Jets and Tori in Proto-Planetary Nebulae: Observations vs. Theory

TL;DR

This study investigates the timing and relationship between high-velocity jets and equatorial tori in proto-planetary nebulae, providing new constraints on their formation mechanisms through kinematic analysis.

Contribution

It offers the first detailed timeline of jet and torus development, showing they form nearly simultaneously with a slight jet delay, challenging existing formation theories.

Findings

Jets and tori develop nearly simultaneously.

Jets appear a few hundred years after tori.

Results constrain and challenge current jet formation models.

Abstract

We report on a study of the time sequence for the appearance of high-velocity jets and equatorial tori in the transition of stars from the asymptotic giant branch to the planetary nebulae phase. Jets and tori are prominent features of this evolution, but their origins are uncertain. Using the kinematics of molecular tori and molecular or optical jets, we determine the ejection histories for a sample of well-observed cases. We find that jets and tori develop nearly simultaneously. We also find evidence that jets appear slightly later than tori, with a typical jet-lag of a few hundred years. The reconstructed time-lines of this sequence provide good evidence that jets and tori are physically related, and they set new constraints on jet formation scenarios. Some scenarios are ruled out or rendered implausible, and others are challenged at a quantitative level.