The planetary nebula IC 4776 and its post-common-envelope binary central star

We present a detailed analysis of IC 4776, a planetary nebula displaying a morphology believed to be typical of central star binarity. The nebula is shown to comprise a compact hourglass-shaped central region and a pair of precessing jet-like structures. Time-resolved spectroscopy of its central star reveals periodic radial velocity variability consistent with a binary system. While the data are insufficient to accurately determine the parameters of the binary, the most likely solutions indicate that the secondary is probably a low-mass main sequence star. An empirical analysis of the chemical abundances in IC 4776 indicates that the common-envelope phase may have cut short the AGB evolution of the progenitor. Abundances calculated from recombination lines are found to be discrepant by a factor of approximately two relative to those calculated using collisionally excited lines, suggesting a possible correlation between low abundance discrepancy factors and intermediate-period post-common-envelope central stars and/or Wolf-Rayet central stars. The detection of a radial velocity variability associated with binarity in the central star of IC 4776 may be indicative of a significant population of (intermediate-period) post-common-envelope binary central stars which would be undetected by classic photometric monitoring techniques.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

A three-dimensional view of the remnant of Nova Persei 1901 (GK Per)

We present a kinematical study of the optical ejecta of GK Per. It is based on proper motions measurements of 282 knots from ~20 images spanning 25 years. Doppler-shifts are also computed for 217 knots. The combination of proper motions and radial velocities allows a unique 3-D view of the ejecta to be obtained. The main results are: (1) the outflow is a thick shell in which knots expand with a significant range of velocities, mostly between 600 and 1000 km/s; (2) kinematical ages indicate that knots have suffered only a modest deceleration since their ejection a century ago; (3) no evidence for anisotropy in the expansion rate is found; (4) velocity vectors are generally aligned along the radial direction but a symmetric pattern of non-radial velocities is also observed at specific directions; (5) the total Halpha+[NII] flux has been linearly decreasing at a rate of 2.6 % per year in the last decade. The Eastern nebular side is fading at a slower rate than the Western one. Some of the knots displayed a rapid change of brightness during the 2004-2011 period. Over a longer timescale, a progressive circularization and homogenization of the nebula is taking place; (6) a kinematic distance of 400+-30 pc is determined. These results raise some problems to the previous interpretations of the evolution of GK Per. In particular, the idea of a strong interaction of the outflow with the surrounding medium in the Southwest quadrant is not supported by our data.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal (19 pages, 17 figures). Higher resolution version of this article (2.5 MB) is available at http://www.aai.ee/~sinope/ApJ89291_liimets.pd

The kinematics of the quadrupolar nebula M 1–75 and the identification of its central star

8 páginas, 5 figuras, 3 tablas.-- El Pdf del artículo es la versión pre-print: arXiv:1006.2398v1.-- et al.[Context]: The link between how bipolar planetary nebulae are shaped and their central stars is still poorly understood. [Aims]: This paper investigates the kinematics and shaping of the multipolar nebula M 1–75, and briefly discusses the location and nature of its central star. [Methods]: Fabry-Perot data from GHαFAS on the WHT that samples the Doppler shift of the [Nii] 658.3 nm line are used to study the dynamics of the nebula by means of a detailed 3D spatio-kinematical model. Multi-wavelength images and spectra from the WFC and IDS on the INT, as well as from ACAM on the WHT, allowed us to constrain the parameters of the central star. [Results]: The two pairs of lobes, angularly separated by ~22°, were ejected simultaneously approx. ~3500–5000 years ago, at the adopted distance range from 3.5 to 5.0 kpc. The larger lobes show a slight degree of point symmetry. The formation of the nebula could be explained by wind interaction in a system consisting of a post-AGB star surrounded by a disc warped by radiative instabilities. This requires the system to be a close binary or a single star that engulfed a planet as it died. On the other hand, we present broad- and narrow-band images and a low S/N optical spectrum of the highly-reddened, previously unnoticed star that is likely the nebular progenitor. Its estimated V–I colour allows us to derive a rough estimate of the parameters and nature of the central star.Peer reviewe

Modeling the physical and excitation conditions of the molecular envelope of NGC 7027

The link between the shaping of bipolar planetary nebulae and the mass ejection activity of their central stars is still poorly understood. Appropriately characterizing the evolution of the shells ejected during the late stages of evolution is vital to gain insight into the mechanism of nebular shaping. Herschel/HIFI provides an invaluable tool by opening a new window from which to probe warm molecular gas (~50-1000 K). We present a radiative-transfer, spatio-kinematic modeling of the molecular envelope of the young planetary nebula NGC 7027 in high- and low-J 12CO and 13CO transitions observed by Herschel/HIFI and IRAM 30-m, and discuss the structure and dynamics of the molecular envelope. We have developed a code which, used along with the existing SHAPE software, implements spatio-kinematic modeling with accurate non-LTE calculations of line excitation and radiative transfer in molecular species. We have used this code to build a relatively simple "russian doll" model of the molecular envelope of NGC 7027. The model nebula consists of four nested, mildly bipolar shells plus a pair of high-velocity blobs. The innermost shell is the thinnest and shows a significant jump in physical conditions (temperature, density, abundance and velocity) with respect to the adjacent shell. This is a clear indication of a shock front in the system. Each of the high-velocity blobs is divided into two sections with different physical conditions. The presence of H2O in NGC 7027, a C-rich nebula, is likely due to photo-induced chemistry from the hot central star. The computed molecular mass of the nebula is 1.3 Msun, compatible with estimates from previous works.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. Accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics on July 3rd, 201