X-ray observations of central stars of planetary nebulae and their winds

Abstract

AbstractThe photospheric emission from the hottest central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNe) is capable to extend into the X-ray domain, with emission peaking at 0.1-0.2 keV and vanishing above 0.4 keV. Unexpected, intriguing hard X-ray emission with energies greater than 0.5 keV has been reported for several CSPNe and for a number of white dwarfs (WDs). Different mechanisms may be responsible for the hard X-ray emission from CSPNe and WDs: coronal emission from a late-type companion, shocks in fast winds as in OB stars, leakage from underneath the star photosphere, or accretion of material from a disk, a companion star, or the circumstellar medium. Therefore, the hard X-ray emission associated with CSPNe may have significant implications for our understanding of the formation of PNe: binary companions, disks, and magnetic fields are thought to play a major role in the shaping of PNe, whereas clumping in the stellar wind may have notable effects in the PN evolution by modifying the stellar mechanical energy output. Here I present the results of different observational efforts to search for hard X-ray emission from CSPNe and discuss the different mechanisms for the production of hard X-rays.