MIPSGAL 24 μm observations of Galactic planetary nebulae

Abstract

We have obtained 24 {\mu}m imaging, profiles and fluxes for 224 planetary nebulae (PNe) lying within the limits of the Spitzer MIPSGAL survey. It is noted that most of the PNe having extended 24 {\mu}m emission also possess circular morphologies, suggesting that the emission derives from cool grains located within the AGB mass-loss regimes. Certain of these halos are found to have a surface brightness fall-off which may be consistent with secularly invariant mass-loss within the PNe progenitors. By contrast, the 8.0 {\mu}m envelopes are detected out to smaller distances from the nuclei, and have a steeper rate of surface brightness fall-off; a phenomenon which may arise from changes in the excitation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within external photo-dissociation regimes (PDRs). Our 24{\mu}m fluxes are compared to those in previously published studies, and this appears to indicate that many of the prior fluxes have been underestimated; a disparity may imply that previous aperture sizes were too small. We have also combined our 24 {\mu}m fluxes with measures at shorter mid-infrared (MIR) wavelengths, taken with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC). These are used to investigate the positioning of PNe within the IRAC-MIPSGAL colour planes. The [8.0]-[24] and [5.8]-[24] colours are found to be large, and extend over the respective ranges 3.4-8.7 mag, and 5.4-10.3 mag; indices which are only explainable where a broad range of mechanisms contribute to the fluxes, including PAH bands, cool dust continua, and a variety of ionic transitions. These and other components also affect the morphologies of the sources, and lead to wavelength dependent changes in the widths of the profiles.