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Laurent Drissen

Publications and source records attributed to Laurent Drissen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

3D Kinematic Reconstruction of the Crab Nebula That Includes the Northern Ejecta `Jet'

We present new detailed three-dimensional kinematic reconstructions of the Crab Nebula created from hyperspectral cubes obtained with the SITELLE instrument mounted on the Canada--France--Hawaii Telescope. Our data cubes span a wavelength range from 3600Å to 7000Å, covering major emission lines including [O II] $λλ$3726, 3729, H$β$, [O III] $λλ$4959, 5007, [N II] $λ$5755, He I $λ$5876, [N II] $λλ$6548, 6584, [S II] $λλ$6717, 6731, and H$α$. The field of view encompasses the ``chimney" or ``jet," a 45-arcsec-wide funnel-shaped structure that extends 100 arcsec beyond the northern limb of the nebula. Our 3D reconstructions confirm and geometrically resolve a cavity at the jet's base that was suggested by earlier kinematic studies, establishing a direct physical connection between the filamentary network and the jet funnel. The morphology and kinematics indicate that the early pulsar wind nebula (PWN) played a central role in forming the jet. Several formation scenarios, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive, remain viable, including a bipolar outflow shaped by a circumstellar disk, a breach or underdensity in the ejecta shell, and a pre-existing progenitor mass-loss trail acting as a low-density channel. Collectively, these scenarios exhibit differing abilities to account for the jet's pronounced collimation, the absence of a southern counterpart, and its near-ballistic motion. Discriminating among them will require fully three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations that trace the remnant's evolution from the progenitor phase through late-time PWN expansion.

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Unveiling a cosmic tango: Integral field spectroscopy and numerical simulations of Arp 143's interaction

We present spectral data cubes of the interacting galaxy system Arp 143, composed of the ring galaxy NGC 2445 and the lenticular galaxy NGC 2444, obtained with the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Our data allow to probe the kinematics of the interaction and the chemical properties of the ionized gas. Star-forming regions are almost exclusively found in the ring and nucleus of NGC 2445 with the exception of a few very faint ones discovered at the base of the long tidal plume extending north of NGC 2444. Analysis of the Hα velocity map reveals strong non-circular flows in the ring of NGC 2445, which is expanding. Its nucleus is off-centered with respect to the ring. Oxygen abundance in the ring is on average slightly sub-solar whereas it is close to solar in the nucleus. Broad-band images obtained with the Dragonfly Telephoto array allow to identify the tenuous stellar counterpart of the radio tidal plume. The interaction between the two galaxies is simulated with a chemodynamical evolution code; these simulations suggest that Arp 143 has resulted from a head-on collision between a S0 and a Sc spiral galaxy following a flyby encounter that triggered the formation of the long plume from debris of the disk galaxy.

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SIGNALS of Giant HII Regions: A Spatially Resolved Analysis of NGC 604

Observing giant HII regions at fine spatial scales uncovers detailed structures and reveals variations in ionization, abundance, and dynamical properties of ionized gas and the effect of stellar feedback. Using emission line data of M33 observed with SITELLE as part of the Star-formation, Ionized Gas, and Nebular Abundances Legacy Survey (SIGNALS), we present maps of the principal optical emission line ratios for NGC 604, the most luminous HII region in M33. The excitation maps align well with the H$α$ morphology and are clearly related to the location of the central stellar cluster and secondary stellar groups. The maps of ionization-sensitive line ratios show substantial variations across the face of NGC 604. We demonstrate that these variations are unlikely to be due to chemical inhomogeneities but are primarily caused by changes in ionization, which in turn affect the observed line ratios. We present the H$α$ kinematics of the region and connect it to the excitation structure, showing how the dynamic motions influence the spatial distribution of ionized gas. We note two distinct sources identified in these excitation maps: a known supernova remnant and a previously unknown planetary nebula. Such parsec-scale features contribute only a small percentage to the overall light and would remain undetected without the use of high-resolution spatial data. Throughout the paper, we make comparisons to and raise concerns about single-aperture and long-slit spectroscopic measurements of giant HII regions, highlighting the limitations and potential inaccuracies of such methods.

