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Binary Central Stars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 December 2006

Orsola De Marco
Orsola De Marco
Affiliation:
Department of Astrophysics, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA email: orsola@amnh.org
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Abstract

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Only a handful of binary central stars of planetary nebulae (PNe) are known today, due to the difficulty of detecting their companions. Preliminary results from radial velocity surveys, however, seem to indicate that binarity plays a fundamental, rather than marginal role in the evolution of PNe and that the close binary fraction might be much larger than the currently known value of 10-15%. In this review, we list all the known binary central stars, giving an updated census of their numbers and selected characteristics. A review is also given of the techniques used to detect binaries as well as selected characteristics of related stellar classes which might provide constraints (or additional puzzles) to the theory of PN evolution. Finally, we will formulate the conjecture that all PNe derive from binary interactions and suggest that this is not inconsistent with our current knowledge.

Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 2 , Symposium S234: Planetary Nebulae in our Galaxy and Beyond , April 2006 , pp. 111 - 118
Copyright
© 2006 International Astronomical Union