Speaker
Description
We present a pilot photometric variability study of a sample of 22 evolved post-AGB and pre-planetary nebulae candidates using data from the NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). These short-lived evolutionary stages are crucial for understanding the morphological and dynamical transformation from asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars to planetary nebulae (PNe), particularly the role of binarity and pulsations.
The analysis was carried out using TESS high precission photometric light curves with a cadence of two-minutes, and different tools were employed to assess the possible contamination affecting the light curves (TESScont, TESS_localize). We inspected and characterized the light curves of the targets in order to identify signatures of periodic variability potentially associated with binarity, pulsations, or other dynamic processes occurring in these objects.
Our sample reveals a diverse range of short-timescale variability behaviours, including objects showing binary interactions, stellar pulsations (periodic or stochastic) or a combination of both phenomena. A detailed bibliographic review was also performed for each target to place the observed variability in the context of previous studies and to assess the ppPN/post-AGB classification.
This work demonstrates the potential of the TESS photometry mission for studying short-timescale variability in evolved stars during the transition between the AGB and planetary nebulae phases, and provides a set of promising candidates for future spectroscopic and multiwavelength follow-up observations.