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February 8, 2026Galaxies0 citationsOpen Access

IFU Spectroscopic Study of the Planetary Nebula Abell 30: Mapping the Ionisation and Kinematic Structure of the Inner Complex

KCK. ChanARAndreas RitterQPQuentin Andrew Parker

Key Points

  • The research aims to map the ionisation and kinematic structures of the planetary nebula Abell 30 using integrated flux and velocity channel maps.
  • Conducted observations using the INTEGRAL spectrograph at the William Herschel Telescope.
  • Collected data covering knots J1, J2, J3, and J4 within a specific field of view.
  • Analyzed optical recombination lines and collisionally excited lines from various ions to assess ionisation and turbulence.
  • Identified concentration of optical recombination lines in polar regions and collisionally excited lines in equatorial knots.
  • Revealed electron temperature distribution with cold cores of 15,000 K and hotter outer layers above 20,000 K.
  • Detected extreme turbulence in certain ions with velocity dispersion around 140 km/s, indicative of shock phenomena.

Abstract

This work presents integrated flux and velocity channel maps of the planetary nebula Abell 30 (A30) inner knot system. The observations were taken with the INTEGRAL spectrograph at the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), La Palma, Spain. Our IFU data cube has a field of view (FoV) of 12.3′′× 16′′ that partially covers knots J1 and J2, and completely covers knots J3 and J4 in the system. Optical Recombination Lines (ORLs) of C II, He I, He II, N III, O II and Collisionally Excited Lines (CELs) of Ar IV, Ar V, N II, Ne III, Ne IV, and O III were detected. Our integrated flux maps visualise the ionisation structure and the chemical inhomogeneity in the system previously reported by other groups. We find that ORLs are concentrated in the polar region (J1, J3), whereas the equatorial knots (J2, J4) are dominated by CELs. The flux ratio map of the diagnostic O III λ 5007/4363 Å lines reveals the electron temperature distribution, which shows cold cores of 15,000 K in knots J3 and J4 surrounded by a hot outer layer of above 20,000 K. Our channel maps show positive and negative velocity excursions from the systemic value among the ions. Several ions show variation in their velocity structures from their lower-energy-level counterparts, including Ar IV and Ar V, Ne III and Ne IV, and He I and He II. New recurrent velocity structures are identified in the low-density regions where the ions move much faster compared to their surrounding environments. The velocity dispersion measurements highlight extreme turbulence in some of the ions (σvrad≈140 km/s), consistent with supersonic/hypersonic motion driven by shocks. The forbidden line species N II exhibits lower turbulence (σvrad≈ 50–60 km/s), tracing denser, less-turbulent gases. Based on our data, we conclude that both the ionisation and kinematic studies hint at shock heating and multiple ejection history in the evolutionary pathway of A30.

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Cite This Study

Chan et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/698828ab0fc35cd7a88485bdhttps://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies14010011
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