The Hα surface brightness - radius plane as a diagnostic tool for photoionized nebulae

David J. Frew, Ivan S. Bojičić, Quentin A. Parker

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Hα surface brightness - radius (S-r) relation is a robust distance indicator for planetary nebulae (PNe), further enhanced by different populations of PNe having distinct loci in S-r space. Other types of photoionized nebulae also plot in quite distinct regions in the SHa-r plane, allowing its use as a diagnostic tool. In particular, the nova shells and massive star ejecta (MSE) plot on relatively tight loci illustrating their evolutionary sequences. For the MSE, there is potential to develop a distance indicator for these objects, based on their trend in S-r space. As high-resolution, narrowband surveys of the nearest galaxies become more commonplace, the S-r plane is a potentially useful diagnostic tool to help identify the various ionized nebulae in these systems.

Original languageEnglish
Article number032015
Pages (from-to)1-4
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Physics: Conference Series
Volume728
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Aug 2016
Externally publishedYes

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