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) ×10 23 cm -2 and an intrinsic luminosity of L 2-10 keV = (0.8-1.4) ×10 44 erg s -1 . The current high bolometric luminosity inferred (L bol ≈10 45 -10 46 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) ×10 6 K, and there is evidence for an additional hot component with T3 ×10 7 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.