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| Paper: |
VLT/NACO Imaging of the Nearest AGB Star, L2 Puppis |
| Volume: |
497, Why Galaxies Care about AGB Stars III: A Closer Look in Space and Time |
| Page: |
209 |
| Authors: |
Montargès, M.; Kervella, P.; Ridgway, S. T.; Perrin, G.; Chesneau, O. |
| Abstract: |
AGB stars are the most important contributors to the chemical enrichment
of the Galaxy. During their later evolutionary stages they experience
intense pulsations and eject most of their layers as they become
planetary nebulae (PNe). The process leading to the formation of bipolar
PNe remains poorly understood. It is assumed that the circumstellar disk
of an AGB star could collimate the stellar wind to form a bipolar PN,
yet very few of these disks have been observed.
Using the adaptive-optics system of the VLT/NACO instrument at the
Paranal Observatory and a “lucky imaging" technique, our team obtained
near-infrared diffraction-limited images of the nearest AGB star,
L2 Puppis. The deconvolved images reveal a dark structure in
front of the star whose morphology and photometry match a dusty edge-on
disk of olivine and pyroxene modeled with a Monte-Carlo radiative
transfer code. The L band images also show a loop structure, possibly
the signature of an interacting hidden companion. |
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