Statistics of planetary nebulae with [WR] central stars

The status of planetary nebulae with Wolf-Rayet type central stars([WR] PN) remains one of the most important problems inthe investigation of planetary nebulae. We cannot claim to understand theevolution of low and intermediate-mass stars without answering the questionhow [WR] PN are created.Analyzing the statistical properties of the whole population of [WR] PNand comparing them to other planetary nebulae (non-[WR] PN) bringsimportant information on their origin and evolutionary status. In thisarticle I will summarize our results of this type of studies and show whatlimits they put on the possible evolutionary routes of [WR] PN creation.     

Multiple shell planetary nebulae: Evolutionary paths and observed configurations

Recent observations of multiple shell planetary nebulae confirm the existing subdivision into two morphological types: attached halo and detached halo. The multiple shell phenomenon appears in about twentyfive percent of round and elliptical planetary nebulae of theInstituto de Astrofisica de Canarias morphological survey. The analysis of these nebulae together with that of their central stars lead to the interpretation that detached halo nebulae are formed through discontinuous mass loss at the Asymptotic Giant Branch tip. The attached halo nebulae, instead, are probably produced via dynamical nebular shaping.     

PAH features in the ISO SWS01 spectra of [WR] planetary nebulae

We present Infrared Space Observatory (ISO)Short Wavelength Spectrometer (SWS) observations for 16Wolf–Rayet ([WR]) planetary nebulae (PNe) in the range from 2.4 to16.5 m with the aim of analyzing the dust features present inthis group of objects. We have found that Policyclic AromaticHydrocarbon (PAH) molecular bands are present in most of the observed[WR] planetary nebulae with clear exception for K 2–16 among latetype [WC] stars.     

New Wolf–Rayet central stars of planetary nebulae identified on the AAO/UKST Hα Survey

The central stars of two of the new planetary nebulae found during scans of the AAO/UKST H α Survey of the Milky Way have been found to exhibit Wolf–Rayet (WR) emission features. One (PMR 1) is an early-type star of class either [WO4] or [WC4]. The other (PMR 2) is a late [WC] star which, depending on the classification scheme used, is either intermediate in class between [WC9] and [WC10] or the sole member of the [WC10] class. Both stars exhibit unusual spectral features which may be attributed to enhanced nitrogen in their atmospheres and could be indicative of unusual stellar evolution.     

Magnetic fields in planetary nebulae and post-AGB nebulae

Magnetic fields are an important but largely unknown ingredient of planetary nebulae. They have been detected in oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and post-AGB stars, and may play a role in the shaping of their nebulae. Here we present SCUBA submillimetre polarimetric observations of four bipolar planetary nebulae and post-AGB stars, including two oxygen-rich and two carbon-rich nebulae, to determine the geometry of the magnetic field by dust alignment. Three of the four sources (NGC 7027, 6537 and 6302) present a well-defined toroidal magnetic field oriented along their equatorial torus or disc. NGC 6302 may also show field lines along the bipolar outflow. CRL 2688 shows a complex field structure, where part of the field aligns with the torus, whilst an other part approximately aligns with the polar outflow. It also presents marked asymmetries in its magnetic structure. NGC 7027 shows evidence for a disorganized field in the south-west corner, where the SCUBA shows an indication for an outflow. The findings show a clear correlation between field orientation and nebular structure.     

Abundances of [WC] central stars and their planetary nebulaee

We review elemental abundances derived for planetary nebula (PN) WCcentral stars and for their nebulae. Uncertainties in the abundances of[WC] stars are still too large to enable an abundance sequenceto be constructed. In particular it is not clear why the hotter [WCE]stars have C and O abundances which are systematically lower than those oftheir supposed precursors, the [WCL] stars. This abundance differencecould be real or it may be due to unaccounted-for systematic effects inthe analyses. Hydrogen might not be present in [WC] star winds asoriginallysuggested, since broad pedestals observed at the base of nebular lines canplausibly be attributed to high velocity nebular components. It isrecommended that stellar abundance analyses should be carried out withnon-LTE model codes, although recombination line analyses can provideuseful insights. In particular, C II dielectronic recombinationlines provide a unique means to determine electron temperatures in cool[WC] star winds. We then compare the abundances found for PNe which have [WC] central starswith those that do not. Numerous abundance analyses of PNe have beenpublished, but comparisons based on non-uniform samples and methods arelikely to lack reliability. Nebular C/H ratios, which might be expected todistinguish between PNe around H-poor and H-rich stars, are rather similarfor the two groups, with only a small tendency towards larger values fornebulae around H-deficient stars. Nebular abundances should be obtainedwith photoionization models using the best-fitting non-LTE modelatmosphere for the central star as the input. Heavy-metal line blanketingstill needs to be taken into consideration when modeling the central star,as its omission can significantly affect the ionizing fluxes as well asthe abundance determinations. We discuss the discrepancies between nebularabundances derived from collisionally excited lines and thosederived from optical recombination lines, a phenomenon that may havelinks with the presence of H-deficient central stars.     

