SO Seminar by Dr. Henri Boffin

On Thursday May 17th, the Severo Ochoa visitor Dr. Henri Boffin, from ESO (Garching), will give a Severo Ochoa Seminar entitled Binary stars as the key to understand planetary nebulae.

Starting date: 17 May, 2018, 10:30h
End date: 17 May, 2018, 12:00h
Location: Aula, IAC Headquarters, Tenerife.
Organizer: Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias 

Abstract:

Binarity and mass transfer appear to play a key role in the shaping and, most likely, in the formation of planetary nebulae (PNe), thereby explaining the large fraction of axisymmetric morphologies. I present the binary hypothesis for PNe and its current status. Recent discoveries have led to a dramatic increase in the number of post-common envelope binary central stars of PNe, thereby allowing us to envisage statistical studies. Moreover, these binary systems let us study in detail the mass transfer episodes before and after the common envelope, and I present the evidences for mass transfer - and accretion - prior to the common envelope phase.