Search for binary central stars of the SMC PNe

Abstract

The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), originally designed to search for microlensing events, provides a rich and uniform data set suitable for studying the variability of certain types of objects. We used the OGLE data to study the photometry of central stars of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). In particular, we searched for close binary central stars with the aim to constrain the binary fraction and period distribution in the SMC. We also searched for PNe mimics and removed them from the PNe sample. We identified 52 counterparts of PNe in the SMC in the I-band images from the OGLE-II and OGLE-III surveys. We analysed the time-series photometry of the PNe. Spectra of the photometric variables were obtained to constrain the nature of the objects or search for additional evidence for binarity. Eight variables were found. Of these, seven objects are PNe mimics, including one symbiotic star candidate. One close binary central star of PN with a period of 1.15 or 2.31 day was discovered. The obtained binary fraction for the SMC PNe and the observational biases are discussed in terms of the OGLE observations.