Related papers: A search for very young Planetary Nebulae

Single stars in ancient globular clusters (GCs) are believed incapable of producing planetary nebulae (PNe), because their post-asymptotic-giant-branch evolutionary timescales are slower than the dissipation timescales for PNe.…

Observations of planetary nebulae (PNe) by Sterling, Dinerstein and Bowers have revealed abundances in the neutron-capture element Germanium (Ge) from solar to factors of 3 -- 10 above solar. The enhanced Ge is an indication that the…

We explore modifications to the current scenario for the slow neutron capture process in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars to account for the Pb deficiency observed in post-AGB stars of low metallicity ([Fe/H] ~ -1.2) and low initial mass…

We review the evolution of our understanding of the planetary nebulae phenomenon and their place in the scheme of stellar evolution. The historical steps leading to our current understanding of central star evolution and nebular formation…

Post-AGB stars evolve on a very fast track and hence not many are known. Their spectral properties make them, in principle, ideal objects to test our theories on the late phases of stellar evolution. This has, however, proven much more…

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…

We present stellar evolution calculations from the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) to the Planetary Nebula (PN) phase for models of initial mass 1.2 M\odot and 2.0 M\odot that experience a Late Thermal Pulse (LTP), a helium shell flash that…

A large part of the Galactic sources emitting very high energy (VHE; > 10^{11} eV) gamma-rays are currently still unidentified. The evolution of Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe) plays a crucial role in interpreting these sources. The…

We demonstrate that a massive asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star is a good candidate as the main source of short-lived radionuclides in the early solar system. Recent identification of massive (4-8 solar masses) AGB stars in the Galaxy,…

Hot (OB) post-AGB stars are immediate progenitors of planetary nebulae (PNe). Very few hot post-AGB stars are known. Detecting new hot post-AGB candidates and follow-up multiwavelength studies will enable us to further understand the…

We report deep spectroscopy of ten planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) using the 10.4m GTC. Our targets reside in different regions of M31, including halo streams and dwarf satellite M32, and kinematically deviate from the…

A long debated issue concerning the nucleosynthesis of neutron-rich elements in Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars is the identification of the neutron source. We report intermediate-mass (4 to 8 solar masses) AGB stars in our Galaxy that…

Spectroscopy of planetary nebulae (PNe) provides the means to investigate s-process enrichments of neutron(n)-capture elements that cannot be detected in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. However, accurate abundance determinations of…

We compile published spectroscopic data and [O III] magnitudes of almost 500 extragalactic planetary nebulae (PNe) in 13 galaxies of various masses and morphological types. This is the first paper of a series that aims to analyze the PN…

New Planetary Nebulae (PNe) were discovered through an [O III] 5007 A emission line survey in the Galactic bulge region with l>0 deg. We detected 240 objects, including 44 new PNe. Deep Halpha+[N II] CCD images as well as low resolution…

Planetary nebulae (PNe) have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of extragalactic stellar populations. Indeed, in many systems, bright PNe are the only individual objects identifiable from the ground, and, even more often, they…

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…

As mass-losing asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars evolve to planetary nebulae (PNe), the mass outflow geometries transform from nearly spherical to extreme aspherical. The physical mechanisms governing this transformation are widely…

The study of the evolutionary properties of Asymptotic Giant Branch stars still presents unresolved topics. Progress in the theoretical understanding of their evolution is hampered by the difficulty to empirically explain key physical…

The most massive stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), so called super-AGB stars, are thought to produce supernovae (SNe) triggered by electron captures in their degenerate O+Ne+Mg cores. Super-AGB stars are expected to have slow…