Are planetary nebulae derived from multiple evolutionary scenarios?
Abstract
Our understanding of planetary nebulae has been significantly enhanced as a result of several recent large surveys (Parker et al., these proceedings). These new discoveries suggest that the `PN phenomenon' is in fact more heterogeneous than previously envisaged. Even after the careful elimination of mimics from Galactic PN catalogues, there remains a surprising diversity in the population of PNe and especially their central stars. Indeed, several evolutionary scenarios are implicated in the formation of objects presently catalogued as PNe. We provide a summary of these evolutionary pathways and give examples of each. Eventually, a full census of local PNe can be used to confront both stellar evolution theory and population synthesis models.
- Publication:
-
Planetary Nebulae: An Eye to the Future
- Pub Date:
- August 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921312010940
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1203.1388
- Bibcode:
- 2012IAUS..283..192F
- Keywords:
-
- Planetary nebulae: general;
- stars: AGB and post-AGB;
- stars: evolution;
- surveys;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- 4 pages, 1 figure. To be published in Planetary Nebulae: an Eye to the Future, Proceedings of IAU Symposium 283, held in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain, July 25-29 2011