Related papers: Observing Compact Disks Inside Pre-Planetary Nebul…

Planetary nebulae (PN) represent the evolutionary fate of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stellar envelopes, thus are ideally suited to study the chemical impact of AGB stars. Stellar evolution predict elemental enrichment through the AGB…

Binary interactions dominate the evolution of massive stars, but their role is less clear for low- and intermediate-mass stars. The evolution of a spherical wind from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star into a nonspherical planetary…

We present the first results of a systematic search for Diffuse Interstellar Bands in a carefully selected sample of post-AGB stars observed with high resolution optical spectroscopy. These stars are shown to be ideal targets to study this…

Binaries with circumbinary disks are commonly found among optically bright post-AGB stars. Although clearly linked to binary interaction processes, the formation, evolution and fate of these disks are still badly understood. Due to their…

There is a class of binary post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) stars that exhibit remarkable near-infrared (NIR) excess. These stars are surrounded by disks with Keplerian or quasi-Keplerian dynamics and outflows composed of gas…

Despite numerous efforts, the transition from Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars to Planetary Nebulae (PN) is a poorly understood phase of stellar evolution. We have therefore carried out interferometric (VLA) radio observations of a…

Circumstellar envelopes (CEs) around evolved stars are an active site for the production of molecules. After evolving through the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB), proto-planetary nebula (PPN), to planetary nebula (PN) phases, CEs ultimately…

We present a search for rings or arcs in the haloes of planetary nebulae (PNe). We discovered such structures in eight PNe, tripling the sample of PNe with known rings. This shows that, contrary to what was believed to date, the occurrence…

Observations suggest that many, if not all, post AGB systems evolve through an aspherical outflow phase. Such outflows require a sufficient engine rotational energy which binaries can provide. Via common envelope evolution, binaries can…

So far, only one rotating disk has been clearly identified and studied in AGB or post-AGB objects (in the Red Rectangle), by means of observations with high spectral and spatial resolution. However, disks are thought to play a key role in…

Adaptive optics observations in the infrared (VLT/NACO, Kervella et al. 2014) and visible (VLT/SPHERE, Kervella et al. 2015) domains revealed that the nearby AGB star L2 Pup (d=64 pc) is surrounded by a dust disk seen almost edge-on.…

Planetary nebulae (PNe) can be roughly categorized into several broad morphological classes. The high quality images of PNe acquired in recent years, however, have revealed a wealth of fine structures that preclude simplistic models for…

Binary central stars have long been invoked to explain the vexing shapes of planetary nebulae (PNe) despite there being scant direct evidence to support this hypothesis. Modern large-scale surveys and improved observing strategies have…

There is a class of binary post-AGB stars (binary system including a post-AGB star) that are surrounded by Keplerian disks and outflows resulting from gas escaping from the disk. To date, there are seven sources that have been studied in…

Many properties of circumbinary discs around evolved post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) binary systems are similar to those of protoplanetary discs around young stars. The deficits of near-infrared (near-IR) flux in the spectral energy…

Observational evidence for strong magnetic fields throughout the envelopes of evolved stars is increasing. Many of the instruments coming on line in the near-future will be able to make further contributions to this field. Specifically,…

This review presents the latest advances in the nebular studies of post-AGB objects. Post-AGB stars are great tools to test nucleosynthesis and evolution models for stars of low and intermediate masses, and the evolution of dust in harsh…

There is a class of binary post-AGB stars that are surrounded by Keplerian disks and that often present outflows resulting from gas escaping from the disk. We present maps and complex models of 12CO and 13CO J=2-1 emission lines for four…

A significant fraction of planetary nebulae (PNe) and proto-planetary nebulae (PPNe) exhibit aspherical, axisymmetric structures, many of which are highly collimated. The origin of these structures is not entirely understood, however recent…

Keplerian accretion discs around massive black holes (MBHs) are gravitationally unstable beyond a few hundredths of parsec and should collapse to form stars. Indeed an accretion/star formation episode took place a few millions years ago in…