A Morphological Diagnostic for Dynamical Evolution of Wolf-Rayet Bubbles
/ Authors
/ Abstract
We have observed Hα and [O III] emission from eight of the most well-defined Wolf-Rayet ring nebulae in the Galaxy. We find that in many cases the outermost edge of the [O III] emission leads the Hα emission. We suggest that these offsets, when present, are due to the shock from the Wolf-Rayet bubble expanding into the circumstellar envelope. Thus, the details of the WR bubble morphology at Hα and [O III] can then be used to understand better the physical condition and evolutionary stage of the nebulae around Wolf-Rayet stars, as well as to place constraints on the nature of the stellar progenitor and its mass-loss history.
Journal: The Astronomical Journal
DOI: 10.1086/316830