Intrinsic properties of the young stellar object SU Aurigae

Intensive long-term photometric observations of the archetypical young G2 IIIe stellar object SU Aurigae are analyzed to determine many of its photometric and physical properties. Combining nearly 2000 Stromgren uvby measures obtained using the 0.8 m Four College Automatic Photoelectric Telescope, previously published photometry, and recently obtained high-resolution echelle spectra has led to the determination of its effective temperature, surface gravity, luminosity, mass, age, rotation period, and absolute radius. Since the disk of SU Aur is seen at a high inclination angle (i.e., nearly edge-on), this complicates the observations with significant (DeltaV approximate to Deltay less than or similar to 0.80 mag), and apparently random, drops in observed mean light. These are possibly due to the transits of protoplanetary bodies, protocomets, or associated accretion halos. In this study, an effort has been made to separate the contributions of the circumstellar disk from the intrinsic properties of the stellar core itself. Furthermore, photometry has been simultaneously obtained for the nearby young A0 Vpe stellar companion AB Aurigae. Analysis has shown that SU Aur and AB Aur are a coeval proper-motion pair. Also included are certain photometric and physical properties of AB Aur.