Diverse Science from VLT imagery and spectroscopy of PNe in the Galactic Bulge

Abstract

We have undertaken a deep investigation of a well defined sample of 136 PNe located in a 10x10 degree central region of the Galactic Bulge observed with the ESO VLT and supplemented by archival HST imagery. These studies have provided precise morphologies, major axes position angles and the most robust sample of consistently derived chemical abundances available to date. Using these data we have statistically confirmed, at 5-sigma, the precise PNe population that provides the PNe alignment of major axes previously suggested in the Galactic Bulge, revealed a partial solution to the sulfur anomaly and uncovered interesting morphological, abundance and kinematic features. We summarise the most significant findings here with detailed results appearing in a series of related publications.