The inside-out planetary nebula around a born-again star
Martin A. Guerrero, Xuan Fang, Marcelo M. Miller Bertolami, Gerardo Ramos-Larios, Helge Todt, Alexandre Alarie, Laurence Sabin, Luis F. Miranda, Christophe Mori… 展开作者
Martin A. Guerrero, Xuan Fang, Marcelo M. Miller Bertolami, Gerardo Ramos-Larios, Helge Todt, Alexandre Alarie, Laurence Sabin, Luis F. Miranda, Christophe Morisset, Carolina Kehrig, Saul A. Zavala
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21 pages, 3 figures, 6 supplementary figures, 1 supplementary table, published in Nature Astronomy
Planetary nebulae are ionized clouds of gas formed by the hydrogen-rich envelopes of low- and intermediate-mass stars ejected at late evolutionary stages. The strong UV flux from their central stars causes a highly stratified ionization structure, with species of higher ionization potential closer to the star. Here we report on the exceptional case of HuBi 1, a double-shell planetary nebula whose inner shell presents emission from low-ionization species close to the star and emission from high-ionization species farther away. Spectral analysis demonstrates that the inner shell of HuBi 1 is excited by shocks, whereas its outer shell is recombining. The anomalous excitation of these shells can be traced to its low-temperature [WC10] central star whose optical brightness has declined continuously by 10 magnitudes in a period of 46 years. Evolutionary models reveal that this star is the descendent of a low-mass star ($\simeq$1.1 $M_\odot$) that has experienced a born-again event whose ejecta shock-excite the inner shell. HuBi 1 represents the missing link in the formation of metal-rich central stars of planetary nebulae from low-mass progenitors, offering unique insight regarding the future evolution of the born-again Sakurai's object. Coming from a solar-mass progenitor, HuBi 1 represents a potential end-state for our Sun.
Eight planetary nebulae have been identified as `born-again', a class of object typified by knotty secondary ejecta having low masses ($\sim$$10^{-4}$ M$_{\odot}$) with nearly no hydrogen. Abell 30, the archetype of the class, also belongs to a small subset of planetary nebulae that exhibit extreme abundance discrepancy factors (where Abell 30 is the most extreme), a phenomenon strongly linked to binary star interactions. We report the presence of light curve brightness variations having a period of 1.060 days that are highly suggestive of a binary central star in Abell 30. If confirmed, this …
A30 belongs to a class of planetary nebulae identified as "born-again", containing dense, hydrogen-poor ejecta with extreme abundance discrepancy factors (ADFs), likely associated with a central binary system. We present intermediate-dispersion spectroscopy of one such feature-the J4 equatorial knot. We confirm the apparent physical and chemical segregation of the polar and equatorial knots observed in previous studies, and place an upper limit on the ADF for O$^{2+}$ of 35, significantly lower than that of the polar knots. These findings further reinforce the theory that the equatorial and po…
We analyze the expansion of hydrogen-poor knots and filaments in the born-again planetary nebulae A30 and A78 based on Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images obtained almost 20 yr apart. The proper motion of these features generally increases with distance to the central star, but the fractional expansion decreases, i.e., the expansion is not homologous. As a result, there is not a unique expansion age, which is estimated to be 610-950 yr for A30 and 600-1140 yr for A78. The knots and filaments have experienced complex dynamical processes: the current fast stellar wind is mass loaded by the mater…
We report the discovery of a handful of optical hydrogen-poor knots in the central part of an extended infrared nebula centred on the [WO1] star WR 72, obtained by spectroscopic and imaging observations with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT). Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) images of the nebula show that it is composed of an extended almost circular halo (of $\approx6$ arcmin or $\approx2.4$ pc in diameter) and an elongated and apparently bipolar inner shell (of a factor of six smaller size), within which the knots are concentrated. Our findings indicate that WR 72 is a ne…
We present the XMM-Newton discovery of X-ray emission from the planetary nebula (PN) A78, the second born-again PN detected in X-rays apart from A30. These two PNe share similar spectral and morphological characteristics: They harbor diffuse soft X-ray emission associated with the interaction between the H-poor ejecta and the current fast stellar wind, and a point-like source at the position of the central star (CSPN). We present the spectral analysis of the CSPN, using for the first time a NLTE code for expanding atmospheres which takes line blanketing into account for the UV and optical spec…
