Binarity in the late stages of stellar evolution: the link between PNe, symbiotic stars, novae and SNe Ia

Romano L.M. Corradi

Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Spain

Binary evolution is the favorite channel to explain the diversity of morphologies of planetary nebulae (PNe), and perhaps also to produce a large fraction of the observed bright PNe. The number of PNe with known binary central stars has largely increased over the last few years. Most of them are close binaries, which have unavoidably gone through a common-envelope phase when one or the other component (or both) was a red giant. Their detailed study allowed us to better understand several aspects of the phenomenon and to highlight the links with other astrophysical problems. I will review the most relevant aspects in the field, putting special emphasis on the increasing evidence of tight links between PNe with binary central stars, symbiotic and cataclysmic variables and their nova-like explosions, and supernovae of type Ia.

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