Physics of the ionized gas in extremely young planetary nebulae

We study the physics of the ionized gas in the last stages of evolution of low-mass stars that end their lives as planetary nebulae (PNe). Specifically, those that are in the earliest stages of the PN phase. For this purpose, we observed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array the spectra at radio frequencies of a sample of (H2O and/or OH) maser emitting PNe. These PNe could be in their earliest phases since H2O masers are expected to extinguish shortly after ~100 yr from the end of the asymptotic giant branch phase. Their youth make them key objects for understanding the formation and evolution of PNe. We determined the spectral index of the radio continuum emission of these sources and the turnover frequency of the emission, which could be tied to the age of the sources.

Material (to be) presented at the IAU Symposium 384: Planetary Nebulae: a Universal Toolbox in the Era of Precision Astrophysics

Poster pdf