Colliding stellar winds and proto- planetary dynamics: WFPC2 imaging of OH231.8+4.2

Details Colliding stellar winds and proto- planetary dynamics: WFPC2 imaging of OH231.8+4.2 Colliding stellar winds and proto- planetary dynamics: WFPC2 imaging of OH231.8+4.2

Jul 1999

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999hst..prop.8326b&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #8326

Computer Science

Hst Proposal Id #8326 Stellar Ejecta

Scientific paper

The interaction between a fast post-AGB collimated wind and a slowly expanding, dense AGB wind is believed to be the dominant dynamical effect in the evolution of protoplanetary nebulae {PPNe} and the shaping of planetary nebulae. We are carrying out a multi-wavelength study of the protoplanetary nebula OH231.8+4.2. Our interferometric mapping of mm-wave molecular lines in OH231.8+4.2 shows the presence of a massive molecular envelope, to which a large amount of momentum has recently been transferred via shock interaction. Long-slit optical spectroscopy reveals the overall kinematics of the shocked high-excitation gas, showing a strong axial gradient superimposed on bubble-like expansion. OH231.8+4.2 is the only PPN known so far in which the leading bow shock has been detected. Because of the rich structure of the shocks in this source, it is the best candidate to study protoplanetary dynamics, but the different components are still poorly resolved in present observations. W e propose to use HST/WFPC2 to imag e with high angular resolution the atomic line emission from the gas component excited by shocks in OH231.8+4.2. These observations will enable an accurate determination of the structure and excitation stratification of the shock fronts and, we argue, will lead to major advances in our understanding of the dynamics of colliding stellar winds and their effect on protoplanetary evolution.

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