Speaker
Description
The presence of close-by companions is believed to be an essential ingredient to shape the outflow of the progenitor of bipolar planetary nebulae. However, only an handful of AGB binaries have been detected so far and their orbital characteristics are not well constrained. Here, we target the well-known carbon-rich star V Hydrae (V Hya), known to exhibit a complex environment believed to be shaped by an unseen companion.
Using a multi-epoch and multi-instrumental study, combining spectroscopic monitoring (HERMES/Mercator spectrograph) and infrared interferometric imaging with VLTI/MATISSE (as part of the ESO-Large Program BINAGB), we disentangled the AGB orbital motion from its Mira-like pulsation, provided the complete set of orbital parameters and showed that a dust clump is associated with the close companion. This dust clump is responsible for the visual obscuration events occurring every 17 years. Based on spatio-kinematic modeling of a conical high-velocity outflow attached to the companion, we provide constraints on the gas and dust distribution.
