On the nature of the X-ray absorption in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 4507

We present results of the ASCA observation of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 4507. The 0.5-10 keV spectrum is rather complex and consists of several components: (i) a hard X-ray power law heavily absorbed by a column density of about 3 x 10(23) cm(-2), (ii) a narrow Fe K alpha line at 6.4 keV, () soft continuum emission well above the extrapolation of the absorbed hard power law and (iv) a narrow emission line at similar to 0.9 keV. The line energy, consistent with highly ionized neon (Ne IX), may indicate that the soft X-ray emission is derived from a combination of resonant scattering and fluorescence in a photoionized gas. Some contribution to the soft X-ray spectrum from thermal emission, as a blend of Fe L lines, by a starburst component in the host galaxy cannot be ruled out with the present data