3,627 research outputs found
Binary central stars of planetary nebulae
This paper reviews our knowledge on binary central stars of planetary nebulae
and presents some personal opinions regarding their evolution. Three types of
interactions are distinguished: type I, where the binary companion induces the
mass loss; type II, where it shapes the mass loss but does not enhance it; type
III, where a wide orbit causes the centre of mass to move, leading to a spiral
embedded in the wind. Surveys for binary central stars are discussed, and the
separations are compared to the distribution for binary post-AGB stars. The
effect of close binary evolution on nebular morphology is discussed.
Post-common-envelope binaries are surrounded by thin, expanding disks, expelled
in the orbital plane. Wider binaries give rise to much thicker expanding torii.
Type I binary evolution predicts a wide distribution of masses of central
stars, skewed towards low masses. Comparison with observed mass distributions
suggests that this is unlikely to be the only channel leading to the formation
of a planetary nebula. A new sample of compact Bulge nebulae shows about 40% of
nebulae with binary-induced morphologies.Comment: Invited review, in 'Evolution and chemistry of symbiotic stars and
related objects', Wierzba, August 2006. To appear in Baltic Astronom
Alignment of the Angular Momentum Vectors of Planetary Nebulae in the Galactic Bulge
We use high-resolution H {\alpha} images of 130 planetary nebulae (PNe) to
investigate whether there is a preferred orientation for PNe within the
Galactic Bulge. The orientations of the full sample have an uniform
distribution. However, at a significance level of 0.01, there is evidence for a
non-uniform distribution for those planetary nebulae with evident bipolar
morphology. If we assume that the bipolar PNe have an unimodal distribution of
the polar axis in Galactic coordinates, the mean Galactic position angle is
consistent with 90{\deg}, i.e. along the Galactic plane, and the significance
level is better than 0.001 (the equivalent of a 3.7{\sigma} significance level
for a Gaussian distribution).
The shapes of PNe are related to angular momentum of the original star or
stellar system, where the long axis of the nebula measures the angular momentum
vector. In old, low-mass stars, the angular momentum is largely in binary
orbital motion. Consequently, the alignment of bipolar nebulae that we have
found indicates that the orbital planes of the binary systems are oriented
perpendicular to the Galactic plane. We propose that strong magnetic fields
aligned along the Galactic plane acted during the original star formation
process to slow the contraction of the star forming cloud in the direction
perpendicular to the plane. This would have produced a propensity for wider
binaries with higher angular momentum with orbital axes parallel to the
Galactic plane. Our findings provide the first indication of a strong,
organized magnetic field along the Galactic plane that impacted on the angular
momentum vectors of the resulting stellar population.Comment: There are two effective parts. The main paper consists of the first
17 pages and includes 8 figures and 7 tables. The remaining 10 pages will be
published as an online supplement that is made up of 4 multi-part figures.
Accepted for publication in MNRAS Main Journa
The ionization structure of multiple shell planetary nebulae: I. NGC 2438
In recent times an increasing number of extended haloes and multiple shells
around planetary nebulae have been discovered. These faint extensions to the
main nebula trace the mass-loss history of the star, modified by the subsequent
evolution of the nebula. Integrated models predict that some haloes may be
recombining, and not in ionization equilibrium. But parameters such as the
ionization state and thus the contiguous excitation process are not well known.
