Chemical Abundances in the PN Wray16-423 in the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy: Constraining the Dust Composition

TL;DR

This study analyzes elemental abundances, dust features, and PAHs in the planetary nebula Wray16-423, providing insights into dust composition and stellar evolution in the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy using multi-instrument data.

Contribution

First measurements of Kr, Fe, and recombination O abundances in this PN, linking dust features to stellar nucleosynthesis models and dust composition.

Findings

Most Fe atoms are in solid phase.

Broad 16-24 um and 30 um features observed, with PAHs detected.

MgS and Fe50S are potential carriers of the 30 um feature.

Abstract

We performed a detailed analysis of elemental abundances, dust features, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the C-rich planetary nebula (PN) Wray16-423 in the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy, based on a unique dataset taken from the Subaru/HDS, MPG/ESO FEROS, HST/WFPC2, and Spitzer/IRS. We performed the first measurements of Kr, Fe, and recombination O abundance in this PN. The extremely small [Fe/H] implies that most Fe atoms are in the solid phase, considering into account the abundance of [Ar/H]. The Spitzer/IRS spectrum displays broad 16-24 um and 30 um features, as well as PAH bands at 6-9 um and 10-14 um. The unidentified broad 16-24 um feature may not be related to iron sulfide (FeS), amorphous silicate, or PAHs. Using the spectral energy distribution model, we derived the luminosity and effective temperature of the central star, and the gas and dust masses. The observed elemental abundances and derived gas mass are in good agreement with asymptotic giant branch nucleosynthesis models for an initial mass of 1.90 Msun and a metallicity of Z=0.004. We infer that respectively about 80 %, 50 %, and 90 % of the Mg, S, and Fe atoms are in the solid phase. We also assessed the maximum possible magnesium sulfide (MgS) and iron-rich sulfide (Fe50S) masses and tested whether these species can produce the band flux of the observed 30 um feature. Depending on what fraction of the sulfur is in sulfide molecules such as CS, we conclude that MgS and Fe50S could be possible carriers of the 30 um feature in this PN.