Casassus, S; Storey, PJ; Barlow, MJ; Roche, PF; (2005) Hyperfine splitting of [Al VI] 3.66 mu m and the Al isotopic ratio in NGC 6302. MON NOT R ASTRON SOC , 359 (4) 1386 - 1392. 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08994.x.

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Abstract

The core of planetary nebula NGC 6302 is filled with high-excitation photoionized gas at low expansion velocities. It represents a unique astrophysical situation in which to search for hyperfine structure (HFS) in coronal emission lines from highly ionized species. HFS is otherwise blended by thermal or velocity broadening. Spectra containing [Al vr] 3.66 mu m P-3(2) <- P-3(1), obtained with Phoenix on Gemini South at resolving powers of up to 75000, resolve the line into five hyperfine components separated by 20-60 km s(-1) as a result of the coupling of the I = 5/2 nuclear spin of Al-27 with the total electronic angular momentum J. The isotope Al-26 has a different nuclear spin of I = 5, and a different HFS, which allows us to place a 3 sigma upper limit on the Al-26/Al-27 abundance ratio of 1/33. We measure the HFS magnetic dipole coupling constants for [Al vr], and provide the first estimates of the electric quadrupole HFS coupling constants obtained through astronomical observations of an atomic transition.

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