XMM-Newton Observation of Fe K(alpha) Emission from a BAL QSO: Mrk 231

We present results from a 20 ksec XMM-Newton observation of Mrk 231. EPIC spectral data reveal strong line emission due to Fe K alpha, which has rarely been detected in this class, as BAL QSOs are very faint in the X-ray band. The line energy is consistent with an origin in neutral Fe. The width of the line is equivalent to a velocity dispersion approximately 18,000 kilometers per second and thus the line may be attributed to transmission and/or reflection from a distribution of emitting clouds. If, instead, the line originates in the accretion disk then the line strength and flat X-ray continuum support some contribution from a reflected component, although the data disfavor a model where the hard X-ray band is purely reflected X-rays. The line parameters are similar to those obtained for the Fe Ka line detected in another BAL QSO, H1413 + 117