Spitzer Space Telescope - General Observer Proposal #30896


A Multi-Epoch IRS Accretion Variability Study of Actively Accreting T
Tauri Stars

Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Bary
           Institution: University of Virginia

Co-Investigators: 
Michael Skrutskie, University of Virginia                             
Dawn Peterson, University of Virginia                                 

Science Category: star formation 
 Observing Modes: IrsStare 
  Hours Approved: 7.7 

Abstract:
We propose to use Spitzer and IRS in SL1 and SL2 modes to continue a
short-/long-term survey of actively accreting T Tauri stars.  These
observations will be combined with observations taken during and
currently scheduled in Cycle 2 and coordinated with an on-going
near-infrared spectroscopic survey of the same sources.  We hope to
characterize the time dependence and nature of accretion variability
in these sources and determine if a correlation exists between inner
and outer disk accretion activity.  We expect the accretion
variability to manifest itself as fluctuations in the shapes of the
near-IR and mid-IR spectral energy distributions as well as
variataions in the line strength and shapes of accretion-related
emission line features.