While in the past spheroidicity was assumed, and still is used in modeling of most nebulae, we know now that only a small number of planetary nebulae (PNe) are really spherical or at least nearly round. Round planetary nebulae are the minority of objects. In case of those objects that underwent a very late helium flash (called VLTP or "born-again" PNe) it seems to be different. The first, hydrogen rich PN, is more or less round. The ejecta from the VLTP event is extremely asymmetrically. Angular momentum is mostly assumed to be the main reason for the asymmetry in PNe. Thus we have to find processes either changing their behavior within a few hundred to a few thousands of years or change their properties dramatically due to the variation of the abundance. They most likely have a strong link or dependency with the abundance of the ejecta.
While in the past spherodicity was assumed, and still is used in modeling of most nebulae, we know now that only a small number of planetary nebulae (PNe) are really spherical or at least nearly round. Round planetary nebulae are the minority of objects. In the case of those objects that underwent a very late helium flash (called VLTP objects or ``born-again'' PNe) it seems to be different. The first, hydrogen-rich PN, is more or less round. The ejecta from the VLTP event, in contrast, are extremely asymmetrical.
The evolution of central stars of planetary nebulae can proceed in several distinct ways, either leading to H-deficiency or to H-normal surface composition. Several new simulations of the evolution channels that lead to H-deficiency are now available, mainly the born-again scenarios that are triggered by a He-shell flash during the hot pre-white dwarf evolution phase. A realistic AGB progenitor evolution is important for correct HRD tracks, that allow mass determinations. New hydrodynamic simulations of He-shell flash convection including cases with H-ingestion are now performed, and allow a d…
We present evolutionary calculations aimed at describing the born-again scenario for post-AGB remnant stars of 0.5842 and 0.5885 \msun. Results are based on a detailed treatment of the physical processes responsible for the chemical abundance changes. We considered two theories of convection: the standard mixing length theory (MLT) and the double-diffusive GNA convection developed by Grossman et al. The latter accounts for the effect of the chemical gradient ($\nablaμ$) in the mixing processes and in the transport of energy. We also explore the dependence of the born-again evolution on some ph…
We present numerical simulations of the very late thermal pulse (VLTP) scenario for a wide range of remnant masses. We show that, by taking into account the different possible remnant masses, the fast outburst evolution of V4334 Sgr (a.k.a. Sakurai's Object) and V605 Aql can be reproduced within standard 1D stellar evolution models. A dichotomy in the born again timescales is found, with lower mass remnants evolving in a few years and higher mass remnants (M $\hbox{\rlap{\hbox{\lower4pt\hbox{$\sim$}}}\hbox{$>$}}$ 0.6 M$_{\odot}$) failing to expand due to the H-flash and, as a consequence, evol…
Observations with space-borne X-ray telescopes revealed the existence of soft, diffuse X-ray emission from the inner regions of planetary nebulae. Although the existing images support the idea that this emission arises from the hot shocked central-star wind which fills the inner cavity of a planetary nebula, existing models have difficulties to explain the observations consistently. We investigate how the inclusion of thermal conduction changes the physical parameters of the hot shocked wind gas and the amount of X-ray emission predicted by time-dependent hydrodynamical models of planetary neb…
We derived the properties of V605 Aql before the final helium flash pulse by studying its surrounding PN A58. Photoionizing models of our spectral data together with a new distance estimate and a closer look at the recombination timescales lead to a consistent model. Comparing our findings with the only hydrogen-poor twin, namely Sakurai's Object, we conclude that these born-again objects have normal PNe core masses. We are able to prove V605 Aql indeed to be, similar to V4332 Sgr, a very late thermal pulse object and to put constraints for the evolutionary time scales for the transition back …
The surface chemical composition of this remarkable star shows that it is hydrogen-deficient, carbon-rich and enriched in the light s-process elements. Spectra taken in May and October 1996 indicate a decrease in the surface hydrogen abundance by 0.7 dex in five months along with an increase in the abundances of Li, Sr, Y and Zr. The abundance changes are in agreement with the hypothesis of the star being a rapidly evolving ``born-again'' AGB star experiencing a final He-shell flash, similar to FG Sge. The C^12/C^13 ratio in October is very low, also suggesting hydrogen ingestion. By chemical …
We present high resolution spectrophotometric data for 34 galactic planetary nebulae with [WC] nuclei (WRPNe).The sample includes PNe with early and late [WC] stars and some WELS. Physical conditions and chemical abundances have been derived and expansion velocities were estimated for most objects of the sample. A statistical study was developed to find fundamental relationships between the nebular and central star parameters.We found evidence for a strong unexpected electron temperature gradient in WRPNe which is related to nebular excitation. Abundance ratios indicate that there seems to be …
