Photoionization models and chemical abundances of three halo planetary nebulae

Abtracts Photoionization models have been constructed to explain the line emission of the three halo planetary nebulae: K 648, 49+88°.1 and 108–76°.1. The charge transfer reactions between neutral hydrogen and different ions were taken into account in ionization equations. Due to lack of observational information, radiation-bounded as well as matter-bounded models have been considered. Both these models indicate that He and C abundances are close to solar values whereas the heavier elements are depleted.Partially supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil.This paper was entirely written when I received a preprint of Peimbert and Torres-Peimbert (1979) whose results confirm a high abundance of carbon in the planetary nebula 49+88°.1.     

Nuclei of planetary nebulae and white dwarf envelopes

Upper bounds to the masses of He envelopes of white dwarfs are derived by examining the maximum He envelope that a nucleus of a planetary nebulae can have consistent with observation.     

He,C, N,and O abundances in an ensemble of galactic planetary nebulae

The He, C, N, and O abundances in more than 120 planetary nebulae (PNe) of our Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds have been redetermined by analyzing new PNe observations. The characteristics of PNe obtained by modeling their spectra have been used to compile a new catalog of parameters for Galactic and extragalactic PNe, which is accessible at http://www.astro.spbu.ru/staff/afk/GalChemEvol.html. The errors in the parameters of PNe and their elemental abundances related to inaccuracies in the observational data have been analyzed. The He abundance is determined with an accuracy of 0.06 dex, while the errors in the C, N, and O abundances are 0.1–0.2 dex. Taking into account the inaccuracies in the corrections for the ionization stages of the elements whose lines are absent in the PNe spectra increases the errors in the He abundance to 0.1 dex and in the C, N, and O abundances to 0.2–0.3 dex. The elemental abundances in PNe of various Galactic subsystems and the Magellanic Clouds have been analyzed. This analysis suggests that the Galactic bulge objects are similar to type II PNe in Peimbert’s classification, whose progenitor stars belong to the thin-disk population with ages of at least 4–6 Gyr. A similarity between the elemental abundances in PNe of the Magellanic Clouds and the Galactic halo has been established.     

On the evolution of central stars of planetary nebulae

The evolution of nuclei of planetary nebulae has been calculated from the end of the ejection stage that produces the nebulae to the white, dwarf stage. The structure of the central star is in agreement with the general picture of Finzi (1973) about the mass ejection from the progenitors of planetary nebulae. It has been found that in order to obtain evolutionary track consistent with the Harman-Seaton track (O'Dell, 1968) one has to assume that the masses of the nuclei stars are less than 0.7M . The calculated evolutionary time scale of the central stars of planetary nebulae is 2×10⁴ yr. This time scale is negatively correlated with the stellar mass: the heavier the stellar mass, the shorter the evolutionary time scale.     

The case of the fastest stellar wind in central stars of planetary nebulae

An exceptionally fast wind (8500 km/s) was suggested to occur in the central star of the planetary nebula K1-16, belonging to the class of the PG 1159 H-deficient pre-white dwarfs. To ascertain the reality of such a fast wind this star has been observed with the HST telescope using the GHRS in the zone of theCiv 155.0 nm doublet. The HST data and tests made using synthetic stellar spectra support the existence of a stellar wind with a terminal velocity of 3800 km/s and a mass loss rate lower thanM<2 · 10^–11 M per year. Possibly it is no longer the fastest stellar wind so far observed but it is still among the fastest.     

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.     

Revealing the transition from post-AGB stars to planetary nebulae: non-thermal and thermal radio continuum observations

Midcourse Space eXperiment and Infrared Astronomical Satellite colour diagnostics as well as OH maser profile characteristics were used to select a sample of post-asymptotic giant branch (pAGB) candidates for a radio continuum detection experiment with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Seven out of 28 sources, six of which are new detections, show a continuum. A planetary nebula serendipitously detected in the field of an undetected pAGB candidate also reveals radio continuum. The radio continuum properties of these eight sources are described. Almost half have non-thermal emission. dusty modelling of the infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the three strongest detections reveals that they all have central stars with temperatures substantially lower than that required for significant photoionization, leading us to infer that the radio continuum has arisen from wind–shock interactions. This hypothesis is consistent with the detection of non-thermal radio emission in one of these three objects.     

