| Issue |
EAS Publications Series
Volume 71-72, 2015
The Physics of Evolved Stars: A Conference Dedicated to the Memory of Olivier Chesneau
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|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 113 - 116 | |
| Section | Binaries | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/eas/1571023 | |
| Published online | 01 December 2015 | |
E. Lagadec, F. Millour and T. Lanz (eds)
EAS Publications Series, 71–72 (2015) 113-116
Planetary Nebulae: What Can They Tell Us About Close Binary Evolution?
1 Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, 38200 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
2 Departamento de Astrofísica, Universidad de La Laguna, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
e-mail: djones@iac.es
It is now clear that a binary pathway is responsible for a significant fraction of planetary nebulae, and the continually increasing sample of known central binaries means that we are now in a position to begin to use these systems to further our understanding of binary evolution. Binary central stars of planetary nebulae are key laboratories in understanding the formation processes of a wide-range of astrophysical phenomena – a point well-illustrated by the fact that the only known double-degenerate, super-Chandrasekhar mass binary which will merge in less than a Hubble time is found inside a planetary nebula. Here, I briefly outline our current understanding and avenues for future investigation.
© EAS, EDP Sciences, 2015