ABYSS. II. Identification of Young Stars in Optical SDSS Spectra and Their Properties

• Published in: The Astronomical journal 2024-03, Vol.167 (3), p.125
• Main Authors: Saad, Serat, Lane, Kaitlyn, Kounkel, Marina, Stassun, Keivan G., López-Valdivia, Ricardo, Kim, Jinyoung Serena, Peña Ramírez, Karla, Stringfellow, Guy S., Román-Zúñiga, Carlos G., Hernández, Jesús, Wolk, Scott J., Hillenbrand, Lynne A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Emission; Emission line stars; Emissions; H lines; Line spectra; Optical properties; Stars; Stellar spectra; Stellar spectral lines; Surveys; Young stellar objects; Youth
• ISSN: 0004-6256; 1538-3881
• DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad2001

We developed a tool that measures equivalent widths of various lines in low-resolution optical spectra, and it was applied to stellar spectra obtained as part of SDSS-V and LAMOST programs. These lines, such as Li i, which directly indicates stellar youth, or optical H i and Ca ii, which in emission indicate activity associated with stellar youth, are commonly seen in YSOs. We observe several notable differences in the properties of these lines between YSOs and the field stars. Using these data, we devise a set of criteria through which it is possible to confirm the youth of stars that have been observed by the ABYSS program, as well as to identify likely young stars that have serendipitously been observed by other programs. We examine the decrement of H lines seen in emission in CTTSs, and estimate the properties of the accretion stream that is responsible for the production of these lines. Finally, we examine the evolution of Li i as a function of age, and characterize the scatter in its abundance that appears to be intrinsic in young M dwarfs.