Radio Spectroscopy of Planetary Nebulae

The H110α radio recombination line has been observed toward the planetary nebulae NGC 7027, IC 418, and NGC 6543 in order to ascertain the physical characteristics of the bulk nebular gas. The observations of NGC 7027 confirm the earlier findings of Chaisson and Malkan (Ap.J., 210, 108, 1976) and Churchwell, Terzian and Walmsley (A&A, 48, 331, 1976) who reported evidence for a substantial increase in linewidth with principal quantum number. Attributed to electron-ion impact broadening (Stark Effect), the observations imply an electron density Ne ≃ 50,000/cm3. The LTE-derived electron-ion temperature Te ≃ 18,000°K agrees reasonably well with most radio-line analyses, as well as with previous analyses of the radio continuum, of forbidden optical line ratios, and of optical recombination lines and their associated continuum. IC418's HllOa line is also wider than radio lines observed at higher frequencies, suggesting a Stark Effect consistent with Ne < 20,000/cm3; NGC 6543 shows no appreciable line broadening, providing an upper limit to the density Ne < 10,000/cm3. The LTE-derived Te values for IC 418 and NGC 6543 are approximately 14,000 and 7000°K, reasonably consistent with those found by other techniques. On the basis of this and other recent studies, I suggest that the bulkemission in the Hnα recombination lines observed to date, 77 < n < 111, can be explained by a simple model of optically thin planetary nebular gas largely homogeneous in temperature and in density, and only slightly removed from LTE.