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Integral field spectroscopy and numerical simulations of the NGC 2207/IC 2163 system

We present integral field spectroscopy of the interacting galaxy system NGC 2207/IC 2163 obtained with the imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer SITELLE. Approximately 1000 HII region complexes are detected in both galaxies and analyzed using their strong optical emission lines. Their properties were studied via BPT diagrams and their luminosity function. We conducted a detailed study of the distribution of oxygen abundance across the system using a series of strong-line O/H indicators and calibrations. Both galaxies exhibit negative galactocentric abundance gradients with a slope -0.015 dex kpc$^{-1}$. There are marginal signs of discontinuities in the O/H gradients with some indicators while no significant azimuthal variations are seen. A shallower slope in the HII region luminosity function between the arm and inter-arm regions in IC 2163 is observed, supporting previous conclusion that the star formation process in this galaxy eyelids has been altered during the interaction. The kinematics of the ionised gas reveal disturbed velocity fields, AGN-like features in the nucleus of NGC 2207, and elevated velocity dispersion in turbulent or feedback-driven regions. To interpret these findings, we modeled the collision using the numerical algorithm GCD+. The simulation reproduces key features of the system and demonstrates how close passages drive enhanced star formation and localized chemical enrichment. Finally, two dwarf galaxies in the field are found to have very similar systemic velocities as their larger counterparts, and could well play a minor role in the global interaction based on their morphology and position.

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WISDOM project -- XXIII. Star-formation efficiencies of eight early-type galaxies and bulges observed with SITELLE and ALMA

Early-type galaxies (ETGs) are known to harbour dense spheroids of stars with scarce star formation (SF). Approximately a quarter of these galaxies have rich molecular gas reservoirs yet do not form stars efficiently. These gas-rich ETGs have properties similar to those of bulges at the centres of spiral galaxies. We use spatially-resolved observations (~ 100 pc resolution) of warm ionised-gas emission lines (Hbeta, [O III], [N II], Halpha and [S II]) from the imaging Fourier transform spectrograph SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and cold molecular gas (12CO(2-1) or 12CO(3-2)) from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the SF properties of 8 ETGs and bulges. We use the ionised-gas emission lines to classify the ionisation mechanisms and demonstrate a complete absence of regions dominated by SF ionisation in these ETGs and bulges, despite abundant cold molecular gas. The ionisation classifications also show that our ETGs and bulges are dominated by old stellar populations. We use the molecular gas surface densities and Halpha-derived SF rates (in spiral galaxies outside of the bulges) or upper limits (in ETGs and bulges) to constrain the depletion times (inverse of the SF efficiencies), suggesting again suppressed SF in our ETGs and bulges. Finally, we use the molecular gas velocity fields to measure the gas kinematics, and show that bulge dynamics, particularly the strong shear due to the deep and steep gravitational potential wells, is an important SF-regulation mechanism for at least half of our sample galaxies.

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SIGNALS on the mixing of oxygen and nitrogen in the spiral galaxy NGC 6946

As part of the SIGNALS survey, which comprises a sample of approximately 40 nearby galaxies observed with the Fourier transform spectrometer SITELLE, we present a study of metal mixing in the spiral galaxy NGC 6946. Taking advantage of the blue sensitivity of our setup, we measure the oxygen and nitrogen abundances of 638 H II regions, and focus our analysis on the abundance fluctuations about the radial gradients. We detect an azimuthal variation of about 0.1 dex in these abundances across the NE spiral arm, with the leading edge being more metal-poor than the trailing edge. This result aligns with galaxy simulations, where radial gas flows along the spiral arms lead to dilution on the leading edge and enrichment on the trailing edge, due to the presence of radial metallicity gradients. Our 2D analysis reveals that oxygen and nitrogen exhibit comparable spatial correlation scales, despite the different injection energies and distinct nucleosynthetic origins -- core-collapse supernovae in the case of oxygen and primarily AGB stars for nitrogen. The observed similarity suggests that stellar processes drive these two elements into the ISM over equivalent spatial scales.

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Characterization of M51 supernova remnants with the imaging spectrometer SITELLE

We present preliminary results of a detailed 3D study of supernova remnants in the nearby spiral M51 using data from the SIGNALS survey obtained with the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope (CFHT). Data cubes covering the entire galaxy were gathered in three spectral ranges: SN3 (647-685 nm, R = 5000), SN2 (482-513 nm, R = 600) and SN1 (363-386 nm, R = 1000). The spectral resolution of the SN3 cube allows a precise, spatially resolved measurement of the velocity dispersion of each object. While most of the SNRs were known from previous surveys based on imagery and long-slit spectroscopy, we now provide 2D line flux and kinematic maps for all of them and found 20 new candidates. Most of the SNRs show velocity dispersions ($σ$) in the range 30-80 km/s, which is typical for middle-aged SNRs. Finally, we compare the properties of SNRs with those of thousands of HII regions included in the same dataset.