HuBi 1 has been proposed to be member of the rare class of born-again planetary nebulae (PNe), i.e., its central star experienced a very late thermal pulse and ejected highly-processed material at high speeds inside the old hydrogen-rich PN. In this letter we present GTC MEGARA integral field spectroscopic observations of the innermost regions of HuBi 1 at high spectral resolution $\simeq16$ km s$^{-1}$ and multi-epoch sub-arcsec images obtained $\simeq 12$ yr apart. The analysis of these data indicates that the inner regions of HuBi 1 were ejected $\simeq200$ yr ago and expand at velocities $…
Born-again planetary nebulae (PNe) allow investigating stellar evolution, dust production, and nebular shocks in human timescales. Here we present an analysis of multi-epoch optical spectroscopic observations of the born-again PN A 58 around V605 Aql, which experienced a very late thermal pulse (VLTP) about a century ago. The H-deficient ejecta has experienced a considerable brightening in the time period considered, from 1996 to 2021, with notable changes also in many emission line ratios. Neither the reduction of the extinction caused by the dilution of the ejecta nor the increase of the ion…
We present the first 3D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations on the formation and evolution of born-again planetary nebulae (PNe), with particular emphasis to the case of HuBi1, the inside-out PN. We use the extensively-tested GUACHO code to simulate the formation of HuBi1 adopting mass-loss and stellar wind terminal velocity estimates obtained from observations presented by our group. We found that, if the inner shell of HuBi1 was formed by an explosive very late thermal pulse (VLTP) ejecting material with velocities of $\sim$300 km s$^{-1}$, the age of this structure is consistent with that of…
Born-again planetary nebulae (PNe) are extremely rare cases in the evolution of solar-like stars. It is commonly accepted that their central stars (CSPN) experienced a very late thermal pulse (VLTP), ejecting H-deficient material inside the evolved H-rich PN. Given the short duration of this event and the fast subsequent evolution of the CSPN, details of the mass ejection are unknown. We present the first morpho-kinematic model of the H-deficient material surrounding a born-again PN, namely A30. New San Pedro Mártir observations with the Manchester Echelle Spectrograph were recently obtained t…
We present an infrared (IR) characterization of the born-again planetary nebulae (PNe) A30 and A78 using IR images and spectra. We demonstrate that the carbon-rich dust in A30 and A78 is spatially coincident with the H-poor ejecta and coexists with hot X-ray-emitting gas up to distances of 50$''$ from the central stars (CSPNs). Dust forms immediately after the born-again event and survives for 1000 yr in the harsh environment around the CSPN as it is destroyed and pushed away by radiation pressure and dragged by hydrodynamical effects. Spitzer IRS spectral maps showed that the broad spectral f…
The central star of the planetary nebula (PN) HuBi\,1 has been recently proposed to have experienced a very late thermal pulse (VLTP), but the dilution of the emission of the recent ejecta by that of the surrounding H-rich old outer shell has so far hindered confirming its suspected H-poor nature. We present here an analysis of the optical properties of the ejecta in the innermost regions of HuBi\,1 using MEGARA high-dispersion integral field and OSIRIS intermediate-dispersion long-slit spectroscopic observations obtained with the 10.4m Gran Telescopio de Canarias. The unprecedented tomographi…
The planetary nebula (PN) A30 is believed to have undergone a very late thermal pulse resulting in the ejection of knots of hydrogen-poor material. Using HST images we have detected the angular expansion of these knots and derived an age of 850+280-150 yr. To investigate the spectral and spatial properties of the soft X-ray emission detected by ROSAT, we have obtained Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of A30. The X-ray emission from A30 can be separated into two components: a point-source at the central star and diffuse emission associated with the hydrogen-poor knots and the cloverleaf stru…
We describe the evolution of the carbon dust shells around Very Late Thermal Pulse (VLTP) objects as seen at infrared wavelengths. This includes a 20-year overview of the evolution of the dust around Sakurai's object (to which Olivier made a seminal contribution) and FG Sge. VLTPs may occur during the endpoint of as many as 25% of solar mass stars, and may therefore provide a glimpse of the possible fate of the Sun.
