Gonçcalves, D. R.
Bibliographical reference
Astrophysics and Space Science, v. 287, Issue 1, p. 245-248 (2003).
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2003
Journal
Citations
1
Refereed citations
1
Description
In addition to the large-scale outflows, which form their round,
elliptical, and bipolar shells, planetary nebulae (PNe) also have,
usually on smaller scales, pairs of highly collimated outflows, or jets.
These jets, as well as the pairs of knots that appear at their tips
(very prominent in the low-ionization emission lines), are the subject
of the present study. We show our results on the temperatures and
densities of jets and knots, compare these physical parameters with
those of the main shells of PNe, and compare them with theoretical model
predictions. We note particularly that the knots at the tips of the jets
are not denser than the jets, and that neither is their emission
collisionally excited, as one would expect if they were by-products of
the associated supersonic jets.