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Paper: O VI in Planetary Nebulae
Volume: 348, Astrophysics in the Far Ultraviolet: Five Years of Discovery with FUSE
Page: 316
Authors: Gruendl, R.A.; Chu, Y.-H.; Guerrero, M.A.
Abstract: The central cavity of PNe is expected to be filled by shock-heated gas at Xray- emitting temperatures. Diffuse X-ray emission has been detected in a few PNe with plasma temperatures of 1−3×106 K, much lower than expected from a shocked fast wind with typical velocities of ∼1000 km s−1. We have used FUSE observations of nebular O VI emission to probe the PN interiors. We find that O VI emission is correlated with detectable diffuse X-ray emission, indicating the possible presence of thermal conduction. However, a simple model suggests that the conduction efficiency is much lower than that of classical values, consistent with the implication of the observed low X-ray luminosities.
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