The development of surveys which will be able to cover a large region of the sky several times per year will allow the massive detection of transient events taking place in timescales of years. In addition, the projected full digitalization of the Harvard plate collection will open a new window to identify slow transients taking place in timescales of centuries. In particular, these projects will allow the detection of stars undergoing slow eruptions as those expected during late helium flashes in the post-AGB evolution. In order to identify those transients which correspond with late helium f…
NSV 11749 is a little-studied variable star, discovered by W. J. Luyten, which had a long-duration outburst around the year 1903, reaching blue magnitude 12.5 at maximum. Following the outburst, it has apparently been quiescent at about blue magnitude 17 for the past century. It was recently suggested that NSV 11749 may have been a low- or intermediate-mass star that underwent a final helium shell flash, making it temporarily a "born-again" red giant. If so, it would be only the fourth known member of this class, along with V605 Aql, FG Sge, and V4334 Sgr. However, our newly obtained optical a…
Abell 14 is a poorly studied object despite being considered a born again planetary nebula. We performed a detailed study of its 3D morphology and ionization structure using the SHAPE and MOCASSIN codes. We found that Abell 14 is a highly evolved, bipolar nebula with a kinematical age of $\sim$19,400 yr for a distance of 4 kpc. The high He abundance, and N/O ratio indicate a progenitor of 5 $M_{\odot}$ that has experienced the third dredge-up and hot bottom burning phases. The stellar parameters of the central source reveal a star at a highly evolved stage near to the white dwarf cooling track…
We present the analysis of infrared (IR) observations of the planetary nebula NGC 40 together with spectral analysis of its [WC]-type central star HD 826. Spitzer IRS observations were used to produce spectral maps centred at polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) bands and ionic transitions to compare their spatial distribution. The ionic lines show a clumpy distribution of material around the main cavity of NGC 40, with the emission from [Ar II] being the most extended, whilst the PAHs show a rather smooth spatial distribution. Analysis of ratio maps shows the presence of a toroidal structur…
We argue that NSV 11749, an eruption observed in the early twentieth century, was a rare event known as "very late thermal pulse" (VLTP). To support our argument we compare the lightcurve of NSV 11749 with those of the two bonafide VLTP objects known to date, V4334 Sgr and V605 Aql, and with those predicted by state of the art stellar evolution models. Next, we explore the IPHAS and 2MASS catalogues for possible counterparts of the eruption. Our analysis shows that the VLTP scenario outperforms all other proposed scenarios as an explanation of NSV 11749. We identify an IPHAS/2MASS source at th…
V605 Aquilae is today widely assumed to have been the result of a final helium shell flash occurring on a single post-asymptotic giant branch star. The fact that the outbursting star is in the middle of an old planetary nebula and that the ejecta associated with the outburst is hydrogen deficient supports this diagnosis. However, the material ejected during that outburst is also extremely neon rich, suggesting that it derives from an oxygen-neon-magnesium star, as is the case in the so-called neon novae. We have therefore attempted to construct a scenario that explains all the observations of …
The detection and study of molecular gas in born-again stars would be of great importance to understand their composition and chemical evolution. In addition, the molecular emission would be an invaluable tool to explore the physical conditions, kinematics and formation of asymmetric structures in the circumstellar envelopes of these evolved stars. However, until now, all attempts to detect molecular emission from the cool material around born-again stars have failed. We carried out observations using the APEX and IRAM 30m telescopes to search for molecular emission toward four well studied bo…
We report the results of our study of the high-velocity (\approx160 km/s) runaway O star CPD-64 2731 and its associated horseshoe-shaped nebula discovered with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Spectroscopic observations with the Southern African Large Telescope and spectral analysis indicate that CPD-64 2731 is a fast-rotating main-sequence O5.5 star with enhanced surface nitrogen abundance. We derive a projected rotational velocity of \approx300 km/s which is extremely high for this spectral type. Its kinematic age of \approx6 Myr, assuming it was born near the Galactic plane, exceeds…
