Abstract

Studying interstellar gas requires differentiating spectroscopic features of stars from those of intervening clouds. To accomplish this end, the characteristic broadening of a star’s absorption lines due to rotation must be determined. Stellar spectra stored in the University of Chicago’s DIB (Diffuse Interstellar Band) Database were studied using Richard Gray’s SPECTURM software in combination with simulated models from the Kurucz Grids of ATLAS9 Model atmospheres. The observed line profiles were modeled using a combination of broadening components from mixing processes within the stellar atmosphere as well as a projected rotational velocity, v sin i.

            All together, measurements of v sin i values were made of 47 different stars without prior measurements. In several instances, complicating factors such as atmospheric instability or chemical abundance peculiarities caused v sin i measurements to be less accurate, or unattainable. Nonetheless, the values found through this research have been added to the DIB Database to further research within the field of astronomy.