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Do All PNe Come From Binaries?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 December 2006

Maxwell Moe  and
Orsola De Marco
Maxwell Moe
Affiliation:
Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences and CASA, University of Colorado, 389-UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA email: maxwell.moe@colorado.edu
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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We present a population synthesis calculation to derive the total number of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Galaxy from single stars and binaries. By combining the most up-to-date literature results regarding galactic and stellar formation and evolution, we determined the total number of PNe with radii $<$0.8 pc deriving from single stars and binaries to be 46 000$\pm$15 000. By using common envelope (CE) calculations and observational results of main sequence binaries, we predict that 5 000$\pm$1 600 post-CE PNe with radii $<$0.8 pc exist in the Galaxy today. We compare these predictions with the observationally-based estimate of 7 200$\pm$1 800 PNe in the Galaxy with radii $<$0.8 pc. This suggests that many single stars do not produce PNe and that 69$\pm$28% of PNe we observe derive from CE interactions on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB).

Keywords

planetary nebulaebinaries: closestars: statisticsGalaxy: stellar content
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 2 , Symposium S234: Planetary Nebulae in our Galaxy and Beyond , April 2006 , pp. 463 - 464
Copyright
© 2006 International Astronomical Union