Formation and Evolution of [Wolf-Rayet] Planetary Nebulae through a Late Thermal Pulse
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México（墨西哥国立自治大学）；Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, IAA-CSIC（安达卢西亚天体物理学研究所）；Facultad de Ciencias de la Tierra y el Espacio, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa（西马劳亚大学地球与空间科学学院）；Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas（拉普拉塔天体物理学研究所）；Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata（拉普拉塔国立大学天文与地物科学学院）；Institut für Physik und Astronomie, Universität Potsdam（波茨坦大学物理与天文学研究所）；Fakultät für Physik, Universität Duisburg-Essen（杜伊斯堡-埃森大学物理学院）
In late 2003, the young eruptive variable star V1647 Orionis optically brightened by over 5 magnitudes, stayed bright for around 26 months, and then decline to its pre-outburst level. In August 2008 the star was reported to have unexpectedly brightened yet again and we herein present the first detailed observations of this new outburst. Photometrically, the star is now as bright as it ever was following the 2003 eruption. Spectroscopically, a pronounced P Cygni profile is again seen in Halpha with an absorption trough extending to -700 km/s. In the near-infrared, the spectrum now possesses ver…
We have conducted a multi-wavelength study of the planetary nebula Abell 48 and give a revised classification of its nucleus as a hydrogen-deficient star of type [WN4]. The surrounding nebula has a morphology typical of PNe and importantly, is not enriched in nitrogen, and thus not the 'peeled atmosphere' of a massive star. Indeed, no WN4 star is known to be surrounded by such a compact nebula. The ionized mass of the nebula is also a powerful discriminant between the low-mass PN and high-mass WR ejecta interpretations. The ionized mass would be impossibly high if a distance corresponding to a…
The recent high angular resolution observations have shown that the transition between a globally symmetrical giant and a source surrounded by a spatially complex environment occurs relatively early, as soon as the external layers of the stars are not tightly bound to the core of the star anymore. In this review, the emphasis will be put on the delineating the differences between the torus and disk classification through the presentation of many examples of near-IR and mid-IR high angular resolution observations. These examples cover the disks discovered in the core of some bipolar nebulae, po…
FG Sge has evolved from the hot central star of the young planetary nebula Hen 1-5 to a G-K supergiant in the last 100 years. It is one of the three born-again objects that has been identified as of yet, and they are considered to have undergone a thermal pulse in the post-asymptotic giant branch evolution. FG Sge was observed with MIDI at the Very Large Telescope Interferometer at baselines of 43 and 46 m between 8 and 13 micron. The circumstellar dust environment of FG Sge was spatially resolved, and the Gaussian fit to the observed visibilities results in a full width at half maximum of ~10…
SwSt 1 (PN G001.5-06.7) is a bright and compact planetary nebula containing a late [WC]-type central star. Previous studies suggested that the nebular and stellar lines are slowly changing with time. We studied new and archival optical and ultraviolet spectra of the object. The [OIII] 4959 and 5007 A to $\mathrm{H}β$ line flux ratios decreased between about 1976 and 1997/2015. The stellar spectrum also shows changes between these epochs. We modeled the stellar and nebular spectra observed at different epochs. The analyses indicate a drop of the stellar temperature from about 42 kK to 40.5 kK b…
Although the planetary nebula NGC 6781 appears to possess an elliptical morphology, its kinematic and emission characteristics are in many ways unusual, and it is possible that it may represent a bipolar source oriented close to the line of sight. We shall present deep imaging of this nebula in [O III], Ha and [N II], and using broad-band (F555W and F814W) filters. These were taken with the 2.56-m Nordic Optical Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope. This is combined with mid-infrared (MIR) imaging and spectroscopy acquired with the Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer), and near-infrared spectrosc…
The wide luminosity dispersion seen for stars at a given effective temperature in the H-R diagrams of young clusters and star forming regions is often interpreted as due to significant (~10 Myr) spreads in stellar contraction age. In the scenario where most stars are born with circumstellar discs, and that disc signatures decay monotonically (on average) over timescales of only a few Myr, then any such age spread should lead to clear differences in the age distributions of stars with and without discs. We have investigated large samples of stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) using three me…
