Discovery of an O VI-emitting Nebula around the Hot White Dwarf KPD 0005+5106
Abstract
A survey of diffuse interstellar sight lines observed with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer has led to the serendipitous discovery of a high-ionization nebula around the hot white dwarf KPD 0005+5106. The nebula has an O VI λ1032 surface brightness of up to 25,000 photons s-1 cm-2 sr-1, making it the brightest region of extended O VI emission in our survey. Photoionization models using the incident white dwarf continuum successfully reproduce the observed O VI intensity. The O VI emission arises in the highly ionized inner region of a planetary nebula around KPD 0005+5106. This newly discovered nebula may be one member of a class of high-ionization planetary nebulae that are difficult to detect in the optical, but that can be easily identified in the ultraviolet.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- May 2004
- DOI:
- 10.1086/421397
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0404421
- Bibcode:
- 2004ApJ...606L.143O
- Keywords:
-
- Stars: Circumstellar Matter;
- ISM: Planetary Nebulae: General;
- Stars: Individual: Alphanumeric: KPD 0005+5106;
- Ultraviolet: ISM;
- Stars: White Dwarfs;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- accepted for publication in ApJL, 11 pages including 2 figures