An IUE Atlas of Pre–Main‐Sequence Stars. III. Co‐added Final Archive Spectra from the Long‐Wavelength Cameras

Abstract

We identified 137 T Tauri stars (TTS) and 97 Herbig Ae/Be (HAEBE) stars observed by IUE in the wavelength interval 1900-3200 A. Each low-resolution (R ~ 6 A) spectrum was visually inspected for source contamination and data quality, and then all usable spectra were combined to form a single time averaged spectrum for each star. For sources with multiple observations, we characterized variability and compared with previously published amplitudes at shorter wavelengths. We combined several co-added spectra of diskless TTS to produce a pair of intrinsic stellar spectra unaffected by accretion. We then fitted spectra of TTS with the reddened sum of an intrinsic spectrum and a schematic veiling continuum, measuring emission line fluxes from the residuals. We used extinction and distance estimates from the literature to convert measured Mg II line fluxes into intrinsic line luminosities, noting that the IUE detection limit introduces a sample bias such that intrinsic line luminosity is correlated with extinction. This sample bias complicates any physical interpretation of TTS intrinsic luminosities. We measured extinction toward HAEBE stars by fitting our co-added IUE spectra with reddened spectra of main-sequence stars and also from V band minus 3000 A color excess. We measured excess line emission and absorption in spectra of HAEBE stars divided by fitted spectra of main-sequence stars, noting that HAEBE stars with an infrared excess indicating circumstellar material typically also have anomalous UV line strengths. In the latter situation, Mg II is usually shallower than in a main-sequence star of the same spectral class, whereas Fe II lines are equally likely to be deeper or shallower. Our co-added spectra of TTS, HAEBE stars, and main-sequence templates are available electronically.