Shaping planetary nebulae: is it different for [WR] stars?

This review discusses the physics of the formation of planetarynebulae around low mass WR stars, or [WR] stars. It especially focuseson the differences which can be expected due to the differentcharacter of the fast winds from these [WR] stars. Their fast windsare more massive and are highly H deficient and metal enrichedcompared to the winds of normal central stars of planetarynebulae. This is expected to lead to faster expansion velocities forthe nebulae and a longer momentum-driven phase in the evolution of thewind-driven bubble, leading to more turbulent nebulae. Theobservational evidence also shows that the process which produces the[WR] stars is unlikely to influence the onset of aspherical mass loss,something which can be used as a test for models for aspherical massloss from AGB and post-AGB stars. Finally it is shown that thenebular characteristics rule out a very late He shell flash as theorigin of most [WR] stars.     

A hydrodynamical study of multiple‐shell planetary nebulae

We present the result of a study on the expansion properties and internal kinematics of round/elliptical planetary nebulae of the Milky Way disk, the halo, and of the globular cluster M 15. The purpose of this study is to considerably enlarge the small sample of nebulae with precisely determined expansion properties (Schönberner et al. 2005b). To this aim, we selected a representative sample of objects with different evolutionary stages and metallicities and conducted highresolution ´echelle spectroscopy. In most cases we succeeded in detecting the weak signals from the outer nebular shell which are attached to the main line emission from the bright nebular rim. Next to the measurement of the motion of the rim gas by decomposition of the main line components into Gaussians, we were able to measure separately, for most objects for the first time, the gas velocity immediately behind the leading shock of the shell, i.e. the post‐shock velocity. We more than doubled the number of objects for which the velocities of both rim and shell are known and confirm that the overall expansion of planetary nebulae is accelerating with time. There are, however, differences between the expansion behaviour of the shell and the rim: The post‐shock velocity is starting at values as low as around 20 km s^–1 for the youngest nebulae, just above the AGB wind velocity of ∼ 10–15 km s^–1, and is reaching values of about 40 km s^–1 for the nebulae around hotter central stars. Contrarily, the rim matter is at first decelerated below the typical AGB‐wind velocity and remains at about 5–10 km s^–1 for a while until finally a typical flow velocity of up to 30 km s^–1 is reached. This observed distinct velocity evolution of both rim and shell is explained by radiation‐hydrodynamics simulations, at least qualitatively: It is due to the ever changing stellar radiation field and wind‐wind interaction together with the varying density profile ahead of the leading shock during the progress of evolution. The wind‐wind interaction works on the rim dynamics while the radiation field and upstream density gradient is responsible for the shell dynamics. Because of these time‐dependent boundary conditions, a planetary nebula will never evolve into a simple self‐similar expansion. Also the metal‐poor objects behave as theory predicts: The post‐shock velocities are higher and the rim flow velocities are equal or even lower compared to disk objects at similar evolutionary stage. The old nebula around low‐luminosity central stars contained in our sample expand still fast and are dominated by reionisation. We detected, for the first time, in some objects an asymmetric expansion behaviour: The relative expansions between rim and shell appear to be different for the receding and approaching parts of the nebular envelope. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The dual dust chemistries of planetary nebulae with [WCL] central stars

The rather rare class of central stars of planetary nebulae that show very low-excitation Wolf–Rayet spectra has been a subject of great interest, particularly in the infrared, since its discovery in the late 1960s. Further peculiarities have been found with the advent of infrared spectroscopy from ISO . Notably, these objects simultaneously betray the presence of regions of carbon-rich and oxygen-rich dust chemistry. We compare and contrast complete ISO spectra between 2 and 200 μm of a sample of six [WC8] to [WC11] central stars, finding many similarities. Among this sample, one star provides strong evidence of quasi-periodic light variations, suggestive of a dust cloud orbiting in a plane from which we view the system.     

Evolution of elemental abundances in planetary nebulae

We study the evolution of elemental abundances in an ensemble of Galactic planetary nebulae as a function of the masses of the central stars (M _cs) and their progenitors (M _ini). We derive the dependences of the C, N, Ne, Cl, Ar, and S abundances on M _cs and M _ini for a large sample of nebulae. We calculate the theoretical elemental abundances in nebulae under the assumption of complete mixing of the progenitor’s matter ejected at different stages of its evolution. The theoretical dependences of the C and N abundances on M _ini have been found to correspond to the observed ones. At the same time, the observed mean O abundance is approximately half its theoretical value. The Ne, Cl, Ar, and S abundances monotonically increase with increasing mass of the progenitor star, which reflects an increase in the mean abundances of heavy elements during the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. We have derived the relation between the abundances of the elements under consideration in planetary nebulae and the masses of their central stars. This relation is used to construct the mass function for the nuclei of planetary nebulae.     

