Related papers: When Nature Tries to Trick Us
We simulate the formation of bipolar planetary nebulae (PNe) through very short impulsive mass ejection events from binary systems, where the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star ejects a mass shell that is accelerated by jets launched from a…
We examine the images of hundreds of planetary nebulae (PNe) and find that for about one in six PNe the morphology is too `messy' to be accounted for by models of stellar binary interaction. We speculate that interacting triple stellar…
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…
Close binary central stars of planetary nebulae are key in constraining the poorly-understood common-envelope phase of evolution, which in turn is critical in understanding the formation of a wide-range of astrophysical phenomena (including…
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…
During the past 20 years, the idea that non-spherical planetary nebulae (PN) may need a binary or planetary interaction to be shaped was discussed by various authors. It is now generally agreed that the varied morphologies of PN cannot be…
We present observations proving the close binary nature of the central stars belonging to the planetary nebulae (PNe) NGC 6326 and NGC 6778. Photometric monitoring reveals irradiated lightcurves with orbital periods of 0.372 and 0.1534…
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…
Close-binary central stars of planetary nebulae offer a unique tool with which to study the critical and yet poorly understood common-envelope phase of binary stellar evolution. Furthermore, as the nebula itself is thought to comprise the…
A thorough search of the OGLE-III microlensing project has more than doubled the total sample of PNe known to have close binary central stars. These discoveries have enabled close binary induced morphological trends to be revealed for the…
We present the discovery and characterisation of the post-common-envelope central star system in the planetary nebula PN G283.7$-$05.1. Deep images taken as part of the POPIPlaN survey indicate that the nebula may possess a bipolar…
Many short-period binary stars have distant orbiting companions that have played a role in driving the binary components into close separation. Indirect detection of a tertiary star is possible by measuring apparent changes in eclipse times…
Six planetary nebulae (PN) are known in the Kepler space telescope field of view, three newly identified. Of the 5 central stars of PN with useful Kepler data, one, J193110888+4324577, is a short-period, post common envelope binary…
Close binary systems undergoing mass transfer or common envelope interactions can account for the morphological properties of some planetary nebulae. The search for close binary companions in planetary nebulae is hindered by the difficulty…
Close binary central stars of planetary nebulae (PNe) must have formed through a common envelope evolution during the giant phase experienced by one of the stars. Transfer of the angular momentum from the binary system to the envelope leads…
This paper reviews our knowledge on binary central stars of planetary nebulae and presents some personal opinions regarding their evolution. Three types of interactions are distinguished: type I, where the binary companion induces the mass…
There is no quantitative theory to explain why a high 80% of all planetary nebulae are non-spherical. The Binary Hypothesis states that a companion to the progenitor of a central star of planetary nebula is required to shape the nebula and…
Eight planetary nebulae have been identified as `born-again', a class of object typified by knotty secondary ejecta having low masses ($\sim$$10^{-4}$ M$_{\odot}$) with nearly no hydrogen. Abell 30, the archetype of the class, also belongs…
We present the results of an expanded, long-term radial velocity search (25 yrs) for evidence of binarity in a sample of seven bright proto-planetary nebulae (PPNe). The goal is to investigate the widely-held view that the bipolar or…
The discrepancy between abundances computed using optical recombination lines (ORLs) and collisionally excited lines (CELs) is a major unresolved problem in nebular astrophysics. We show here that the largest abundance discrepancies are…