Catalogue of the central stars of planetary nebulae

Expanded edition^⋆

¹ Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Laprida 854, Córdoba, Argentina
e-mail: walter.weidmann@unc.edu.ar
² Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de la República Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
³ Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental, CONICET–UNC, Córdoba, Laprida 854, Córdoba, Argentina
⁴ Observatório do Valongo, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ladeira Pedro Antonio 43, 20080-090 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
⁵ Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata, CONICET–UNLP, Paseo del Bosque s/n, FWA, B1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
⁶ Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, UNLP, Paseo del Bosque s/n, FWA, B1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Received: 21 March 2020
Accepted: 15 May 2020

Abstract

Planetary nebulae represent a potential late stage of stellar evolution, however, their central stars (CSPNe) are relatively faint and, therefore, pertinent information is available for merely < 20% of the Galactic sample. Consequently, the literature was surveyed to construct a new catalogue of 620 CSPNe featuring important spectral classifications and information. The catalogue supersedes the existing iteration by 25% and includes physical parameters such as luminosity, surface gravity, temperature, magnitude estimates, and references for published spectra. The marked statistical improvement enabled the following pertinent conclusions to be determined: the H-rich/H-poor ratio is 2:1, there is a deficiency of CSPNe with types [WC 5-6], and nearly 80% of binary central stars belong to the H-rich group. The last finding suggests that evolutionary scenarios leading to the formation of binary central stars interfere with the conditions required for the formation of H-poor CSPN. Approximately 50% of the sample with derived values of log L_⋆, log T_eff, and log g, exhibit masses and ages consistent with single stellar evolutionary models. The implication is that single stars are indeed able to form planetary nebulae. Moreover, it is shown that H-poor CSPNe are formed by higher mass progenitors. The catalogue is available through the Vizier database.