M4–18: the planetary nebula and its WC10 central star

We present a detailed analysis of the planetary nebula M4–18 (G146.7+07.6) and its WC10-type Wolf–Rayet (WR) central star, based on high‐quality optical spectroscopy (WHT/UES, INT/IDS, WIYN/DensPak) and imaging ( HST /WFPC2). From a non-LTE model atmosphere analysis of the stellar spectrum, we derive T _eff=31 kK,     v _∞=160 km s⁻¹ and abundance number ratios of H/He<0.5, C/He=0.60 and O/He=0.10. These parameters are remarkably similar to those of He 2–113 ([WC10]). Assuming an identical stellar mass to that determined by De Marco et al. for He 2–113, we obtain a distance of 6.8 kpc to M4–18 [ E ( B−V )=0.55 mag from nebular and stellar techniques]. This implies that the planetary nebula of M4–18 has a dynamical age of ∼3100 yr, in contrast to ≥270 yr for He 2–113. This is supported by the much higher electron density of the latter. These observations may be reconciled with evolutionary predictions only if [WC]-type stars exhibit a range in stellar masses.
Photoionization modelling of M4–18 is carried out using our stellar WR flux distribution, together with blackbody and Kurucz energy distributions obtained from Zanstra analyses. We conclude that the ionizing energy distribution from the WR model provides the best consistency with the observed nebular properties, although discrepancies remain.     

Metal-poor planetary nebulae: Effects of winds

Some planetary nebulae in the galactic thick disk display extremely low abundances of heavy elements such as O, Ne, S, and Ar, compared with normal or type II nebulae. Their central stars are generally relatively cool and underluminous, indicating that the progenitor stars had very low masses. It is suggested that strong stellar winds have had an important role in the formation of these objects, which is supported by the large mass loss rates now observed.     

Symbiotic stars with Wolf-Rayet spectra as protoplanetary nebulae?

Symbiotic systems, in particular symbiotic novae, have been suggested to be very early stages of planetary nebulae. Some of them have been described as going through a Wolf-Rayet phase. We argue that there may be a direct relation between symbiotic objects and planetary nebulae, and that the Wolf-Rayet phase is connected to an active spell of the hot companion. Symbiotic stars could lead to planetary nebulae with two central stars with different radiation temperatures and luminosities, where each has the power to ionize a planetary nebula on its own.     

Dust masses and abundances in planetary nebulae: likely strong elemental depletion in low-abundance sources

An analysis is undertaken of the relation between dust/gas mass ratios and elemental abundances within planetary nebulae (PNe). It is found that M _DUST/ M _GAS is broadly invariant with abundance, and similar to the values observed in asymptotic giant branch (AGB)-type stars. However, it is noted that the masses of dust observed in low-abundance PNe are similar to the masses of heavy elements observed in the gas phase. This is taken to imply that levels of elemental depletion must be particularly severe, and extend to many more species than have been identified so far. In particular, given that levels of C and O depletion are likely to be large, then this probably implies that species such as Fe, S, Si and Mg are depleted as well. There is already evidence for depletion of Fe, Si and Mg in individual PNe. It follows that whilst quoted abundances may accurately reflect gas-phase conditions, they are likely to be at variance with intrinsic abundances in low Z _N nebulae.
Finally, we note that there appears to be a variation in dust/gas mass ratios with galactocentric distance, with gradient similar to that observed for several elemental abundances. This may represent direct evidence for a correlation between dust/gas mass ratios and nebular abundances.     

Far-infrared emission from ring nebulae

Ring nebulae are known to form around stars like the Wolf-Rayet and the Of stars. The dust in these nebulae is heated by the central star and, therefore, provides a positive clue to the origin of the nebulae, complementing the optical techniques. A systematic search has been carried out to study the infra-red emission from these nebulae based on the IRAS data. The influence of the local interstellar material properties on the formation of nebular dust is studied.     

