Spatio-kinematic modelling: Testing the link between planetary nebulae and close binaries
Abstract
It is widely believed that central star binarity plays an important role in the formation and evolution of aspherical planetary nebulae, however observational support for this hypothesis is lacking. Here, we present the most recent results of a continuing programme to model the morphologies of all planetary nebulae known to host a close binary central star. Initially, this programme allows us to compare the inclination of the nebular symmetry axis to that of the binary plane, testing the theoretical expectation that they will lie perpendicular - to date, all have satisfied this expectation, indicating that each nebula has been shaped by its central binary star. As a greater sample of nebulae are modelled, it will be possible to search for trends connecting the parameters of both nebula and central binary, strengthening our understanding of the processes at work in these objects. I will discuss some of the more obvious comparisons, and their current statuses, as well as the obvious links to common envelope evolution.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1106.1102,
title = {Spatio-kinematic modelling: Testing the link between planetary nebulae and close binaries},
author = {David Jones and Amy A. Tyndall and Leo Huckvale and Barnabas Prouse and Myfanwy Lloyd},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1106.1102},
year = {2012}
}
Comments
6 pages to be published in the proceedings of "Evolution of Compact Binaries", ESO - Vi\~na del Mar, March 2011; Evolution of compact binaries. Proceedings of a workshop held at Hotel San Mart\'in, Vi\~na del Mar, Chile 6--11 May 2011