The Effective Temperatures of a and B Stars

Abstract

Continuous energy distributions and Balmer discontinuities of A and B stars have been measured with a spectrum scanner and reduced to absolute fluxes using the new calibration of Vega by Hayes. Fits to theoretical model fluxes now give good agreement between effective temperatures determined from the Balmer jump and from the continuum. The temperature scale so determined is also consistent with that derived from the interferometric measurements of stellar radii by Brown et al. The new scale used with blanketed model atmospheres also reduces the discrepancy between observed and predicted far-ultraviolet fluxes. I. INTRODUCTIO