THE BETA-PICTORIS PHENOMENON AMONG HERBIG AE BE STARS - UV AND OPTICAL HIGH DISPERSION SPECTRA/

We present a survey of high dispersion UV and optical spectra of Herbi g Ae/Be (HAeBe) and related stars. We find accreting, circumstellar ga s over the velocity range +100 to +400 km s(-1), and absorption profil es similar to those seen toward beta Pie, in 36% of the 33 HAeBe stars with IUE data as well as in 3 non-emission B stars. We also find evid ence of accretion in 7 HAeBe stars with optical data only. Line profil e variability appears ubiquitous. As a group, the stars with accreting gas signatures have higher v sin i than the stars with outflowing mat erial, and tend to exhibit large amplitude (greater than or equal to 1 (m)) optical light variations. All of the program stars with polarimet ric variations that are anti-correlated with the optical light, previo usly interpreted as the signature of a dust disk viewed close to equat or-on, also show spectral signatures of accreting gas. These data impl y that accretion activity in HAeBe stars is preferentially observed wh en the Line of sight transits the circumstellar dust disk. Our data im ply that the spectroscopic signatures of accreting circumstellar mater ial seen in beta Pic are not unique to that object, but instead are co nsistent with interpretation of beta Pic as a comparatively young A st ar with its associated circumstellar disk.