Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 July 2016
According to the multiple winds model a planetary nebula forms as the result of the interaction of a fast wind from the central star with the superwind that had previously been emitted by the progenitor star. The basic theory which deals with the spherically symmetrical case is briefly summarised. Various improvements are then considered in turn. A better history is clearly needed of the way that the central star becomes hotter, it is unrealistic to make the assumption that the superwind is spherically symmetrical, and finally there are likely to be important instabilities at some of the interfaces in the PN, notably that between the shocked superwind and the HII layer. These changes in the theoretical description produce a better understanding of the conditions in the outer parts of a PN and of the nature of its general shape, and they should lead to an explanation for the occurrence of high speed motions, and of highly ionized species and high excitation spectral lines.