Astronomy and Astrophysics Seminars

Insights into Binary Stars, Stellar Winds, and Astrophysical Plasmas from X-ray Observations of Planetary Nebulae

by Dr. Rodolfo Montez Jr. (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Chandra X-ray Center)

Friday, October 20, 2017 from to (Asia/Kolkata)
at DAA SEMINAR ROOM ( A269 )
TIFR
Description
Planetary nebulae (PNe) provide textbook examples of astrophysical
plasma and shock processes and provide essential constraints for
theories of stellar evolution and the chemical enrichment of the
universe. The varied shapes of PNe reveal the actions of interacting
stellar winds from the late stages in the life of intermediate-mass
stars, and growing evidence suggests that many PNe are the products of
interacting binary star systems. As a result, studies of PNe can yield
insight into other astrophysical objects governed by binary processes,
such as, low mass X-ray binaries and Type Ia supernovae. Best known
for their ten thousand degree optical line emission, the Chandra X-ray
Observatory has established that a fraction of PNe display extended
X-ray emission from shock-heated plasmas of a few million degrees and
that the central stars harbor hotter than expected point-like emission
from plasmas that reach tens of millions of degrees. I describe the
discoveries, insights, and questions raised by Chandra observations of
PNe with emphasis on those results gleaned from the Chandra Planetary
Nebulae Survey (ChanPlaNS), which is the first systematic X-ray survey
of PNe in the solar neighborhood.Planetary nebulae (PNe) provide textbook examples of astrophysical
plasma and shock processes and provide essential constraints for
theories of stellar evolution and the chemical enrichment of the
universe. The varied shapes of PNe reveal the actions of interacting
stellar winds from the late stages in the life of intermediate-mass
stars, and growing evidence suggests that many PNe are the products of
interacting binary star systems. As a result, studies of PNe can yield
insight into other astrophysical objects governed by binary processes,
such as, low mass X-ray binaries and Type Ia supernovae. Best known
for their ten thousand degree optical line emission, the Chandra X-ray
Observatory has established that a fraction of PNe display extended
X-ray emission from shock-heated plasmas of a few million degrees and
that the central stars harbor hotter than expected point-like emission
from plasmas that reach tens of millions of degrees. I describe the
discoveries, insights, and questions raised by Chandra observations of
PNe with emphasis on those results gleaned from the Chandra Planetary
Nebulae Survey (ChanPlaNS), which is the first systematic X-ray survey
of PNe in the solar neighborhood.