RUI: An Observational Study of Proto-Planetary Nebulae

红超巨星在行星状星云核(PPN)阶段演化成白矮星的过程发生得非常快，因此是恒星演化过程中最鲜为人知的阶段之一。这也是一个非常重要的阶段。正是在这段时间，恒星将许多中等重量的元素(如碳、氮和氧)返回星际空间，最终从星际空间再次形成新一代的恒星。PI提出了一项计划，首先确定新的PPN候选对象，然后确定它们的光谱能量分布。这些信息最终将被用来推断年龄的分布，从而随着他们在这一短暂阶段的演变，对他们的财产进行一次轰动的“普查”。这项研究需要大量的数据分析和还原，最好是在专用计算机上进行。这项奖励将支持购买一台工作站来执行这些任务。

The evolution of red supergiant stars to white dwarfs through the "planetary nebula nucleus" (PPN) stage occurs very quickly and is therefore one of the most poorly understood stages of stellar evolution. It is also a very important stage. It is during this time that a star returns many of the intermediate-weight elements (such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) into interstellar space, from which new generations of stars are eventually formed once again. The PI proposes a program first, to identify new PPN candidates and, second, to determine their spectral energy distributions. This information will be used ultimately to infer the distribution of ages and thereby to do a sensitve "census" of their properties as they evolve through this brief phase. This study requires a great deal of data analysis and reduction, preferably on a dedicated computer. This award will support the purchase of a workstation to perform these tasks.