The near- and far-infrared colours of MASH planetary nebulae

We have analysed the near-infrared (NIR) and far-infrared (FIR) colours of MASH I and MASH II (the Macquarie/AAO/Strasbourg surveys) planetary nebulae (PNe), using data deriving from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey and Infrared Astronomical Satellite . We were able to identify ∼5 per cent of the sources in the NIR, and a slightly larger fraction (∼12 per cent) in the FIR. It is concluded that whilst the NIR colours of these nebulae are consistent with those of less evolved (and higher surface brightness) PNe, their FIR colours are markedly different. This disparity is likely to arise as a result of an evolution in dust temperatures, in their line emission characteristics, and in the relative contributions of the 8.6 and 11.3 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission features. A rump of ∼9 per cent of the detected sources have values  log[ F (25 μm)/ F (60 μm)]  which are lower than can be explained in terms of normal nebular evolution, however. If these are comparable in nature to the undetected PNe, then this would argue that ∼1 in 10 of MASH I and II nebulae may represent galactic H  ii regions, Stromgren spheres, symbiotic nebulae or other unrelated categories of source.     

Hydrogen-poor planetary nebulae

Five planetary nebulae are known to show hydrogen-poor material nearthe central star. In the case of A58, this gas was ejected following alate thermal pulse similar to Sakurai's Object. In this paper I will reviewthese five objects. One of them, IRAS 18333 –2357, may not be a truePN. I will show that there is a strong case for a relation to the [WC]stars and their relatives, the weak emission-line stars. The surfaceabundances of the [WC] stars are explained via diffuse overshoot intothe helium layer. The hydrogen-poor PNe do not support this: theirabundances indicate a change of abundance with depth in the heliumlayer. A short-lived phase of very high mass loss, the r-AGB, isindicated. Sakurai's Object may be at the start of such a phase, and mayevolve to very low stellar temperatures.     

Detecting planets in planetary nebulae

We examine the possibility of detecting signatures of surviving Uranus/Neptune-like planets inside planetary nebulae. Planets that are not too close to the stars (orbital separation larger than ∼5 au) are likely to survive the entire evolution of the star. As the star turns into a planetary nebula, it has a fast wind and strong ionizing radiation. The interaction of the radiation and wind with a planet may lead to the formation of a compact condensation or tail inside the planetary nebula, which emits strongly in H α , but not in [O  iii ]. The position of the condensation (or tail) will change over a time-scale of ∼10 yr. Such condensations might be detected with currently existing telescopes.     

FLAIR observations of planetary nebulae in the Large Magellanic Cloud

This paper presents new observations of 97 planetary nebulae in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) obtained using the FLAIR system on the UK 1.2-m Schmidt Telescope. These nebulae are mostly at the fainter end of the known population, and about 75 per cent have not been observed before in spectroscopic mode. Radial velocities have been measured using cross-correlation techniques, and represent an increase of 66 per cent in the sample of LMC planetary nebulae with known radial velocities. The major line ratios are given, and are analysed in conjunction with published data. One-quarter of the faint nebulae are Type I objects with very strong [N II ] and [S II ] lines; most of the other faint nebulae have low density, low excitation and relatively strong [S II ] lines.     

Self-consistent photoionization models of planetary nebulae luminescence: stellar ionizing continuum,nebular abundances,and evolution of the envelopes

The modern self-consistent photoionization model of planetary nebula luminescence is described. All of the processes which play an important role in the ionization and thermal equilibrium of the nebular gas are taken into consideration. The diffuse ionizing radiation is taken into account completely. The construction of the model is carried out for the radial distribution of gas density in the nebular envelope which is consistent with isophotal map of the nebula. The application of the model is illustrated on the example of the planetary nebulae BD+30°3639 and NGC 7293. It is shown that the continuum of the central star at 912 Å does not correspond to the blackbody spectrum but agrees with the spectrum of corresponding non-LTE model atmosphere. The radial distributions of electron density, electron temperature, and other parameters in the nebular envelopes are found.The evolution of the radial distribution of gas density in the planetary nebulae envelopes is investigated. Approximative analytical expression which describe both such distribution and its change with time is adjusted. It is shown that the nebular envelope is formed as a result of quiet evolution of the slow stellar wind of star-precursor, and the formation of the envelope begins from the decrease of star-precursor's mass loss rate. Obtained radial distributions of gas density in the envelopes of young nebulae rule out the idea that the planetary nebula is formed as a result of a rapid ejection of clear-cut envelope. So, there is no necessity for the superwind which is used for this purpose in theoretical calculations.A new method of the determination of planetary nebulae abundances is proposed. Unobserved ionization stages are taken into account with aid of the correlations between relative abundances of various ions which had been obtained from the grid of the photoionization models of planetary nebulae luminescence. Simple approximative expressions for the determination of He/H, C/H, N/H, O/H, Ne/H, Mg/H, Si/H, S/H, and Ar/H are found. The chemical composition of 130 Galactic planetary nebulae is revised. A comparative analysis of the abundances in the Galactic disk, bulge, and halo nebulae is carried out.