Open AccessDiscovery of an Edge-on Dust Disk around the [WC10] Central Star CPD −56°8032
Author(s) -
Orsola De Marco,
M. J. Barlow,
M. Cohen
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
the astrophysical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.376
H-Index - 489
eISSN - 1538-4357
pISSN - 0004-637X
DOI - 10.1086/342277
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , planetary nebula , astronomy , space telescope imaging spectrograph , spitzer space telescope , doubly ionized oxygen , wolf–rayet star , reflection nebula , hubble space telescope , emission spectrum , stars , spectral line
We present Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet and optical STIS spectroscopyof the [WCL] planetary nebula central star CPD-568032, obtained during itslatest lightcurve minimum. The UV spectrum shows the central star's continuumlight distribution to be split into two bright peaks separated by 0.10 arcsec.We interpret this finding as due to an edge-on disk or torus structure thatobscures direct light from the star, which is seen primarily via its lightscattered from the disk's rims or lobes. CPD-568032 is an archetype of dualdust chemistry [WCL] planetary nebulae, which exhibit strong infrared emissionfeatures from both carbon-rich and oxygen-rich materials, and for which thepresence of a disk harboring the O-rich grains had been suggested. Our directobservation of an edge-on occulting dust structure around CPD-568032 providesstrong support for such a model and for binary interactions being responsiblefor the correlation between the dual dust chemistry phenomenon in planetarynebulae and the presence of a hydrogen-deficient [WCL] Wolf-Rayet central star.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted by the Astrophysical Journal Letter
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