Intermediate- and high-resolution optical spectroscopy on the nascent planetary nebula Vy 2-2: Evidence of binary-star evolution

Planetary nebulae (PNe) typically show spectacular nonspherical shapes whose origin is not fully understood. Crucial information about PNe formation can be obtained by studying their very first stages. We present and analyze new intermediate- and échelle high-resolution spectra of the nascent PN Vy,2-2 to obtain its chemical abundances and a new value for its controversial abundance discrepancy factor ( ), investigate the internal kinematics and ionization of the nebula, and infer its possible formation processes. Our intermediate resolution spectra reveal many previously unreported nebular recombination (e.g., N+$) and forbidden (e.g., adf iv ) emission lines as well as stellar emission lines. Some of the newly detected nebular lines are important to determine the . The derived abundances are subsolar and agree with previous values, while the new value of the , (O^2+)=13.6±2.6, indicates that Vy,2-2 belongs to the group of PNe with unusually high adf adf adf . Our morphokinematical and ionization structure analysis reveals that Vy,2-2 consists of a relatively high-excitation central region and two low-excitation bipolar lobes. Our data do not show significant shock excitation in the main ionized shell of this PN. A distance of 1.68±0.02 kpc to Vy,2-2 is obtained from the published angular expansion of the central region and its expansion velocity in H^+. The inferred kinematical age of 210±3,yr supports that Vy,2-2 is a nascent PN. The stellar emission lines suggest a wels -like spectrum, although more likely associated with an irradiated close companion than with the central star. Actually, the unusually high , the observed nebular structures, presence of fluorine, among others, indicate that Vy,2-2 hosts a post-common-envelope binary system. Chemical abundances and circumstellar mass estimates suggest an initial mass łesssim0.9,M$_⊙ for the star progenitor of Vy,2-2. adf