Mrk 231 CO(1-0) and CN(1-0) line observations

We find a strong boost of the CN/CO(1-0) line luminosity ratio in the outflow of Mrk 231, which is unprecedented compared to any other known Galactic or extragalactic astronomical source. For the dense gas phase in the outflow traced by the HCN and CN emissions, we infer X_CN_=[CN]/[H_2_]>X_HCN_ by at least a factor of three, with H_2_ gas densities of n_H2_~10^5-6^cm^-3^.

In addition, we resolve for the first time narrow spectral features in the HCN(1-0) and HCO^+^(1-0) high-velocity line wings tracing the dense phase of the outflow. The velocity dispersions of these spectral features, {sigma}_v_~7-20km/s, are consistent with those of massive extragalactic giant molecular clouds detected in nearby starburst nuclei. The H_2_ gas masses inferred from the HCN data are quite high, M_mol_~0.3-5x10^8^M_{sun}_.