Ng. Beskrovnaya et al., SHORT-TERM SPECTRAL AND POLARIMETRIC VARIABILITY IN THE HERBIG AE STAR AB AURIGAE AS AN INDICATOR OF THE CIRCUMSTELLAR INHOMOGENEITY, Astronomy and astrophysics, 298(2), 1995, pp. 585-593
We present the results of the simultaneous spectral and polarimetric i
nvestigation of AB Aur - the Ae Herbig star from the ''PCyg'' subclass
. About 150 high-resolution CCD spectra in the region of H alpha and m
ore than 100 UBVRI measurements of the linear polarization were obtain
ed at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory during two seasons in 1993
and 1994. Additional polarimetric observations in the B-band were car
ried out at the Special Astrophysical Observatory (Northern Caucasus).
A strong variability of the H alpha PCyg-type profile is analyzed on
a timescale from hours to months. It is shown to be connected with cir
cumstellar inhomogeneities moving in the envelope. The existence of a
strong long-lived stream is supposed on the basis of joint spectral an
d polarimetric data in January 4-10, 1994.