A database of high and medium-resolution stellar spectra

We present a database of 908 spectra of 709 stars obtained with the ELODIE spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence. 52 orders of the echell e spectra have been carefully fitted together to provide continuous, high-r esolution spectra in the wavelength range lambda lambda = 410-680 nm. The a rchive provides a large coverage of the space of atmospheric parameters: T- eff from 3700 K to 13 600 K, log g from 0.03 to 5.86 and [Fe/H] from -2.8 t o +0.7. At the nominal resolution. R = -42 000, the mean signal-to-noise ra tio is 150 per pixel. The spectra given at this resolution are normalized t o their pseudo-continuum and are intended to serve for abundance studies, s pectral classification and tests of stellar atmosphere models. A lower reso lution version of the archive, at R = 10 000, is calibrated in physical flu x with a broad-band photometric precision of 2.5% and narrow-band precision of 0.5%. It is well suited to stellar population synthesis of galaxies and clusters, and to kinematical investigations of stellar systems. The archiv e is distributed in FITS format through the HYPERCAT and CDS databases.