Related papers: A barium central star binary in the Type-I diamond…

The central star of the planetary nebula PRTM 1 (PN G243.8-37.1) was previously found to be variable by M. Pena and colleagues. As part of a larger programme aimed towards finding post common-envelope binary central stars we have monitored…

The shaping of the nebula is currently one of the outstanding unsolved problems in planetary nebula (PN) research. Several mechanisms have been proposed, most of which require a binary companion. However, direct evidence for a binary…

We perform a detailed analysis of the fullerene C60-containing planetary nebula (PN) SaSt2-3 to investigate the physical properties of the central star (B0-1II) and nebula based on our own Subaru/HDS spectra and multiwavelength archival…

An extensive beryllium abundance analysis was conducted for 118 solar analogs (along with 87 FGK standard stars) by applying the spectrum synthesis technique to the near-UV region comprising the Be II line at 3131.066 A, in an attempt to…

Planetary nebulae in Galactic open star clusters are rare objects; only three are known to date. They are of particular interest because their distance can be determined with high accuracy, allowing one to characterize the physical…

Post-AGB stars are key objects for the study of the dramatic morphological changes of low- to intermediate-mass stars on their evolution from the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) towards the Planetary Nebula stage. There is growing evidences…

We present the first detailed kinematical analysis of the planetary nebula Abell 63, which is known to contain the eclipsing close-binary nucleus UU Sge. Abell 63 provides an important test case in investigating the role of close-binary…

Origin of enhanced abundance of heavy elements observed in the surface chemical composition of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars still remain poorly understood. Here, we present detailed abundance analysis of seven CEMP stars based on…

The secondary of the famous young binary RW Aur is much less studied than the primary. To compensate this shortcoming, we present here the results of UBVRIJHK photometric, VRI polarimetric and optical spectral observations of RW Aur B. The…

AA Dor is an eclipsing, post common-envelope binary with an sdOB-type primary and an unseen low-mass secondary, believed to be a brown dwarf. Eleven years ago, a NLTE spectral analysis of the primary showed a discrepancy with the surface…

We report on a high-spatial-resolution survey for binary stars in the periphery of the Orion Nebula Cluster, at 5 - 15 arcmin (0.65 - 2 pc) from the cluster center. We observed 228 stars with adaptive optics systems, in order to find…

LoTr 5 is a planetary nebula with an unusual long-period binary central star. As far as we know, the pair consists of a rapidly rotating G-type star and a hot star, which is responsible for the ionization of the nebula. The rotation period…

We present the first detailed spatio-kinematical analysis and modelling of the planetary nebula Shapley 1 (Sp 1), which is known to contain a close-binary central star system. Close-binary central stars have been identified as a likely…

There is no quantitative theory to explain why a high 80% of all planetary nebulae are non-spherical. The Binary Hypothesis states that a companion to the progenitor of a central star of planetary nebula is required to shape the nebula and…

The detailed chemical composition of most metal-poor halo stars has been found to be highly uniform, but a minority of stars exhibit dramatic enhancements in their abundances of heavy neutron-capture elements and/or of carbon. The key…

We obtained H-band polarimetric data of IRAS 19312+1950 using the near-infrared camera (CIAO) on the 8 m Subaru telescope. In order to investigate the physical properties of the central star and the nebula, we performed dust radiative…

EGB6 is an extended, faint old planetary nebula (PN) with an enigmatic nucleus. The central star (PG0950+139) is a hot DAOZ-type white dwarf (WD). An unresolved, compact emission knot was discovered to be located 0.166" away from the WD and…

Shaping axi-symmetric planetary nebulae is easier if a companion interacts with a primary at the top of the asymptotic giant branch. To determine the impact of binarity on planetary nebula formation and shaping, we need to determine the…

We present Spitzer/IRS observations of a small sample of heavily obscured IRAS sources displaying both the infrared and OH maser emission characteristic of OH/IR stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), but also radio continuum emission…

The search for binarity in AGB stars is of critical importance for our understanding of how planetary nebulae acquire the dazzling variety of aspherical shapes which characterises this class. However, detecting binary companions in such…