Spectroscopic Detection of a Stellar-like Photosphere in an Accreting Protostar

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We present the first spectrum of a highly veiled, strongly accreting protostar which shows photospheric absorption features and demonstrates the stellar nature of its central core. We find the spectrum of the luminous (Lbol = 10 Lₛun) protostellar source, YLW 15, to be stellar-like with numerous atomic and molecular absorption features, indicative of a K5 IV/V spectral type and a continuum veiling rₖ = 3.0. Its derived stellar luminosity (3 Lₛun) and stellar radius (3.1 Rₛun) are consistent with those of a 0.5 Mₛun pre-main-sequence star. However, 70% of its bolometric luminosity is due to mass accretion, whose rate we estimate to be 1.6 E-6 Mₛun / yr onto the protostellar core. We determine that excess infrared emission produced by the circumstellar accretion disk, the inner infalling envelope, and accretion shocks at the surface of the stellar core of YLW 15 all contribute signifi- cantly to its near-IR continuum veiling. Its projected rotation velocity v sin i = 50 km / s is comparable to those of flat-spectrum protostars but considerably higher than those of classical T Tauri stars in the rho Oph cloud. The protostar may be magnetically coupled to its circumstellar disk at a radius of 2 R*. It is also plausible that this protostar can shed over half its angular momentum and evolve into a more slowly rotating classical T Tauri star by remaining coupled to its circumstellar disk (at increasing radius) as its accretion rate drops by an order of magnitude during the rapid transition between the Class I and Class II phases of evolution. The spectrum of WL 6 does not show any photospheric absorption features, and we estimate that its continuum veiling is rₖ >= 4.6. Together with its low bolometric luminosity (2 Lₛun), this dictates that its central core is very low mass, 0.1 Mₛun.