Theoretical models of planetary nebulae II: NGC 4361, an unusual high-excitation nebula

NGC 4361 is an extremely high excitation, low-density, very inhomogeneous nebula. New spectroscopic data obtained with the Anglo-Australian telescope, together with published material, have been re-interpreted with the aid of theoretical nebular models that permit an estimation of its chemical composition. Helium may be slightly more abundant than in an ordinary planetary, although this is far from certain. Nitrogen, oxygen, and neon appear to be deficient by a factor of 3 or 4 compared with an ordinary planetary nebula. Argon is likewise deficient but the factor is more difficult to establish, partly because of the nebular inhomogeneity and partly because of uncertainties in cross-sections. THe nebula is material bounded and optically thin in the hydrogen continuum. In contrast to other high-excitation nebulae, the low-excitation condensations appear to have been destroyed by penetration of ionizing radiation.     

A pilot study of the radio‐continuum emission from MASH planetary nebulae

We report an Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio‐continuum observations of 26 planetary nebulae (PNe) at wavelengths of 3 and 6 cm. This sample of 26 PNe were taken from the Macquarie/AAO/Strasbourg Hα PNe (MASH) catalogue and previous lists. We investigate radio detection quality including measured and derived parameters for all detected or marginally detected PNe from this combined sample. Some 11 objects from the observed sample have been successfully detected and parametrized. Except for one, all detected PNe have very low radio surface brightnesses. We use a statistical distance scale method to calculate distances and ionised masses of the detected objects. Nebulae from this sample are found tobe large (>0.2 pc in diameter) and highly diluted which indicates old age. For 21 PNe from this sample we list integrated Hα fluxes and interstellar extinction coefficients, either taken from the literature or derived here from the Balmer decrement and radio to Hα ratio methods. Finally, our detected fraction of the MASH pilot sample is relatively low compared to the non‐MASH sub‐sample. We conclude that future radio surveys of the MASH sample must involve deeper observations with better uv coverage in order to increase the fraction of detected objects and improve the quality of the derived parameters (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Gas-phase models for the evolved planetary nebulae NGC 6781, M4-9 and NGC 7293

We have studied the chemistry of the molecular gas in evolved planetary nebulae. Three pseudo-time-dependent gas-phase models have been constructed for dense (10⁴–10⁵ cm⁻³) and cool ( T ∼15 K) clumpy envelopes of the evolved nebulae NGC 6781, M4-9 and NGC 7293. The three nebulae are modelled as carbon-rich stars evolved from the asymptotic giant branch to the late planetary nebula phase. The clumpy neutral envelopes are subjected to ultraviolet radiation from the central star and X-rays that enhance the rate of ionization in the clumps. With the ionization rate enhanced by four orders of magnitude over that of the ISM, we find that resultant abundances of the species HCN, HNC, HC₃N and SiC₂ are in good agreement with observations, while those of CN, HCO⁺, CS and SiO are in rough agreement. The results indicate that molecular species such as CH, CH₂, CH₂⁺ , HCl, OH and H₂O are anticipated to be highly abundant in these objects.     

High-precision stellar abundances of the elements: methods and applications

Efficient spectrographs at large telescopes have made it possible to obtain high-resolution spectra of stars with high signal-to-noise ratio and advances in model atmosphere analyses have enabled estimates of high-precision differential abundances of the elements from these spectra, i.e. with errors in the range 0.01–0.03 dex for F, G, and K stars. Methods to determine such high-precision abundances together with precise values of effective temperatures and surface gravities from equivalent widths of spectral lines or by spectrum synthesis techniques are outlined, and effects on abundance determinations from using a 3D non-LTE analysis instead of a classical 1D LTE analysis are considered. The determination of high-precision stellar abundances of the elements has led to the discovery of unexpected phenomena and relations with important bearings on the astrophysics of galaxies, stars, and planets, i.e. (i) Existence of discrete stellar populations within each of the main Galactic components (disk, halo, and bulge) providing new constraints on models for the formation of the Milky Way. (ii) Differences in the relation between abundances and elemental condensation temperature for the Sun and solar twins suggesting dust-cleansing effects in proto-planetary disks and/or engulfment of planets by stars; (iii) Differences in chemical composition between binary star components and between members of open or globular clusters showing that star- and cluster-formation processes are more complicated than previously thought; (iv) Tight relations between some abundance ratios and age for solar-like stars providing new constraints on nucleosynthesis and Galactic chemical evolution models as well as the composition of terrestrial exoplanets. We conclude that if stellar abundances with precisions of 0.01–0.03 dex can be achieved in studies of more distant stars and stars on the giant and supergiant branches, many more interesting future applications, of great relevance to stellar and galaxy evolution, are probable. Hence, in planning abundance surveys, it is important to carefully balance the need for large samples of stars against the spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio needed to obtain high-precision abundances. Furthermore, it is an advantage to work differentially on stars with similar atmospheric parameters, because then a simple 1D LTE analysis of stellar spectra may be sufficient. However, when determining high-precision absolute abundances or differential abundance between stars having more widely different parameters, e.g. metal-poor stars compared to the Sun or giants to dwarfs, then 3D non-LTE effects must be taken into account.     

