Discovery of eclipsing binary central stars in the planetary nebulae M 3-16, H 2-29, and M 2-19

Abstract

Progress in understanding the formation and evolution of planetary nebulae (PN) has been restricted by a paucity of well-determined central star masses. To address this deficiency we aim to (i) increase significantly the number of known eclipsing binary central stars of PN (CSPN); and subsequently (ii) measure directly their masses and absolute dimensions by combining their light curve parameters with planned radial velocity data. Using photometric data from the third phase of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), we searched for periodic variability in a large sample of PN towards the Galactic Bulge using Fourier and phase-dispersion minimisation techniques. Among some dozen periodically variable CSPN found, we report on three new eclipsing binaries: M 3-16, H 2-29 and M 2-19. We present images, confirmatory spectroscopy and light curves of the systems. © 2008 ESO.