Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2006-04-28
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
8 pages, 6 figures, LaTeX, To be published in the Proceedings of the IAU Symposium 234: Planetary Nebulae in Our Galaxy and Be
Scientific paper
10.1017/S1743921306003048
The role of planetary nebulae as probes for the galactic chemical evolution is reviewed. Their abundances throughout the Galaxy are discussed for key elements, in particular oxygen and other alpha elements. The abundance distribution derived from planetary nebulae leads to the establishment of radial abundance gradients in the galactic disk that are important constraints to model the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The radial gradient, well determined for the solar neighborhood, is examined for distinct regions. For the galactic anticenter in particular, the observational data confirm results from galactic evolution models that point to a decreasing in the gradient slope at large galactocentric distances. The possible time evolution of the radial gradient is also examined comparing samples of planetary nebulae of different ages, and the results indicate that a flattening in the gradient occurred, which is confirmed by some galactic evolution models. The galactic bulge is another important region whose modeling can be constrained by observational results obtained from planetary nebulae. Results derived in the last few years indicate that bulge nebulae have an abundance distribution similar to that of disk objects, however with a larger dispersion.
Costa Roberto D. D.
Maciel Walter J.
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