Ultraviolet Emission from Protostellar Accretion Disks

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

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Hst Proposal Id #9812 Star Formation

Scientific paper

We propose to obtain ACS/prism observations of the UV continuum emitted by protostellar accretion disks. By combining the ACS data with simultaneous ground-based optical spectra and near-IR photometry, we will be able to observe the entire spectral energy distribution of the young stars and their disks from 1800A to 3.5um. The combined data set will solve the long-standing problem of degeneracy between reddening, spectral type, and excess emission in the analysis of such spectra by allowing us to measure reddenings directly from the 2175A bump, bolometric corrections from the UV continuum, and effective temperatures from the optical spectra. With this information in hand it will be possible for the first time to quantify the mass accretion rates, stellar radii, masses, and ages without the systematic uncertainties that have plagued previous efforts. The new data will probe the physical conditions that exist where material from the disk falls onto the star, such as filling factors, temperatures, and optical depths. We will also be able to place heavily veiled stars unambiguously in HR diagram for first time to see if these stars are on average younger than their more slowly accreting counterparts, and test whether or not the Mg II 2800A doublet traces jets close to their stars. The proposed observations will yield the first simultaneous coverage over all the principal wavelengths that these accretion disks emit; a true multiwavelength approach is the only way to clarify what goes on in accretion/outflow systems, a process common throughout astrophysics.

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