VLT observations of the highly ionized nebula around Brey2

We present the first high resolution He II lambda4686 images of the high excitation nebula around the WR star Brey2 in the LMC. This nebula presents a striking morphology: a small arc-like feature some 3.6 pc in radius is particularly prominent in the He II lambda4686 line. We further discover a previously unknown faint He II emission that extends over an area of 22 x 17 pc(2). An even fainter He II emission is apparently associated with the interstellar bubble blown by the progenitor of Brey2. The total He II flux corresponds to an ionizing flux of 4 x 10(47) photons s(-1). Halpha, [O III], and He I lambda5876 images and long-slit spectra are also examined in this letter, enabling us to investigate the detailed physical properties at various locations of the nebula.