Poster Abstracts

Name/Affiliation:  Suzan Edwards (Smith College)

Title:  Permitted Emission Line Profiles in T Tauri Stars

Abstract:
Permitted Emission lines in Classical T Tauri stars often have complex kinematic features that suggest a composite origin. We have begun a line profile analysis for 18 classical T Tauri stars based on simultaneous HIRES and NIRSPEC spectra with the goal of identifying kinematic components in different lines and comparing their line ratios to the local line excitation models of Kwan and Fischer (2011). Decomposition of permitted lines in T Tauri stars into broad and narrow components has been a recognized approach since Hamann and Persson (1992). To date, we have decomposed lines of the Paschen series, Ca II infrared triplet, He I 5876 and OI 8446 into multiple Gaussian components. While some lines have simple Gaussian shapes, others require up to three components to describe the observed profiles. We identify commonalities among these three lines and use ratios of similar kinematic components to explore physical conditions in the line-forming region.