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Properties of supernova remnants in SIGNALS galaxies -- I . NGC 6822 and M33

We present a spatially resolved study of the kinematical properties of known supernova remnants (SNRs) in the nearest galaxies of the SIGNALS survey, namely NGC 6822 (one object) and M33 (163 objects), based on data obtained with the SITELLE Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (iFTS) at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. The purpose of this paper is to provide a better scheme of identification for extragalactic SNRs and, in particular, to distinguish between HII regions and SNRs. For that we have used diagrams which involve both the [SII]/H$α$ ratio and the velocity dispersion ($σ$). We also introduce a new parameter, $ξ= {[SII] \over Hα} \times σ$, which enhances still the contrast between SNRs and the rest of the ionised gas. More than 90\% of the SNRs in our entire sample show an integrated [SII]/H$α$ ratio larger than the canonical value (0.4). 86\% of the SNRs present in our field show a significant velocity dispersion. The spectral resolution of our observations allows us to observe the complex velocity structure of some SNRs.

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WISDOM project XX -- Strong shear tearing molecular clouds apart in NGC 524

Early-type galaxies (ETGs) are known to harbour dense spheroids of stars but scarce star formation (SF). Approximately a quarter of these galaxies have rich molecular gas reservoirs yet do not form stars efficiently. We study here the ETG NGC~524, with strong shear suspected to result in a smooth molecular gas disc and low star-formation efficiency (SFE). We present new spatially-resolved observations of the \textsuperscript{12}CO(2-1)-emitting cold molecular gas from the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) and of the warm ionised-gas emission lines from SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Although constrained by the resolution of the ALMA observations ($\approx37$~pc), we identify only $52$ GMCs with radii ranging from $30$ to $140$~pc, a low mean molecular gas mass surface density $\langleΣ_{\rm gas}\rangle\approx125$~M$_\odot$~pc$^{-2}$ and a high mean virial parameter $\langleα_{\rm obs,vir}\rangle\approx5.3$. We measure spatially-resolved molecular gas depletion times ($τ_{\rm dep}\equiv1/{\rm SFE}$) with a spatial resolution of $\approx100$~pc within a galactocentric distance of $1.5$~kpc. The global depletion time is $\approx2.0$~Gyr but $τ_{\rm dep}$ increases toward the galaxy centre, with a maximum $τ_{\rm dep,max}\approx5.2$~Gyr. However, no pure \ion{H}{II} region is identified in NGC~524 using ionised-gas emission-line ratio diagnostics, so the $τ_{\rm dep}$ inferred are in fact lower limits. Measuring the GMC properties and dynamical states, we conclude that shear is the dominant mechanism shaping the molecular gas properties and regulating SF in NGC~524. This is supported by analogous analyses of the GMCs in a simulated ETG similar to NGC~524.

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Dissecting the Crab Nebula with JWST: Pulsar wind, dusty filaments, and Ni/Fe abundance constraints on the explosion mechanism

We present JWST observations of the Crab Nebula, the iconic remnant of the historical SN 1054. The observations include NIRCam and MIRI imaging mosaics, plus MIRI/MRS IFU spectra that probe two select locations within the ejecta filaments. We derive a high-resolution map of dust emission and show that the grains are concentrated in the innermost, high-density filaments. These dense filaments coincide with multiple synchrotron bays around the periphery of the Crab's pulsar wind nebula (PWN). We measure synchrotron spectral index changes in small-scale features within the PWN's torus region, including the well-known knot and wisp structures. The index variations are consistent with Doppler boosting of emission from particles with a broken power-law distribution, providing the first direct evidence that the curvature in the particle injection spectrum is tied to the acceleration mechanism at the termination shock. We detect multiple nickel and iron lines in the ejecta filaments and use photoionization models to derive nickel-to-iron abundance ratios that are a factor of 3-8 higher than the solar ratio. We also find that the previously reported order-of-magnitude higher Ni/Fe values from optical data are consistent with the lower values from JWST when we reanalyze the optical emission using updated atomic data and account for local extinction from dust. We discuss the implications of our results for understanding the nature of the explosion that produced the Crab Nebula and conclude that the observational properties are most consistent with a low-mass iron-core-collapse supernova, even though an electron-capture explosion cannot be ruled out.

