A Radio Study of the Seyfert galaxy Markarian 6: Implications for Seyfert life-cycles

We have carried out an extensive radio study with the Very Large Array on the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy Mrk 6 and imaged a spectacular radio structure in the source. The radio emission occurs on three different spatial scales, from ∼7.5 kpc bubbles to ∼1.5 kpc bubbles lying nearly orthogonal to them and a ∼1 kpc radio jet lying orthogonal to the kpc-scale bubble. To explain the complex morphology, we first consider a scenario in which the radio structures are the result of superwinds ejected by a nuclear starburst. However, recent Spitzer observations of Mrk 6 provide an upper limit to the star formation rate (SFR) of ∼ 5.5 M⊙ yr , an estimate much lower than the SFR of ∼ 33 M⊙ yr −1 derived assuming that the bubbles are a result of starburst winds energized by supernovae explosions. Thus,