Probing Active Galactic Nuclei–Interstellar Medium Feedback through Extended X-Ray Emission in ESO 137-G034

Abstract We present a detailed analysis of the X-ray emission of the Compton-thick (CT) active galactic nuclei (AGN) ESO 137-G034 based on deep (∼230 ks) Chandra observations. As in other CT AGNs, the morphology of the emission is elongated, approximately following the [O III ] ionization bicone. With spatially resolved spectral modeling, we show that the extended emission within the bicone regions is most readily explained as from a mixture of photoionized gas and shock-heated plasma, reflecting the combined effects of radiative and kinematic AGN feedback. By comparing the morphology of the X-ray emission in narrow spectral bands and that of the 3 cm radio jet, we find suggestive evidence of thermal, possibly shocked emission associated with the SE termination of the radio jet. This interpretation is also supported by the lack of [O III ] relative to the 0.3−3.0 keV flux in the inner 3″ (∼600 pc) of the SE cone, which would be consistent with an additional thermal X-ray component on top of the photoionized emission of an outflowing wind. A similar effect is only seen within the inner 1″ (200 pc) of the NW cone. In the radial profile of the [O III ]/X-ray flux ratio and the X-ray hardness ratio within the inner ∼3″ (∼600 pc) of the SE cone, we see an asymmetry, with no counterpart in the NW cone. We detect soft extended X-ray emission in the cross cones, which may originate from the interaction of an embedded radio jet with a clumpy interstellar medium. These results highlight the importance of both radiative and mechanical feedback in shaping the circumnuclear environment of ESO 137-G034.