HST Low Resolution Stellar Library

Abstract

Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) targeted 556 stars in a long-running program called Next Generation Spectral Library (NGSL) via proposals GO9088, GO9786, GO10222, and GO13776. Exposures through three low resolution gratings provide wavelength coverage from 0.2 < λ < 1 µm at λ/∆λ ∼ 1000, providing unique coverage in the ultraviolet (UV). The UV grating (G230LB) scatters red light and this results in unwanted flux that becomes especially troubling for cool stars. We applied scattered light corrections based on Worthey et al. (2022a) and flux corrections arising from pointing errors relative to the center of the 0. 2 slit. We present 514 fully reduced spectra, fluxed, dereddened, and cross-correlated to zero velocity. Because of the broad spectral range, we can simultaneously study Hα and Mg II λ2800, indicators of chromospheric activity. Their behaviors are decoupled. Besides three cool dwarfs and one giant with mild flares in Hα, only Be stars show strong Hα emission. Mg2800 emission, however, strongly anti-correlates with temperature such that warm stars show absorption and stars cooler than 5000K universally show chromospheric emission regardless of dwarf/giant status or metallicity. Transformed to Mg2800 flux emerging from the stellar surface, we find a correlation with temperature with approximately symmetric astrophysical scatter, in contrast to other workers who find a basal level with asymmetric scatter to strong values. Unsurprisingly, we confirm that Mg2800 activity is variable.