Formation of a planetary nebula by continuous mass loss
The evolution of a 1.2Mʘ star along the asymptotic branch with continuous mass loss is presented, showing that this mass loss leads to the formation of a PN with a typical central star in its center.A former investigation (Harpaz and Kovetz, 1980) has shown that mechanisms for PN creation based on sudden violent processes are not likely to work in the envelope of a red giant star. On the other hand, significant mass loss from red giants was observed as a general phenomenon.We have followed the evolution of a 1.2Mʘ star along the asymptotic branch, including in the evolutionary calculations a mass loss according to Reimers’ empirical formula. It was found that towards the end of this stage, the mass loss rate was about 2.7xl0-6Mʘ/y, which is consistent with the formation of a typical PN within 30,000 years. When the mass content of the hydrogen rich envelope dropped to 1.5x10-3Mʘ, the star began to contract rapidly, forming a typical central star of 0.6Mʘ