No Arabic abstract
The investigation of post-AGB objects (proto-planetary nebulae) is very important from the standpoint of physical and chemical changes occurring during the late stages of stellar evolution. The Torun catalogue of Galactic post-AGB and related objects is an evolutive catalogue containing astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic data as well as HST images for all known post-AGB objects and candidates in our Galaxy. This free-access catalogue can serve as an ideal tool to study different groups of post-AGB objects, especially due to the fact that all information is gathered in one place. The second release of our catalogue introduces a simple classification scheme of post-AGB objects and includes a significant number of new objects, photometric data, spectra and images. Here, using objects from the catalogue we consider the problem of the termination of the AGB phase.
With the ongoing AKARI infrared sky survey, of much greater sensitivity than IRAS, a wealth of post-AGB objects may be discovered. It is thus time to organize our present knowledge of known post-AGB stars in th galaxy with a view to using it to search for new post-AGB objects among AKARI sources. We searched the literature available on the NASA Astrophysics Data System up to 1 October 2006, and defined criteria for classifying sources into three categories: very likely, possible and disqualified post-AGB objects. The category of very likely post-AGB objects is made up of several classes. We have created an evolutionary, on-line catalogue of Galactic post-AGB objects, to be referred to as The Torun catalogue of Galactic post-AGB and related objects. The present version of the catalogue contains 326 very likely, 107 possible and 64 disqualified objects. For the very likely post-AGB objects, the catalogue gives the available optical and infrared photometry, infrared spectroscopy and spectral types, and links to finding charts and bibliography.
We present the results of our search for low- and intermediate mass evolved stars in the outer Galaxy using AllWISE catalogue photometry. We show that the [3.4]-[12] versus [4.6]-[22] colour-colour diagram is most suitable for separating C-rich/O-rich AGB and post- AGB star candidates. We are able to select 2,510 AGB and 24,821 post-AGB star candidates. However, the latter are severely mixed with the known young stellar objects in this diagram.
Post-AGB stars are key objects for the study of the dramatic morphological changes of low- to intermediate-mass stars on their evolution from the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) towards the Planetary Nebula stage. There is growing evidences that binary interaction processes may very well have a determining role in the shaping process of many objects, but so far direct evidence is still weak. We aim at a systematic study of the dust distribution around a large sample of Post-AGB stars as a probe of the symmetry breaking in the nebulae around these systems. We used imaging in the mid-infrared to study the inner part of these evolved stars to probe direct emission from dusty structures in the core of Post-AGB stars in order to better understand their shaping mechanisms. We imaged a sample of 93 evolved stars and nebulae in the mid-infrared using VISIR/VLT, T-Recs/Gemini South and Michelle/Gemini North. We found that all the the Proto-Planetary Nebulae we resolved show a clear departure from spherical symmetry. 59 out of the 93 observed targets appear to be non resolved. The resolved targets can be divided in two categories. The nebulae with a dense central core, that are either bipolar and multipolar. The nebulae with no central core have an elliptical morphology.The dense central torus observed likely host binary systems which triggered fast outflows that shaped the nebulae.
Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are known to lose a significant amount of mass by a stellar wind, which controls the remainder of their stellar lifetime. High angular-resolution observations show that the winds of these cool stars typically exhibit mid- to small-scale density perturbations such as spirals and arcs, believed to be caused by the gravitational interaction with a (sub-)stellar companion. We aim to explore the effects of the wind-companion interaction on the 3D density and velocity distribution of the wind, as a function of three key parameters: wind velocity, binary separation and companion mass. For the first time, we compare the impact on the outflow of a planetary companion to that of a stellar companion. We intend to devise a morphology classification scheme based on a singular parameter. With our grid of models we cover the prominent morphology changes in a companion-perturbed AGB outflow: slow winds with a close, massive binary companion show a more complex morphology. Additionally, we prove that massive planets are able to significantly impact the density structure of an AGB wind. We find that the interaction with a companion affects the terminal velocity of the wind, which can be explained by the gravitational slingshot mechanism. We distinguish between two types of wind focussing to the orbital plane resulting from distinct mechanisms: global flattening of the outflow as a result of the AGB stars orbital motion and the formation of an EDE as a consequence of the companions gravitational pull. We investigate different morphology classification schemes and uncover that the ratio of the gravitational potential energy density of the companion to the kinetic energy density of the AGB outflow yields a robust classification parameter for the models presented in this paper.
We present the first results of our search for new, extended Planetary Nebulae (PNe) based on careful, systematic, visual scrutiny of the imaging data from the INT Photometric H-alpha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS). The newly uncovered PNe will help to improve the census of this important population of Galactic objects that serve as key windows into the late stage evolution of low to intermediate mass stars. They will also facilitate study of the faint end of the ensemble Galactic PN luminosity function. The sensitivity and coverage of IPHAS allows PNe to be found in regions of greater extinction in the Galactic Plane and/or those PNe in a more advanced evolutionary state and at larger distances compared to the general Galactic PN population. Using a set of newly revised optical diagnostic diagrams in combination with access to a powerful, new, multi-wavelength imaging database, we have identified 159 true, likely and possible PNe for this first catalogue release. The ability of IPHAS to unveil PNe at low Galactic latitudes and towards the Galactic Anticenter, compared to previous surveys, makes this survey an ideal tool to contribute to the improvement of our knowledge of the whole Galactic PN population