New Close Binary Central Stars of Planetary Nebulae from Gaia DR3 Epoch Photometry

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of four new close binary central stars in planetary nebulae using Gaia DR3 epoch photometry, highlighting the role of photometric variability in identifying such systems.

Contribution

It introduces a method to detect close binary central stars in planetary nebulae through Gaia DR3 photometry, uncovering four new systems.

Findings

Four new close binary central stars identified

Photometric variability effectively reveals binarity

Enhances understanding of planetary nebulae formation

Abstract

Close binary interactions perform a key role in the formation and shaping of planetary nebulae. However only a small fraction of Galactic planetary nebulae are known to host close binary systems. Many such systems are detectable through photometric variability. We searched recently published epoch photometry data from Gaia DR3 for planetary nebula central stars with periodic photometric variability indicative of binarity, uncovering four previously unknown close binaries.