The ERE of the “Red Rectangle" revisited ^*

¹ Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, K.U.Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
² Radio Astronomy Laboratory, 601 Campbell Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
³ Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 681, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA

Corresponding author: H. Van Winckel, Hans.VanWinckel@ster.kuleuven.ac.be

Received: 14 November 2001
Accepted: 18 April 2002

Abstract

We present in this paper high signal-to-noise long-slit optical spectra of the Extended Red Emission (ERE) in the “Red Rectangle” (RR) nebula. These spectra, obtained at different positions in the nebula, reveal an extremely complex emission pattern on top of the broad ERE continuum. It is well known that three features converge at large distance from the central object, in wavelength and profile to the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) at λ5797, λ5849.8 and λ6614 Å  (e.g. Sarre et al. [CITE]). In this paper we give a detailed inventory of all spectral subfeatures observed in the 5550–6850 Å  spectral range. Thanks to our high spectra, we propose 5 new features in the RR that can be associated with DIBs. For the 5550–6200 Å  spectral range our slit position was on top of the NE spike of the X shaped nebula. A detailed description of the spatial profile-changes is given of the strongest features revealing that even far out in the nebula at 24´´  from the central star, there remains a small shift in wavelength of 1 respectively 2 Å  between the ERE subfeatures and the DIB wavelengths of λ5797.11 and λ5849.78 Å.