The haloes are very extended, but faint in surface brightness - 10^3 times
below the main nebula. The observational limits lead to the need of an
extremely well studied main nebula, to model the processes in the shells and
haloes of one object. NGC2438 is a perfect candidate to explore the physical
characteristics of the halo. Long-slit spectroscopic data were obtained. These
data are supplemented by imaging data from the HST archive, and archival VLA
observations. The use of diagnostic diagrams draws limits for physical
properties in the models. CLOUDY is used to model the nebular properties, and
to derive a more accurate distance and ionized mass. We derive an accurate
extinction E(B-V)=0.16, and distance of 1.9kpc. This puts the nebula behind the
nearby open cluster M46. The low-excitation species are found to be dominated
by clumps. The emission line ratios show no evidence for shocks. We find the
shell in ionization equilibrium: a significant amount of UV radiation
infiltrates the inner nebula. Thus the shell still seems to be ionized. The
spatially resolved CLOUDY model supports the hypothesis that photoionization is
the dominant process in this nebula, far out into the shell. Previous models
predicted that the shell would be recombining, but this is not confirmed by the
data. We note that these models used a smaller distance, and therefore
different input parameters, than derived by us.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (13 pages, 15 figures, 8 tables
BD+30 3639: The Infrared Spectrum During Post-AGB Stellar Evolution
We present a radiative-transfer calculation which reproduces the infrared
spectrum of the planetary nebula BD~+303639. We calculate the
transfer process through absorption and scattering in a spherical-symmetric
multi-grain dust shell. The emission of transiently heated particles is taken
into account, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We obtain an
acceptable fit to most of the spectrum, including the PAH infrared bands. At
submillimetre wavelengths the observed emission is larger than the model
predicts, indicating that large dust conglomerates (``f{}luffy grains'') may be
needed as an additional constituent. The fit favours a distance of kpc, which implies that BD~+303639 has evolved from a massive
progenitor of several solar masses. A low dust-to-gas mass ratio is found in
the ionised region. The calculations yield an original mass-loss rate of
2\times10^{-4} \msolar \peryr on the Asymptotic Giant Branch. Using this
mass-loss rate, we calculate how the infrared spectrum has evolved during the
post-AGB evolution. We show in particular the evolution of the IRAS colours
during the preceding post-AGB evolution.Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS. LaTeX, 15 pages, hardcopy and 8
figures available from [email protected] or [email protected]
Structure and shaping processes within the extended atmospheres of AGB stars
We present recent studies using the near-infrared instrument AMBER of the VLT
Interferometer (VLTI) to investigate the structure and shaping processes within
the extended atmosphere of AGB stars. Spectrally resolved near-infrared AMBER
observations of the Mira variable S Ori have revealed wavelength-dependent
apparent angular sizes. These data were successfully compared to dynamic model
atmospheres, which predict wavelength-dependent radii because of geometrically
extended molecular layers. Most recently, AMBER closure phase measurements of
several AGB stars have also revealed wavelength-dependent deviations from 0/180
deg., indicating deviations from point symmetry. The variation of closure phase
with wavelength indicates a complex non-spherical stratification of the
extended atmosphere, and may reveal whether observed asymmetries are located
near the photosphere or in the outer molecular layers. Concurrent observations
of SiO masers located within the extended molecular layers provide us with
additional information on the morphology, conditions, and kinematics of this
shell. These observations promise to provide us with new important insights
into the shaping processes at work during the AGB phase. With improved imaging
capabilities at the VLTI, we expect to extend the successful story of imaging
studies of planetary nebulae to the photosphere and extended outer atmosphere
of AGB stars.Comment: 6 pages, Proc. of "Asymmetric Planetary Nebulae V", A.A. Zijlstra, F.
Lykou, I. McDonald, and E. Lagadec (eds.), Jodrell Bank Centre for
Astrophysics, Manchester, UK, 201
A new HCN maser in IRAS 15082-4808
We have identified a new vibrational HCN maser at 89.087 GHz in the
asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star IRAS 15082-4808, a maser which is thought to
trace the innermost region of an AGB envelope. The observations of this maser
at three epochs are presented: two positive detections and one null detection.
The line profile has varied between the positive detections, as has the
intensity of the maser. The major component of the maser is found to be offset
by -2.0+/-0.9 km/s with respect to the systemic velocity of the envelope, as
derived from the 88.631 GHz transition of HCN. Similar blueshifts are measured
in the other 9 sources where this maser has been detected. Maser variability
with pulsation phase has been investigated for the first time using the 10
stars now available. Comparisons with AGB model atmospheres constrain the
position of the formation region of the maser to the region between the
pulsation shocks and the onset of dust acceleration, between 2 and 4 stellar
radii.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted MNRAS, minor correction to equation
Mode switching in the nearby Mira-like variable R Doradus
We discuss visual observations spanning nearly 70 years of the nearby
semiregular variable R Doradus. Using wavelet analysis, we show that the star
switches back and forth between two pulsation modes having periods of 332 days
and about 175 days, the latter with much smaller amplitude. Comparison with
model calculations suggests that the two modes are the first and third radial
overtone, with the physical diameter of the star making fundamental mode
pulsation unlikely. The mode changes occur on a timescale of about 1000 d,
which is too rapid be related to a change in the overall thermal structure of
the star and may instead be related to weak chaos.
The Hipparcos distance to R Dor is 62.4 +/- 2.8 pc which, taken with its
dominant 332-day period, places it exactly on the period-luminosity relation of
Miras in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Our results imply first overtone pulsation
for all Miras which fall on the P-L relation. We argue that semiregular
variables with long periods may largely be a subset of Miras and should be
included in studies of Mira behaviour. The semiregulars may contain the
immediate evolutionary Mira progenitors, or stars may alternate between periods
of semiregular and Mira behaviour.Comment: 12 pages, latex with figures, accepted by MNRA
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