Catalogue of the central stars of planetary nebulae: Expanded edition

• Published in: Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin) 2020-08, Vol.640, p.A10
• Main Authors: Weidmann, W. A., Mari, M. B., Schmidt, E. O., Gaspar, G., Miller Bertolami, M. M., Oio, G. A., Gutiérrez-Soto, L. A., Volpe, M. G., Gamen, R., Mast, D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0004-6361; 1432-0746
• DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202037998

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.