We review the progress of research on intracluster planetary nebulae (IPN). In the past five years, hundreds of IPN candidates have been detected in the Virgo and Fornax galaxy clusters and searches are also underway in poorer galaxy groups. From the observations to date, and applying the known properties of extragalactic planetary nebulae, the intracluster light in Virgo and Fornax: 1) is significant, at least 20% of the total cluster stellar luminosity, 2) is elongated in Virgo along our line of sight, and 3) may derive from lower-luminosity galaxies, consistent with some models of intraclus…
The central dust knot V605 Aql (= Nova Aql 1919) in the planetary nebula A58 is the result of a late-helium flash. Previous near infrared (NIR) measurements yield very bright fluxes. This exceeds model predictions, based on other wavelengths and estimates of the visual extinction within the object, by a factor of 100. Using NIR imaging by the DENIS instrument, we found that the source was misidentified in previous (single channel photometer) observations. We present the NIR flux of A58 and identify an unrelated stellar field source, which in fact represents the NIR source attributed to A58, ac…
We present 1-D numerical simulations of the very late thermal pulse (VLTP) scenario for a wide range of remnant masses. We show that by taking into account the different possible remnant masses, the observed evolution of V4334 Sgr (a.k.a. Sakurai's Object) can be reproduced within the standard 1D-MLT stellar evolutionary models without the inclusion of any $ad-hoc$ reduced mixing efficiency. Our simulations hint at a consistent picture with present observations of V4334 Sgr. From energetics, and within the standard MLT approach, we show that low mass remnants \hbox{($M\lesssim0.6$\msun)} are e…
The extraordinarily rapid evolution of the born-again giant Sakurai's object can be traced both in a continued cooling of the stellar surface and dramatic changes in chemical composition on a timescale of a mere few months. The abundance alterations are the results of the mixing and nuclear reactions which have ensued due to the final He-shell flash which occurred during the descent along the white dwarf cooling track. The observed changes in the H and Li abundances can be explained by ingestion and burning of the H-rich envelope and Li-production through the Cameron-Fowler mechanism. The rapi…
The status of numerical hydrodynamical models for Planetary Nebulae is reviewed. Since all of the numerical work is based on the interacting winds model, we start with a description of this model and give an overview of the early analytical and numerical models. Subsequently we address the numerical models which include radiation effects, first of all the ones which neglect any effects of stellar evolution. These `constant environment' models are shown to closely match typical observed nebulae, both in images and kinematic data. This shows that the basic generalized interacting winds model giv…
Hydrogen-deficient central stars of planetary nebula such as Wolf-Rayet and PG1159 central stars and some weak emission line stars are primarily composed of helium and carbon. This abundance is well explained by a scenario where a single post-AGB star experiences a last helium shell flash which ingests and burns, or simply dilutes, the remaining hydrogen atmosphere. But despite its success in matching the photospheric abundances of these stars, this scenario is faced with several observational challenges. A binary scenario is proposed here as a more natural way to face some of the most stringe…
We have analysed deep optical spectra of the `born-again' planetary nebula Abell 58 and its hydrogen-deficient knot, surrounding V605 Aql, which underwent a nova-like eruption in 1919. The electron temperature we derive for the central knot varies widely depending on the diagnostic used. The [O III] nebular-to-auroral transition ratio gives a temperature of 20800 K, while the ratio of the [N II] nebular and auroral lines give Te=15200 K. The helium line ratios 5876/4471 and 6678/4471 imply temperatures of 350 K and 550 K respectively. Weakly temperature-sensitive O II recombination line ratios…
We explore different evolutionary scenarios to explain the helium deficiency observed in H1504+65, the most massive known PG1159 star. We concentrate mainly on the possibility that this star could be the result of mass loss shortly after the born-again and during the subsequent evolution through the [WCL] stage. This possibility is sustained by recent observational evidence of extensive mass-loss events in Sakurai's object and is in line with the recent finding that such mass losses give rise to PG1159 models with thin helium-rich envelopes and large rates of period change, as demanded by the …
The Mira AB system is a nearby (~107 pc) example of a wind accreting binary star system. In this class of system, the wind from a mass-losing red giant star (Mira A) is accreted onto a companion (Mira B), as indicated by an accretion shock signature in spectra at ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. Using novel imaging techniques, we report the detection of emission at mid-infrared wavelengths between 9.7 and 18.3 $μ$m from the vicinity of Mira B but with a peak at a radial position about 10 AU closer to the primary Mira A. We interpret the mid-infrared emission as the edge of an optically-thick…
This paper presents an analysis of the concentration of the hydrogen molecule inside the ionized region of planetary nebulae. The equations corresponding to the ionization and chemical equilibria of H, H+, H-, H2, H2+, and H3+ are coupled with the equations of ionization and thermal balance for a photoionized atomic gas. Forty different reactions related to the formation or the destruction of these species are included. The presence of dust is taken into account, since grains act as catalysts for the production of H2, as well as shield the molecules against the stellar ionizing radiation. We a…