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High-Spectral Resolution Observations of the Optical Filamentary Nebula in NGC 1275

We present new high-spectral resolution observations (R = $λ/Δλ$ = 7000) of the filamentary nebula surrounding NGC 1275, the central galaxy of the Perseus cluster. These observations have been obtained with SITELLE, an imaging Fourier transform spectrometer installed on the Canada-France-Hawai Telescope (CFHT) with a field of view of $11\text{ arcmin }\times 11 \text{ arcmin}$ encapsulating the entire filamentary structure of ionised gas despite its large size of $80 \text{ kpc}\times50 \text{ kpc}$. Here, we present renewed flux, velocity and velocity dispersion maps that show in great detail the kinematics of the optical nebula at \sii$\lambda6716$, \sii$\lambda6731$, \nii$\lambda6584$, H$α$(6563Å), and \nii$\lambda6548$. These maps reveal the existence of a bright flattened disk-shaped structure in the core extending to r $\sim 10$ kpc and dominated by a chaotic velocity field. This structure is located in the wake of X-ray cavities and characterised by a high mean velocity dispersion of $134$ km/s. The disk-shaped structure is surrounded by an extended array of filaments spread out to $r\sim 50$ kpc that are 10 times fainter in flux, remarkably quiescent and has a uniform mean velocity dispersion of $44$ km/s. This stability is puzzling given that the cluster core exhibits several energetic phenomena. Based on these results, we argue that there are two mechanisms to form multiphase gas in clusters of galaxies: a first triggered in the wake of X-ray cavities leading to more turbulent multiphase gas and a second, distinct mechanism, that is gentle and leads to large-scale multiphase gas spread throughout the core.

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Ring nebulae around Wolf-Rayet stars in M33 as seen by SITELLE

We have conducted an analysis of nebulae around Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in M33 using data collected by the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope as part of the SIGNALS Large Program. Of the 211 known Wolf-Rayet stars in M33, 178 are located in the fields observed in this study. We present the results of this analysis in the form of a comprehensive summary of all nebulae found around the observed WR stars. Based on three criteria we find to be the most effective for their detection, we detect a clear association with a circumstellar bubble around 33 of them (19\%). Our results show that the presence of bubbles does not correlate with the spectral type of the central star. The mean diameter of the WR nebulae we have found is 21 parsecs.

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Extended Line Emission in the BCG of Abell 2390

We report CFHT/SITELLE imaging Fourier Transform Spectrograph observations of the Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG) of galaxy cluster Abell 2390 at z=0.228. The BCG displays a prominent cone of emission in H$α$, H$β$, [NII], and [OII] to the North-West with PA = 42$^o$, 4.4 arcsec in length (15.9 kpc), which is associated with elongated and asymmetric Chandra soft X-ray emission. The H$α$ flux map also contains a "hook" of H$α$ and [NII] emission resulting in a broadened northern edge to the cone. Using SITELLE/LUCI software we extract emission line flux, velocity, velocity dispersion, and continuum maps, and utilize them to derive flux ratio maps to determine ionization mechanisms and dynamical information in the BCG's emission line region. The Baldwin-Phillips-Terlevich diagnostics on the BCG cone indicate a composite ionization origin of photoionization due to star formation and shock. Strong LINER-like emission is seen in the nuclear region which hosts an AGN. As Abell 2390 is a cool-core cluster, we suggest that the cooling flow is falling onto the central BCG and interacting with the central AGN. The AGN produces jets that inflate "bubbles" of plasma in the ICM, as is often observed in local galaxy clusters. Furthermore, combining signs of AGN activities from radio, optical emission line and X-ray data over a large range of physical scale, we find evidence for three possible episodes of AGN activity in different epochs associated with the Abell 2390 BCG.

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Constraints on Clumps in the Representative Wind of the WN8 Wolf-Rayet star HD96548 = WR40 with Simultaneous Broadband Light and Linear-Polarisation Variability

We report precision ground-based broadband optical intensity and linear-polarisation light-curves for the sky's brightest WN8 star, WR40. WN8 stars are notorious for their high level of variability, stemming from stochastic clumps in their strong winds that are slower and less hot than the winds of most other Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. We confirm previous results that many WR stars display an amplitude of variability that is an order-of-magnitude higher in photometry than in polarimetry. For the first time, the unique nature of near simultaneity of our photometric and polarimetric observations of WR40 allows us to check whether the two types of variability show correlated behaviour, of which we find none. Assuming simple temporal functions for the brightness and polarisation of individual clumps, a model for simulated light curves is found to reproduce the properties of the observations, specifically the absence of correlation between photometric and polarimetric variations, the ratio of standard deviations for photometric and polarimetric variability, and the ratio of the average intrinsic polarisation relative to its standard deviation. Mapping the solution for time variability to a spatial coordinate suggests that the wind clumps of WR40 are free-free emitting in addition to light scattering.

