Modelling of Aging Planetary Nebulae Interacting with the Interstellar Medium - Spatial Distribution of Nebular Matter in the Line of Sight

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Planetary nebulae (PNe) and their central stars (CS) are ideal tools to test stellar evolutionary theory: E.g. photospheric properties of the CS are stringent constraints for theoretical evolutionary predictions. Recent developments in observational techniques, spectral analysis and numerical methods facilitate to examine closely and model consistently PNe and their CS. This improves our picture of post-AGB stellar evolution. The interaction of the aging PNe with the ambient interstellar matter (ISM), once considered a curiosity, has to be regarded as a common phenomenon. Since the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) plays an important role in shaping of PNe, PNe are well suited objects to probe the ISM and the ISMF. One of the prerequisites for an analysis of this phenomenon is a reliable picture of the 3-dimensional shape of the PNe. We propose to take high-resolution spectra of interacting PNe in order to derive information about their velocity structure and spatial distribution of nebular matter in the line of sight. In addition to available narrow-band images, this will give stringent constraints for their modelling.