Related papers: Molecular studies of Planetary Nebulae
Planetary systems such as our own are formed after a long process where matter condenses from diffuse clouds to stars, planets, asteroids, comets and residual dust, undergoing dramatic changes in physical and chemical state in less than a…
The study of the chemical composition of Planetary Nebulae in external galaxies is of paramount importance in the fields of stellar evolution and of the chemical enrichment history of galaxies. In the last years a number of spectroscopic…
The shaping of planetary nebulae on their evolution from asymptotic giant branch circumstellar envelopes to their final, most often axisymmetrical, form is still a process with many unknown details. The key to understanding the whole…
Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are typified by strong dust-driven, molecular outflows. For long, it was believed that the molecular setup of the circumstellar envelope of AGB stars is primarily determined by the atmospheric C/O ratio.…
The correlations between planetary nebula (PN) morphology and the nature of their progenitors are explored by examining homogeneous PN samples in the Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds. We selected PNe with reliable abundances from spectral…
During an analysis of optical spectra of 80 young star clusters in several nearby spiral galaxies, [O III] and [N II] emission lines were noted in some cases. Three of these emission line sources are identified as likely planetary nebula…
Advances in infrared and submillimeter technology have allowed for detailed observations of the molecular content of the planet-forming regions of protoplanetary disks. In particular, disks around solar-type stars now have growing molecular…
To date, 204 individual molecular species, comprised of 16 different elements, have been detected in the interstellar and circumstellar medium by astronomical observations. These molecules range in size from two atoms to seventy, and have…
We present 2D hydrodynamical simulations of the transition of a proto-planetary nebula to a planetary nebula for central stars in binary systems that have undergone a common envelope event. After 1,000 yr of magnetically driven dynamics…
Several planetary nebulae (PNe) have been found to contain both polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH-like) species and fullerenes (C$_{60}$) distinguished by their mid-infrared emission. Previous laboratory and astronomical studies suggest…
In a supernova explosion, the ejecta interacting with the surrounding circumstellar medium (CSM) give rise to variety of radiation. Since CSM is created from the mass lost from the progenitor star, it carries footprints of the late time…
About 3,500 planetary nebulae (PNe) are currently known in the Milky Way, which shows a great discrepancy with the expected number for these objects, regardless of the reference used, $33-59 \times 10^{3}$. The same holds for symbiotic…
Mass loss from massive stars ($\ga 8 \msun$) can result in the formation of circumstellar wind blown cavities surrounding the star, bordered by a thin, dense, cold shell. When the star explodes as a core-collapse supernova (SN), the…
Complex organic molecules serve as indicators of molecular diversity. Their detection on comets, planets, and moons has prompted inquiries into their origins, particularly the conditions conducive to their formation. One hypothesis suggests…
It is already known that about 10% of central stars of PNe are very short-period binaries (hours to days), which are detected through photometric variations. These must have been formed through common-envelope interactions in initially wide…
One of the key methods for determining the unknown nature of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) is the search for traces of interaction between the SN ejecta and the circumstellar structures at the resulting supernova remnants (SNRs Ia). So far,…
Although first considered as too diluted for the formation of molecules in-situ and too harsh an environment for their survival, the interstellar medium has turned out to host a rich palette of molecular species: to date, 256 species have…
Studies of the relationship between planetary nebula morphology and the evolution of the central stars has long suffered from uncertainties in distance determinations, and from the bias of interstellar absorption, that are typical for…
Planetary Nebulae (PNe) evolve from Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars after a brief post-AGB phase. Water maser emission is characteristic of oxygen-rich AGB stars, is observed in post-AGB stars and, unexpectedly, has been detected in…
We present the results of a study aimed at determining the 12C/13C ratio in two samples of planetary nebulae (PNe) by means of millimeter wave observations of 12CO and 13CO. The first group includes six PNe which have been observed in the…