Circumstellar Matter: Neutral Shells and Planetary Nebula Formation

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Huggins, Patrick AST 96-17941 Dr. Huggins continues his research on the latest stages of stellar evolution in low and intermediate mass stars - the transition from the AGB phase to white dwarfs and the formation of planetary nebulae. He uses a wide variety of observational techniques, including infrared spectro-imaging, millimeter interferometry, and millimeter and sub-millimeter single disk observations to study a sample of objects covering different stages of evolution from precursor proto-planetaries to highly evolved nebulae. Using the molecular and atomic line emission from the neutral shells around these objects, Dr. Huggins will investigate the shell dynamics, velocity field, geometry, and properties of the gas, to develop a detailed picture of the evolution of the neutral shells and the formation of planetary nebulae. ***