Correlations of optical and infrared excesses in T Tauri stars

Journal Article · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/185714· OSTI ID:6700856

Hartigan, P; Hartmann, L; Kenyon, S J; Strom, S E; Skrutskie, M F ^[1]

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1. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA (USA) Massachusetts Univ., Amherst (USA)

The results of a survey of excess optical continuum emission (veiling) in a sample of 35 K7-M1 pre-main-sequence stars in Taurus-Auriga are reported. Stars with detectable veiling emission always show significant near-infrared K-L excesses. This result agrees with the prediction of a simple accretion disk model, where a boundary layer produces the veiling and the infrared excess comes from the disk. The K-N colors of T Tauri stars fall into two distinct groups: stars in the group with small or absent K-N excesses have no detectable veiling emission, while objects with large K-N excesses usually have detectable veiling. This result also agrees with the prediction of the disk model, where a large K-N excess indicates an optically thick disk, and an optically thick disk is required to generate a mass accretion rate large enough to produce detectable veiling. 27 refs.

• OSTI ID: 6700856
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 354; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCRETION DISKS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
COOLING
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
INFRARED RADIATION
IONIZATION
LAYERS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NEAR INFRARED RADIATION
RADIATION TRANSPORT
RADIATIONS
STAR ACCRETION
STAR EVOLUTION
STAR MODELS
STARS
STELLAR RADIATION
T TAURI STARS
VARIABLE STARS
VISIBLE RADIATION