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Paper: Hubble Space Telescope Imaging and Grism Spectroscopy of the Binary Nucleus of the Planetary Nebula EGB 6
Volume: 469, 18th European White Dwarf Workshop (EUROWD12)
Page: 391
Authors: Liebert, J.; Bond, H. E.; Dufour, P.; Ciardullo, R.
Abstract: EGB 6 is a large, very old, low-surface-brightness planetary nebula. The central star (also cataloged as PG 0950+139) is a very hot DAOZ white dwarf with an apparent M dwarf companion detected initially in the near-infrared. The binary nucleus is juxtaposed with an unusual, compact, extremely dense emission nebula, unresolved in ground-based images. The electron density of ne = 2.2×106 cm–3 is measured because of the quenching (collisional deexcitation) of [O III], [O II], [N II] and [S II] lines. The HST imaging and grism spectroscopy show that the binary system is resolved with a separation of 0.″166, or a projected 108 AU at the estimated distance of 650 pc, and that the compact emission nebula coincides with the cool (likely) dM star rather than the hot white dwarf. Moreover, a striking mid-infrared excess has recently been measured in Spitzer/MIPS and IRAC bands, indicating dust shells of 500 K and 150 K, by K. Su, Y.-H. Chu, and collaborators (cf. Su et al. 2011).
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