THE EFFECTIVE TEMPERATURES OF AM STARS FROM THE INFRARED FLUX METHOD

The Blackwell and Shallis infrared flux method (IRFM) is applied to th e determination of effective temperatures of metallic-line (Am) stars. Since many Am stars are metal-rich spectroscopic binaries, the effect s of metal abundance and binary companions on the IRFM are discussed. A modification to the IRFM is presented which allows explicitly for th e effects of a companion star. This new method is applied to the deter mination of T-eff for the classical Am star 63 Tau. After making due a llowance for the effects of the companion, the IRFM gives a T-eff in g ood agreement with that obtained using other techniques.