Abstract

Planetary nebulae (PNe), the late-stage remnants of low- to intermediate-mass stars, offer valuable insights into the final phases of stellar evolution and the enrichment of the interstellar medium via intermediate-mass star ejecta. Molecular emission from these objects serves as a powerful diagnostic for probing physical conditions, chemical composition, and kinematics of these ejecta. In this thesis, we describe the flexible, modular modeling framework we are developing to analyze high spatial and spectral resolution molecular emission-line data for planetary nebulae, as obtained by modern mm-wave interferometers such as the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The Python- based coding routine uses morpho-kinematic modeling of key molecular species, like CO, to reconstruct the large-scale molecular morphologies and velocity structures of the nebulae. We demonstrate the model’s application and capabilities by constructing 3D morpho-kinematic models which reproduce the basic structures observed in velocity-resolved SMA and ALMA CO maps of the planetary nebulae NGC 6720, NGC 3132, and Hubble 5. The resulting models reveal complex three-dimensional structures and provide new constraints on nebular geometry, excitation conditions, and evolutionary pathways. These findings illustrate the potential our new modeling framework has to advance our understanding of mass loss during the late stages of stellar evolution.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Planetary nebulae--Computer simulation; Stars--Evolution

Publication Date

8-22-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Astrophysical Sciences and Technology (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Physics and Astronomy, School of

College

College of Science

Advisor

Joel Kastner

Advisor/Committee Member

Jason Nordhaus

Advisor/Committee Member

Jeyhan Kartaltepe

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

ASTP-MS

Download

Share

COinS