We propose to exploit Herschel.s unprecedented sensitivity to obtain 100-500 micron photometry for a statistical, flux-limited (in the IRAS 60 micron band) sample of Galactic bulge planetary nebulae (GBPNe), using PACS and SPIRE. The Galactic Bulge volume, offers a unique, nearby environment where a statistical population of PNe, all at roughly the same well-established distance, can be studied in order to understand these objects, test theoretical models for their formation and evolution, and address the mystery of the constancy of the PN luminosity function (an important cosmological distance indicator). Much of the mass ejected during the preceding AGB phase is expected to lie outside the ionised shells in these objects, and can only be detected via the thermal emission from cold dust.
Herschel provides us the only platform to measure the mass budgets of a statistical sample of GBPNe, and thus help us address one of the longest standing astrophysical problem: the relationship between the birth mass of solar mass stars and the mass left at the end when they die. PNe are an important contributor to the total mass return to the ISM for the old Bulge population, and the proposed observations will allow us to infer the PN contribution to the total rate of mass loss in the Bulge, a crucial input to evolutionary models. The robust constraints to the progenitor masses of PNe from our study will allow elemental enrichments to be determined as a function of initial stellar mass, providing key information for models of AGB nucleosynthesis.
The proposed observations are a critical component of a broader study comprising existing and future ground- and space-based observations that will produce a combination of nebular masses, mass-loss rates, luminosities, physical sizes, morphologies, radial velocities, ages, and chemical abundances fo...r a statistical sample of planetary nebulae, resulting in a unique dataset describing the final stages of stellar evolution in unprecedented detail.
Publication
Instrument
PACS_PacsPhoto_largeScan, SPIRE_SpirePhoto_small
Temporal Coverage
2011-03-13T21:35:29Z/2013-04-01T12:14:03Z
Version
SPG v14.2.0
Mission Description
Herschel was launched on 14 May 2009! It is the fourth 'cornerstone' mission in the ESA science programme. With a 3.5 m Cassegrain telescope it is the largest space telescope ever launched. It is performing photometry and spectroscopy in approximately the 55-671 µm range, bridging the gap between earlier infrared space missions and groundbased facilities.
European Space Agency, 2013, A Statistical Sample Of Planetary Nebulae In The Galactic Bulge: Measuring Masses And Mass-Loss Rates, SPG v14.2.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-kim6c4v