Born-again stars allow probing stellar evolution in human timescales and provide the most promising path for the formation of hydrogen-deficient post-asymptotic giant branch objects, but their cold and molecular components remain poorly explored. Here we present ALMA observations of V605 Aql that unveil for the first time the spatio-kinematic distribution of the molecular material associated to a born-again star. Both the continuum and molecular line emission exhibit a clumpy ring-like structure with a total extent of $\approx$1$^{\prime\prime}$ in diameter. The bulk of the molecular emission …
We present the discovery of extended X-ray emission from the planetary nebula (PN) NGC 5189 around the [WO1]-type WD 1330-657 with XMM-Newton. The X-ray-emitting gas fills the cavities detected in the Hubble Space Telescope [O III] narrow-band image and presents a limb-brightened morphology towards the outer edges of the east and west lobes. The bulk of the X-ray emission is detected in the soft (0.3 - 0.7 keV) band with the XMM-Newton EPIC spectra dominated by the C VI Ly$α$ line at 0.37 keV (=33.7 Å). Spectral analysis resulted in carbon and neon abundances 38 and 6 times their solar values,…
The importance of long-period binaries on the formation and evolution of planetary nebulae is still rather poorly understood, in part due to the lack of central star systems known to comprise such long-period binaries. Here, we report on the latest results from the on-going Mercator-HERMES survey for variability in the central stars of planetary nebulae. We present a study of the central stars of NGC 1514, BD+30$^\circ$623, the spectrum of which shows features associated with a hot nebular progenitor as well as a possible A-type companion. Cross-correlation of high-resolution HERMES spectra ag…
It has been proposed that the observed systems of hot super-Earths formed in situ from high-mass disks. By fitting a disk profile to the entire population of Kepler planet candidates, Chiang & Laughlin (2013) constructed a "minimum-mass extrasolar nebula" with surface density profile Sigma r^-1.6. Here we use multiple-planet systems to show that it is inconsistent to assume a universal disk profile. Systems with 3-6 low-mass planets (or planet candidates) produce a diversity of minimum-mass disks with surface density profiles ranging from Sigma r^-3.2 to Sigma r^0.5 (5th-95th percentile). By s…
We report C, Si, and S isotope measurements on 34 presolar silicon carbide grains of Type AB, characterized by 12C/13C < 10. Nitrogen, Mg-Al-, and Ca-Ti-isotopic compositions were measured on a subset of these grains. Three grains show large 32S excesses, a signature that has been previously observed for grains from supernovae (SNe). Enrichments in 32S may be due to contributions from the Si/S zone and the result of S molecule chemistry in still unmixed SN ejecta or due to incorporation of radioactive 32Si from C-rich explosive He shell ejecta. However, a SN origin remains unlikely for the thr…
Protostars and young stars are strongly spatially "clustered" or "correlated" within their natal giant molecular clouds (GMCs). We demonstrate that such clustering leads to the conclusion that the incident bolometric radiative flux upon a random young star/disc is enhanced (relative to volume-averaged fluxes) by a factor which increases with the total stellar mass of the complex. Because the Galactic cloud mass function is top-heavy, the typical star in our Galaxy experienced a much stronger radiative environment than those forming in well-observed nearby (but relatively small) clouds, exceedi…
Applying dendrogram analysis to the CARMA-NRO C$^{18}$O ($J$=1--0) data having an angular resolution of $\sim$ 8", we identified 692 dense cores in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) region. Using this core sample, we compare the core and initial stellar mass functions in the same area to quantify the step from cores to stars. About 22 \% of the identified cores are gravitationally bound. The derived core mass function (CMF) for starless cores has a slope similar to Salpeter's stellar initial mass function (IMF) for the mass range above 1 $M_\odot$, consistent with previous studies. Our CMF has a …
Modern instrumentation in radioastronomy constitutes a valuable tool for studying the Universe: ALMA has reached unprecedented sensitivities and spatial resolution, while Herschel/HIFI has opened a new window for probing molecular warm gas (~50-1000 K). On the other hand, the software SHAPE has emerged in the past few years as a standard tool for determining the morphology and velocity field of different kinds of gaseous emission nebulae via spatio-kinematical modelling. SHAPE implements radiative transfer solving, but it is only available for atomic species and not for molecules. Being aware …
