The Population of Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae
Letizia STANGHELLINI
NOAO, Tucson
Résumé :
Understanding asymptotic giant branch (AGB) envelope ejection
and planetary nebula (PN) evolution is essential in astrophysics,
since low- and intermediate-mass stars and their ejecta are
excellent probes of stellar populations in galaxies, and have
been detected in all types of galaxies and in the intra-cluster
space. Stars in this mass range constitute a major component
(by mass) of the stellar material in the Universe, and thus
a correct understanding of their evolution in
different environments has the potential to advance many
astrophysical fields. Furthermore, these stars play a fundamental
role in cosmic recycling, being major contributors to the carbon
and nitrogen abundances for the next generation of stars.
In this talk I will show the latest results on Magellanic Cloud PNe,
including data acquired with HST and Spitzer. Magellanic Cloud PNe
are important both because their distances are well known -- while
this is not true for Galactic PNe -- and because they extend
the metallicity baseline for AGB and PN studies.
