# Model atmosphere calibration for synthetic photometry applications : the 𝑢⁢𝑣⁢𝑏⁢𝑦 Strömgren photometric system

## 1. Introduction

Since predictions based on stellar-atmosphere models are useful for “Spectro-photometric dating of stars and galaxies”, main subject of this conference, we present some of the results obtained from an empirically calibrated grid of stellar atmosphere models for simultaneously deriving homogeneous effective temperatures and metallicities of 40 stars from observed data.

## 2. BaSeL models

We use the Basel Stellar Library (BaSeL) photometric calibrations, extensively tested and regularly updated for a larger set of parameters (see Lejeune et al. 1997, 1998 and Lastennet et al. 1999). The BaSeL models cover a large range of fundamental parameters: 2000 K $``$ $`T_{\mathrm{eff}}`$ $``$ 50,000 K, $``$1.02 $``$ $`\mathrm{log}g`$ $``$ 5.5, and $``$5.0 $``$ \[Fe/H\] $``$ +1.0. This library combines theoretical stellar energy distributions which are based on several original grids of blanketed model atmospheres, and which have been corrected in such a way as to provide synthetic colours consistent with extant empirical calibrations at all wavelengths from the near-UV through the far-IR. For more details and references on the BaSeL library, see contributions of Lejeune et al., Lastennet et al. and Westera et al. in this volume.

## 3. Comparison with Hipparcos parallax

Very recently, Ribas et al. (1998) have computed the effective temperatures of 19 eclipsing binaries included in the Hipparcos catalogue from their radii, Hipparcos trigonometric parallaxes, and apparent visual magnitudes corrected for absorption. They used Flower’s (1996) calibration to derive bolometric corrections. Only 8 systems are in common with our working sample. The comparison with our results is made in Table 1. The $`T_{\mathrm{eff}}`$ being highly related with metallicity, a direct comparison is not possible because, unlike the Hipparcos-derived data, our results are not given in terms of temperatures with error bars, but as ranges of $`T_{\mathrm{eff}}`$ compatible with a given \[Fe/H\]. Thus, the ranges reported in Tab. 1 are given assuming three different hypotheses: \[Fe/H\]$`=`$0.2, \[Fe/H\] $`=`$ 0, and \[Fe/H\] $`=`$ 0.2. The overall agreement is quite satisfactory, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The disagreement for the temperatures of CW Cephei can be explained by the large error of the Hipparcos parallax ($`\sigma `$<sub>π</sub>/$`\pi `$ $``$70%). For such large errors, the Lutz-Kelker correction (Lutz & Kelker 1973) cannot be neglected: the average distance is certainly underestimated and, as a consequence, the $`T_{\mathrm{eff}}`$ is also underestimated in Ribas et al.’s (1998) calculation. Thus, the agreement with the results obtained from the BaSeL models is certainly better than it would appear in Fig. 1 and Tab. 1. Similar corrections, of slightly lesser extent, are probably also indicated for the $`T_{\mathrm{eff}}`$ of RZ Cha and GG Lup, which have $`\sigma `$<sub>π</sub>/$`\pi >`$ 10% (11.6% and 11.4%, respectively). Finally, it is worth noting that the system with the smallest relative error in Tab. 1, $`\beta `$ Aur, shows excellent agreement between $`T_{\mathrm{eff}}`$ (Hipparcos) and $`T_{\mathrm{eff}}`$ (BaSeL), which underlines the validity of the BaSeL models.

## 4. Brief summary of the results

* The large range of \[Fe/H\] associated with acceptable confidence levels makes it evident that the classical method to derive $`T_{\mathrm{eff}}`$ from metallicity-independent calibrations should be considered with caution.
* By exploring the best $`\chi ^2`$-fits to the photometric data, we have re-derived new reddening values for some stars.
* Comparisons for 16 stars with Hipparcos-based $`T_{\mathrm{eff}}`$ determinations show good agreement with the temperatures derived from the BaSeL models. The agreement is even excellent for the star having the most reliable Hipparcos data in the sample studied.

See Lastennet et al. 1999 for details about the method, the determination of reddening, the influence of gravity, etc…   
These comparisons also demonstrate that, while originally calibrated in order to reproduce the broad-band (UBVRIJHKL) colours, the BaSeL models also provide reliable results for medium-band photometry such as the Strömgren photometry. This point gives a significant weight to the validity of the BaSeL library for synthetic photometry applications in general.

### Acknowledgments.

T. L. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant 20-53660.98 to Prof. Buser), and from the “Société Suisse d’Astronomie et d’Astrophysique” (SSAA). We are grateful to the organisers for arranging such an enjoyable meeting.

## References

Flower, P.J. 1996, ApJ, 469, 355

Lastennet, E., Lejeune, Th., Westera, P, Buser, R. 1999, A&A, 341, 857

Lejeune, Th., Cuisinier, F., Buser, R. 1997, A&AS, 125, 229

Lejeune, Th., Cuisinier, F., Buser, R. 1998, A&AS, 130, 65

Lutz, T.E., Kelker, D.H. 1973, PASP, 85, 573

Ribas, I., Giménez, A., Torra, J., Jordi, C., Oblak, E. 1998, A&A, 330, 600