Recombination lines (RLs) of C II, N II, and O II in planetary nebulae (PNs) have been found to give abundances that are much larger in some cases than abundances from collisionally-excited forbidden lines (CELs). The origins of this abundance discrepancy are highly debated. We present new spectroscopic observations of O II and C II recombination lines for six planetary nebulae. With these data we compare the abundances derived from the optical recombination lines with those determined from collisionally-excited lines. Combining our new data with published results on RLs in other PNs, we exami…
The elemental abundances of the mildly hydrogen-deficient R Coronae Borealis (R CrB) star V854 Cen have been estimated. The R CrB stars have been divided into majority and minority classes judging by their abundance patterns. Class assignment has previously been unambiguous but V854 Cen has traits of both the minority and majority class. Neither V854 Cen nor the three obvious minority members show any clear abundance signatures of having been affected by e.g. dust-gas separation as often observed in post-AGB stars. By chemical composition, V854 Cen closely resembles Sakurai's object, which has…
We have compiled a large sample of O, Ne, S, Cl, and Ar abundances which have been determined for 85 galactic planetary nebulae in a consistent and homogeneous manner using spectra extending from 3600-9600 Angstroms. Sulfur abundances have been computed using the near IR lines of [S III] 9069,9532 along with [S III] temperatures. We find average values, expressed logarithmically with a standard deviation, of log(S/O)=-1.91(+/-.24), log(Cl/O)=-3.52(+/-.16), and log(Ar/O)=-2.29(+/-.18), numbers consistent with previous studies of both planetary nebulae and H II regions. We also find a strong cor…
By collecting distances from the literature, a set of 73 planetary nebulae with mean distances of high accuracy is derived. This sample is used for recalibration of the mass-radius relationship, used by many statistical distance methods. An attempt to correct for a statistical peculiarity, where errors in the distances influences the mass--radius relationship by increasing its slope, has been made for the first time. Distances to PNe in the Galactic Bulge, derived by this new method as well as other statistical methods from the last decade, are then used for the evaluation of these methods as …
We present a stellar evolution model sequence of the past and future evolution of the post-AGB born again star Sakurai's object (V4334 Sgr). In order to match the short evolutionary time scale we have to assume that the convective ingestion of hydrogen-rich envelope material into the He-flash convection zone proceeds slower than predicted by the mixing length theory. For the future we predict a swift second evolution through the central star region before a second born-again evolution occurs.
This paper presents accurate homogeneous positions, velocities and other pertinent properties for 460 newly discovered and 169 previously known planetary nebulae (PNe) in the central 25 sq deg bar region of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Candidate emission sources were discovered using a deep, high resolution H-alpha map of the LMC obtained by median stacking a dozen 2 hour H-alpha exposures taken with the UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST). Our spectroscopic followup of more than 2,000 compact (ie. <20 arcsec) H-alpha emission candidates uncovered has tripled the number of PNe in this area. All o…
We propose a cosmological braneworld scenario in which two branes collide and emerge as reborn branes whose tensions have signs opposite to the original tensions of the respective branes. In this scenario, gravity on each of the branes is described by a scalar-tensor-type theory in which the radion plays the role of the gravitational scalar, and the branes are assumed to be inflating. However, the whole dynamics is different from those of the usual inflation, due to the non-trivial dynamics of the radion field. Transforming the conformal frame to the Einstein frame, this born-again scenario re…
In 1996, Sakurai's object (V4334 Sgr) suddenly brightened in the centre of a faint Planetary Nebula (PN). This very rare event was interpreted as the reignition of a hot white dwarf that caused a rapid evolution back to the cool giant phase. From 1998 on, a copious amount of dust has formed continuously, screening out the star which has remained embedded in this expanding high optical depth envelope. The new observations, reported here, are used to study the morphology of the circumstellar dust in order to investigate the hypothesis that Sakurai's Object is surrounded by a thick spherical enve…
We present spatially resolved high-resolution spectrophotometric data for the planetary nebulae PB8, NGC2867, and PB6. We have analyzed two knots in NGC2867 and PB6 and one in PB8. The three nebulae are ionized by [WC] type nuclei: early [WO] for PB6 and NGC2867 and [WC 5-6] in the case of PB8. Our aim is to study the behavior of the abundance discrepancy problem (ADF) in this type of PNe. We measured a large number of optical recombination (ORL) and collisionally excited lines (CEL), from different ionization stages (many more than in any previous work), thus, we were able to derive physical …