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WISDOM project -- XI. Star Formation Efficiency in the Bulge of the AGN-host Galaxy NGC 3169 with SITELLE and ALMA

The star formation efficiency (SFE) has been shown to vary across different environments, particularly within galactic starbursts and deep within the bulges of galaxies. Various quenching mechanisms may be responsible, ranging from galactic dynamics to feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN). Here, we use spatially-resolved observations of warm ionised gas emission lines from the imaging Fourier transform spectrograph SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and cold molecular gas (CO(2-1)) from the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) to study the SFE in the bulge of the AGN-host galaxy NGC 3169. After distinguishing star-forming regions from AGN-ionised regions using emission-line ratio diagnostics, we measure spatially-resolved molecular gas depletion times (τ_dep = 1/SFE) with a spatial resolution of \approx 100 pc within a galactocentric radius of 1.8 kpc. We identify a star-forming ring located at radii 1.25 \pm 0.6 kpc with an average τ_dep of 0.3 Gyr. At radii < 0.9 kpc, however, the molecular gas surface densities and depletion times increase with decreasing radius, the latter reaching approximately 2.3 Gyr at a radius \approx 500 pc. Based on analyses of the gas kinematics and comparisons with simulations, we identify AGN feedback, bulge morphology and dynamics as the possible causes of the radial profile of SFE observed in the central region of NGC 3169.

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The interacting pair of galaxies Arp 82: Integral field spectroscopy and numerical simulations

Spectral data cubes of the interacting pair of galaxies NGC 2535 and NGC 2536 (the Arp 82 system) targeting bright emission lines in the visible band, obtained with the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer (iFTS) SITELLE attached to the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), are presented. Analysis of H$\upalpha$ velocity maps reveals a bar in $\rm NGC\,2536$. In $\rm NGC\,2535$, we find strong non-circular motions outside the ocular ring, in the elliptical arc and tidal tails of $\rm NGC\,2535$ and a misalignment between the kinematic and photometric position angles. We detect 155 HII region complexes in the interacting pair of galaxies and determine oxygen abundances for 66 of them using different calibrators. We find, regardless of the indicator used, that the oxygen abundance distribution in $\rm NGC\,2536$ is shallow whereas, in $\rm NGC\,2535$, it is best fitted by two slopes, the break occurring beyond the ocular ring. The inner slope is comparable to the one observed in isolated normal star-forming galaxies but the outer slope is shallow. We present a numerical simulation of the interaction that reproduces the observed tidal features, kinematics, and metallicity distribution, to investigate the effect of the interaction on the galaxies. The model indicates that the galaxies have undergone a close encounter, strongly prograde for the primary, and are half way in their course to a second close encounter.

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SITELLE Hα Imaging Spectroscopy of z~0.25 Clusters: Emission Line Galaxy Detection and Ionized Gas Offset in Abell 2390 & Abell 2465

Environmental effects are crucial to the understanding of the evolution of galaxies in dense environments, such as galaxy clusters. Using the large field-of-view of SITELLE, the unique imaging fourier transform spectrograph at CFHT, we are able to obtain 2D spectral information for a large and complete sample of cluster galaxies out to the infall region. We describe a pipeline developed to identify emission line galaxies (ELGs) from the datacube using cross-correlation techniques. We present results based on the spatial offsets between the emission-line regions and stellar continua in ELGs from two z$\sim$0.25 galaxy clusters, Abell 2390 and Abell 2465. We find a preference in the offsets being pointed away from the cluster center. Combining the two clusters, there is a 3$σ$ excess for high-velocity galaxies within the virial radius having the offsets to be pointed away from the cluster center. Assuming the offset being a proxy for the velocity vector of a galaxy, as expected from ram pressure stripping, this excess indicates that ram pressure stripping occurs most effectively during the first passage of an infalling galaxy, leading to the quenching of its star formation. We also find that, outside the virial region, the continuum-normalized H$α$ line flux for infalling galaxies with large offsets are on average lower than those with small or no measurable offset, further supporting ram pressure as a dominant quenching mechanism during the initial infall stages.

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New insights into the WR nebula M1-67 with SITELLE

We present a detailed study of M1-67, a well-known nebula around the population I Wolf-Rayet star WR 124 (WNh 8), based on datacubes obtained with the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer SITELLE at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). This allowed us to reconstruct detailed emission-line ratio maps that highlight clear orthogonal features from a chemical abundance point of view, a complete extinction map, as well as the electron density and temperature structures. In addition to this information, velocity maps were obtained shedding light on the bow shock structure due to the high velocity of WR124, qualified as a runaway star, which is about +190\,km\,s$^{-1}$ relative to the local ISM. Interaction between the latter structure and spherical and non-spherical outburst could explain the global morphology of M1-67.

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