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- Planetary Nebulae Research: Past, Present, and Future
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Planetary Nebulae Research: Past, Present, and Future Kwok, Sun
Abstract
We review the evolution of our understanding of the planetary nebulae phenomenon and their place in the scheme of stellar evolution. The historical steps leading to our current understanding of central star evolution and nebular formation are discussed. Recent optical imaging, X-ray, ultraviolet, infrared, millimeter wave, and radio observations have led to a much more complex picture of the structure of planetary nebulae. The optically bright regions have multiple shell structures (rims, shells, crowns, and haloes), which can be understood within the interacting winds framework. However, the physical mechanism responsible for bipolar and multipolar structures that emerged during the proto-planetary nebulae phase is yet to be identified. Our morphological classifications of planetary nebulae are hampered by the effects of sensitivity, orientation, and field-of-view coverage, and the fraction of bipolar or multipolar nebulae may be much higher than commonly assumed. The optically bright bipolar lobes may represent low-density, ionization-bounded cavities carved out of a neutral envelope by collimated fast winds. Planetary nebulae are sites of active synthesis of complex organic compounds, suggesting that planetary nebulae play a major role in the chemical enrichment of the Galaxy. Possible avenues of future advancement are discussed.
Item Metadata
| Title |
Planetary Nebulae Research: Past, Present, and Future
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| Creator | |
| Publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
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| Date Issued |
2024-07-17
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| Description |
We review the evolution of our understanding of the planetary nebulae phenomenon and their place in the scheme of stellar evolution. The historical steps leading to our current understanding of central star evolution and nebular formation are discussed. Recent optical imaging, X-ray, ultraviolet, infrared, millimeter wave, and radio observations have led to a much more complex picture of the structure of planetary nebulae. The optically bright regions have multiple shell structures (rims, shells, crowns, and haloes), which can be understood within the interacting winds framework. However, the physical mechanism responsible for bipolar and multipolar structures that emerged during the proto-planetary nebulae phase is yet to be identified. Our morphological classifications of planetary nebulae are hampered by the effects of sensitivity, orientation, and field-of-view coverage, and the fraction of bipolar or multipolar nebulae may be much higher than commonly assumed. The optically bright bipolar lobes may represent low-density, ionization-bounded cavities carved out of a neutral envelope by collimated fast winds. Planetary nebulae are sites of active synthesis of complex organic compounds, suggesting that planetary nebulae play a major role in the chemical enrichment of the Galaxy. Possible avenues of future advancement are discussed.
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| Subject | |
| Genre | |
| Type | |
| Language |
eng
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| Date Available |
2024-09-06
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| Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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| Rights |
CC BY 4.0
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| DOI |
10.14288/1.0445341
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| URI | |
| Affiliation | |
| Citation |
Galaxies 12 (4): 39 (2024)
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| Publisher DOI |
10.3390/galaxies12040039
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| Peer Review Status |
Reviewed
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| Scholarly Level |
Faculty; Researcher
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| Rights URI | |
| Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
CC BY 4.0