Related papers: Axisymmetry in proto-planetary nebulae: using imag…
We will review our mid-infrared and HST imaging surveys of the circumstellar dust shells of proto-planetary nebulae. While optical imaging indirectly probes the dust distribution via dust-scattered starlight, mid-IR imaging directly maps…
The structure of the dusty circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of proto-planetary nebulae (PPNs) reveals the mass-loss history of these sources and how such histories may differ for elliptical (SOLE) and bipolar (DUPLEX) PPNs. To study the PPN…
Using NICMOS on HST, we have performed imaging polarimetry of proto-planetary nebulae. Our objective is to study the structure of optically thin circumstellar shells of post-asymptotic giant branch stars by separating dust-scattered,…
We summarize results of our {\it HST} imaging survey of proto-planetary nebula (PPN) candidates, in which we discovered two types of axisymmetric reflection nebulosities. The Star-Obvious Low-level-Elongated (SOLE) nebulae show a bright…
We investigate the gas structures around young binary stars by using three-dimensional numerical simulations. Each model exhibits circumstellar disks, spiral arms, and a circumbinary disk with an inner gap or cavity. The circumbinary disk…
This review describes some general properites of proto-planetary nebulae with particular emphasis on the recent work of morpholgical studies. The weight of observational evidence shows that proto-planetary nebulae (PPNe) are most certainly…
We present multi-epoch spectropolarimetry and spectra for a sample of 14 Type IIn supernovae (SNe IIn). We find that after correcting for likely interstellar polarization, SNe IIn commonly show intrinsic continuum polarization of 1--3% at…
We report the results of an exploratory program to image the extended circumstellar envelopes of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in dust-scattered galactic light. The goal is to characterize the morphology of the envelopes as a probe of…
We report the results from an optical imaging survey of proto-planetary nebula candidates using the HST. We exploited the high resolving power and wide dynamic range of HST and detected nebulosities in 21 of 27 sources. All detected…
We describe how the large scale geometry of the circumstellar envelopes of asymptotic giant branch stars can be used to probe the presence of unseen stellar companions. A nearby companion modifies the mass loss by gravitationally focusing…
We investigate the circumstellar dust properties of the oxygen-rich bipolar proto-planetary nebula IRAS 18276-1431 by means of two-dimensional radiative transfer simulations of the circumstellar dust shell. The model geometry is assumed to…
Extinction maps at 8 micron from the Spitzer Space Telescope show that many Class 0 protostars exhibit complex, irregular, and on-axisymmetric structure within the densest regions of their dusty envelopes. Many of the systems have highly…
We have carried out continuum and line polarisation observations of two Proto-planetary nebulae (PPNe), CRL 618 and OH 231.8+4.2, using the Submillimeter Array (SMA) in its compact configuration. The frequency range of observations, 330-345…
Many planetary nebulae (PNe) exhibit distinctly non-axisymmetric structure in either (i) the shape of the nebula, or (ii) in the off-centered position of the illuminating star. By examining a large number of well resolved images of PNe we…
Preplanetary nebulae (PPNe) are formed from mass-ejecting late-stage AGB stars. Much of the light from the star gets scattered or absorbed by dust particles, giving rise to the observed reflection nebula seen at visible and near-IR…
We use R-band CCD linear polarimetry collected for about 12000 background field stars in 46 fields of view toward the Pipe nebula to investigate the properties of the polarization across this dark cloud. Based on archival 2MASS data we…
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 report results of a program to image the extended circumstellar envelopes of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in dust-scattered Galactic light. The goal is to characterize the shapes of the envelopes to probe the mass-loss geometry…
Preplanetary nebulae and planetary nebulae are evolved, mass-losing stellar objects that show a wide variety of morphologies. Many of these nebulae consist of outer structures that are nearly spherical (spiral/shell/arc/halo) and inner…
We use archived IRAC images from the Spitzer Space Telescope to show that many Class 0 protostars exhibit complex, irregular, and non-axisymmetric structure within their dusty envelopes. Our 8 $\mu$m extinction maps probe some of the…