LOOKING DEEP INTO THE CAT'S EYE: STRUCTURE AND ROTATION IN THE FAST WIND OF THE PN CENTRAL STAR OF NGC 6543
Journal Article
·
· Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)
We present HST/STIS time-series spectroscopy of the central star of the 'Cat's Eye' planetary nebula NGC 6543. Intensive monitoring of the UV lines over a 5.8 hr period reveals well-defined details of large-scale structure in the fast wind, which are exploited to provide new constraints on the rotation rate of the central star. We derive characteristics of the line profile variability that support a physical origin due to corotating interaction regions (CIRs) that are rooted at the stellar surface. The recurrence time of the observed spectral signatures of the CIRs is used to estimate the rotation period of the central star and, adopting a radius between 0.3 and 0.6 R{sub Sun} constrains the rotational velocity to the range 54 km s{sup -1} {<=} v{sub rot} {<=} 108 km s{sup -1}. The implications of these results for single star evolution are discussed based on models calculated here for low-mass stars. Our models predict a subsurface convective layer in NGC 6543 which we argue to be causally connected to the occurrence of structure in the fast wind.
- OSTI ID:
- 22078451
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Letters Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 759; ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Wind-blown bubble model for NGC 6543
Fast winds from the central stars of NGC 6543 and NGC 6826
Shapes and shaping of the planetary nebulae IC 3568, NGC 40, and NGC 6543
Journal Article
·
Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987
· Astron. J.; (United States)
·
OSTI ID:5605570
Fast winds from the central stars of NGC 6543 and NGC 6826
Journal Article
·
Tue Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1989
· Astrophys. J.; (United States)
·
OSTI ID:6042495
Shapes and shaping of the planetary nebulae IC 3568, NGC 40, and NGC 6543
Journal Article
·
Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987
· Astron. J.; (United States)
·
OSTI ID:5605571