The XMM-Newton/HST View of the Obscuring Outflow in the Seyfert Galaxy Mrk 335 Observed at Extremely Low X-Ray Flux

The Seyfert galaxy Mrk 335 is known for its frequent changes of flux and spectral shape in the X-ray band that occurred during recent years. These variations may be explained by the onset of a wind that previous, noncontemporaneous high-resolution spectroscopy in X-ray and UV bands located at accretion disk scale. A simultaneous new campaign by XMM-Newton and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) caught the source at a historically low flux in the X-ray band. The soft X-ray spectrum is dominated by prominent emission features and by the effect of a strong ionized absorber with an outflow velocity of (5-6) x 10(3) km s(-1). The broadband spectrum obtained by the EPIC-pn camera reveals the presence of an additional layer of absorption by gas at moderate ionization covering similar to 80% of the central source, as well as tantalizing evidence for absorption in the Fe K band outflowing at the same velocity of the soft X-ray absorber. The HST Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectra confirm the simultaneous presence of broad absorption troughs in C IV, Ly alpha, Ly beta), and O VI, with velocities of the order of 5000 km s(-1) and covering factors in the range of 20%-30%. Comparison of the ionic column densities and of other outflow parameters in the two bands shows that the X-ray and UV absorbers are likely originated by the same gas. The resulting picture from this latest multiwavelength campaign confirms that Mrk 335 undergoes the effect of a patchy, medium-velocity outflowing gas in a wide range of ionization states that seem to be persistently obscuring the nuclear continuum.