Related papers: The planetary nebula IC 4776 and its post-common-e…
This paper summarizes a project designed to study abundances in a sample of planetary nebulae representing a broad range in progenitor mass and metallicity. We collect abundances of C, N, and O determined for the entire sample and compare…
The substantial number of binary central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNe) now known ($\sim$50) has revealed a strong connection between binarity and some morphological features including jets and low-ionisation structures. However, some…
Radio continuum observations trace thermal emission of ionized plasma in planetary nebulae and bring useful information on nebular geometries. A model of homogeneous sphere or shell cannot fit the nebular spectra and brightness…
Binaries with a white dwarf primary and a main sequence secondary can be used to test our understanding of both single and binary star evolution. A small fraction of such systems experienced a common-envelope phase from which they emerged…
Stellar mergers are a brief-lived but common phase in the evolution of binary star systems. Among the many astrophysical implications of these events include the creation of atypical stars (e.g. magnetic stars, blue stragglers, rapid…
We report the results of a comprehensive study of the spectroscopic binary (SB2) system HD 34736 hosting two chemically peculiar (CP) late B-type stars. Using new and archival observational data, we characterise the system and its…
We present IFU observations of six emission-line nebulae that surround the central galaxy of cool core clusters. Qualitatively similar nebulae are observed in cool core clusters even when the dynamics and possibly formation and excitation…
We have obtained multi-wavelength observations of compact Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) to probe post-Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) evolution from the onset of nebular ejection. We analyze new observations from HST to derive the masses…
The effects which star cluster concentration and binarity have on observable parameters, that characterise the dynamical state of a population of stars after their birth aggregate dissolves, are investigated. To this end, the correlations…
We present 2 to 2.4 micron integral field spectroscopy of a sample of hot post-AGB stars with early-B spectral types, using the NIFS instrument on Gemini North. These stars are just beginning to ionize their immediate environments and turn…
IC 4406 is a large (about 100'' x 30'') southern bipolar planetary nebula, composed of two elongated lobes extending from a bright central region, where there is evidence for the presence of a large torus of gas and dust. We show new…
The planetary nebula (PN) NGC 5189 around a Wolf-Rayet [WO] central star demonstrates one of the most remarkable complex morphologies among PNe with many multi-scale structures, showing evidence of multiple outbursts from an AGB progenitor.…
Planetary nebulae are traditionally considered to represent the final evolutionary stage of all intermediate-mass stars ($\sim$0.7-8Msol). Recent evidence seems to contradict this picture. In particular, since the launch of the Hubble Space…
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…
SuWt2 is a planetary nebula (PN) consisting of a bright ionized thin ring seen nearly edge-on. It has a bright (V=12) central star, too cool to ionize the PN, which we discovered to be an eclipsing binary. A spectrum from IUE did not reveal…
The goal of the present study is twofold. First, we employ new HST/STIS spectra and photoionization modeling techniques to determine the progenitor masses of eight planetary nebulae (IC 2165, IC 3568, NGC 2440, NGC 3242, NGC 5315, NGC 5882,…
We present ionization structures of IC 2003, a planetary nebula with [WR] central star, using a 1-D dusty photo-ionization code: "CLOUDY 17.03". The photo-ionization model is constrained by archival UV emission line fluxes,…
We present a new synthetic model to follow the evolution of a planetary nebula (PN) and its central star, starting from the onset of AGB phase up to the white dwarf cooling sequence. The model suitably combines various analytical…
Planetary nebulae (and in general any photoionized region) can be classified as ionization-bounded or density-bounded. It is important to determine in which case is the planetary nebula studied to be able to estimate from nebular…
While the first binary post-AGB stars were serendipitously discovered, the distinct characteristics of their Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) allowed us to launch a more systematic search for binaries. We selected post-AGB objects which…