of an Obscured Quasar and Superbubble

We present the X-ray properties of the “Teacup AGN” (SDSS J1430+1339), a z = 0.085 type 2 quasar that is interacting dramatically with its host galaxy. Spectral modeling of the central quasar reveals a powerful, highly obscured active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a column density of N _H = (4.2-6.5) × 10²³ cm^-2 and an intrinsic luminosity of L _{2-10 keV} = (0.8-1.4) × 10⁴⁴ erg s^-1. The current high bolometric luminosity inferred (L _bol ≈10⁴⁵-10⁴⁶ erg s^-1) has ramifications for previous interpretations of the Teacup as a fading/dying quasar. High-resolution Chandra imaging data reveal a ≈10 kpc loop of X-ray emission, cospatial with the “eastern bubble” previously identified in luminous radio and ionized gas (e.g., [O III] line) emission. The X-ray emission from this structure is in good agreement with a shocked thermal gas, with T = (4-8) × 10⁶ K, and there is evidence for an additional hot component with T ≳ 3 × 10⁷ K. Although the Teacup is a radiatively dominated AGN, the estimated ratio between the bubble power and the X-ray luminosity is in remarkable agreement with observations of ellipticals, groups, and clusters of galaxies undergoing AGN feedback.