May 6, 1999 Pratt Conference Room, 12:30 pm
Kinematics of Molecular Hydrogen in Pre-Planetary and Planetary Nebulae
Dr. Joel Kastner, MIT
Abstract
We have obtained high-resolution spectra of 2.12 micron molecular
hydrogen emission from a sample of bipolar pre-planetary and planetary
nebulae (PNs), to address the problem of the origin of axial symmetry in
these objects. In this talk I will concentrate on observations of the
well-studied, pre-PN AFGL 2688 (the Egg Nebula), the very young PN AFGL 618,
and the more evolved PN NGC 2346. The results offer a detailed view of the
kinematics of circumstellar molecular disks and high-velocity polar
outflows in these nebulae, and in so doing offer insight into their
recent evolution.