[WR] nuclei of planetary nebulae: Inferences from statistical studies of the nebulae

There are about 50 galactic planetary nebulae know to have [WR] type nuclei. We have compared their nebular properties with those of the other planetary nebulae in the Galaxy. We have found that the nebular morphological types are similarly distributed in the two groups. Bipolar nebulae constitute only 20% of the total in each group. The distribution of the nebular electron densities and abundance ratios N/O, He/H and C/O are the same in the two groups. The only marked difference is that nebular expansion velocities are larger in the group of planetary nebulae with [WR] central stars. We argue that the WR phenomenon does not preferentially occur in more massive central stars of planetary nebulae, contrary to what has been suggested in some former studies. We demonstrate that, for most of the observed [WR] type objects, the WR phenomenon cannot be triggered by a late helium shell flash event.The results of our investigation are published inAstronomy & Astrophysics 303, 893 (1995) and in the proceedings of the 2nd International Colloquium on Hydrogen-deficient Stars, C.S. Jeffery & U. Heber (eds), Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, Vol. 96, p. 209 (1996).     

Statistical survey of planetary nebulae: Distances,masses, and distribution in the galaxy

On the basis of empirical (D)-dependency at the frequency of 5 GHz constructed using 15 planetary nebulae with the independently measured distances (10^–171×10^–20 W m^–2 Hz^–1 ster^–1), we evaluated distances of 335 objects. Independent evidence of the correctness of the accepted scale are given. Then(D)-dependency is constructed and it is shown that atD<0.08 pc the mean electron density is higher than the one determined by the Seaton method. We showed that the filling factor diminishes with the increase of the PN diameter (1 atD0.08 pc and 0.2 atD0.4 pc). the ionized mass of 33 PNs is determined. With the diameter increase the ionized mass grows and atD0.4 pc reaches the valueM0.07M . We used the new distance scale when investigating the space distribution of PNs. The mean scale height =130±15 pc and the mean gradient of the change of surface densitym=0.37, which allowed us to estimate the total number of nebulae in the GalaxyN4×10⁴. We divided the PNs according to their velocities (withV _LSR>35 km s^–1 andV _LSR<35 km s^–1) and permitted us to confirm that the PN belong to different sub-systems of the Galaxy. The estimated local formation rate of PNs [=(4.6±2.2)×10^–12 pc^–3 yr^–1] is a little higher than the one of the white dwarfs. That can be explained by a large number of PNs having binary cores, which used in our sample. The statistical estimation of PN expansion velocity showed thatV _ex increases from 5–7 km s^–1 (atD0.03 pc) to 40–50 km s^–1 (atD0.8 pc).     

The photoionization mechanism of LINERs: stellar and nonstellar

We present high quality spectroscopic observations of a sample of 14 low ionization nuclear emission-line regions (LINERs). Starlight removal is achieved by the subtraction of a suitable absorption-line template galaxy, allowing accurate measurements of emission lines. We use these line fluxes to examine the possible excitation mechanisms of LINERs. We suggest that LINERs with weak [O I] 6300 emission ([O I]/H < 1/6) may beH II regions photoionized by unusually hot O-type stars. LINERs with [O I]/H < 1/6 may be powered by photoionization from a nonstellar continuum. This is supported by the detection of broad h emission, a correlation between line width and critical density, and point-like X-ray emission in several of these objects.     

Chemical abundances of the WR-ring nebulae NGC 2359 and RCW 78

We report on extensive spectroscopic observations of the WR-ring nebulae NGC 2359 and RCW 78, respectively, excited by the WN5 stars HD 56925 and WN8 HD 117688. For the first object we have determined abundances for O/H, Ne/H, N/H, and He/H in many different positions, including the ionized gas in the bubble, inside the optical shell structure, and the outermost zones associated with the S 298 Hii region. We do not find any significant difference in the N/H and O/H abundances over the entire nebula. The O/H and N/H abundances expected are close to those for a normal Hii region located at similar distance. In the case of He/H we find indication of local enhancements which sum to the abundance of metal rich galactic Hii regions like M17. RCW 78 appears to show slight overabundances of He/H and N/H in the two observed positions.The ionising temperature for the WN central star (HD 56925) of NGC 2359 is determined from the observed Hii region spectrum giving a value of 50000 K, appropriate to its spectral type.