The chemistry of proto-planetary nebulae
Woods P.M., Millar T.J., Herbst E., Zijlstra A.A., 2003, A&A, 402, 189
Abstract
We describe the chemistry occurring in a dense slab
of outwardly expanding gas in the post-AGB phase of stellar
evolution. Despite the high flux of UV photons from the central star,
the intrinsic dust extinction in the slab prevents rapid
photodissociation and allows chemical reactions to make a variety of
gas-phase species, some complex. We find that chemical evolution ends
when the intrinsic extinction falls below about 10 mag. At this point,
rapid photodissociation occurs. As a particular example of our model,
we discuss chemical synthesis in the protoplanetary nebula, CRL 618,
and find that for many species we obtain good agreement between the
model and observation, despite the complexity of the source.
paper (pdf 200 kb)
Last update: June 10, 2003