We have analyzed the [Fe II] and [Ni II] emission lines in the bipolar planetary nebula Mz~3. We find that the [Fe II] and [Ni II] lines arise exclusively from the central regions. Fluorescence excitation in the formation process of these lines is negligible for this low-excitation nebula. From the [Fe II]/[Ni II] ratio, we obtain a higher Fe/Ni abundance ratio with respect to the solar value. The current result provides further supporting evidence for Mz 3 as a symbiotic Mira.
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0605180,
title = {Fe/Ni ratio in the Ant Nebula Mz 3},
author = {Y. Zhang and X. -W. Liu},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0605180},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
2 pages, 1 figure, to be published in the Proceedings of the IAU Symposium 234: Planetary Nebulae in Our Galaxy and Beyond, eds. M.J. Barlow, R.H. Mendez