REVIEW 3 major objections 5 minor 42 references
ABYSS III: Observing accretion activity in young stars through empirical veiling measurements
T0 review · 3 major / 5 minor · reviewed 2026-08-07 · deepseek-v4-flash
Pith's one-line read Empirical veiling in Classical T Tauri stars is wavelength-dependent, with a UV rise, a mid-optical peak, and a red-end rise, and it correlates with H-alpha emission strength.
desk verdict First large-sample empirical veiling–wavelength profiles for CTTSs, worth reviewing, but the WTTS zero-point subtraction is load-bearing and needs stronger justification. read the letter →
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
The reading
What carries the argument
Veiling is measured empirically by comparing each extinction-corrected BOSS spectrum with a PHOENIX synthetic template: the spectrum is divided into 1000 Å wavelength bins stepped by 100 Å, and a least-squares fit solves for the additive excess $r_{\lambda}$ that best reproduces the observed line depths under the definition $F_{\mathrm{source},\lambda} = F_{\mathrm{phot},\lambda} + r_{\lambda}/(1+r_{\lambda})$. Because weak-line T Tauri stars should have no accretion veiling, their measured veiling is treated as a systematic zero point, binned in effective temperature, and subtracted from the Classical T Tauri veiling. An injection-recovery test, in which continuum of known strength is added to WTTS spectra and recovered through the same pipeline, is used to validate that the measurement procedure returns the veiling that was put in.
What would settle it
Measure veiling for the same Classical T Tauri stars on the same nights with high-resolution optical spectra fitted by a full model that includes spots, and compare the inferred $r_{\lambda}$ profile with the BOSS-derived profile; if the ultraviolet rise, the 6000–7000 Å peak, or the red-end rise does not reproduce, the empirical profile is dominated by template or spot systematics.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
The central claim is that empirical veiling in Classical T Tauri stars varies with wavelength in a reproducible three-feature pattern across 3600–10400 Å, visible in the sample-averaged profiles and stable across temperature bins. The ultraviolet rise is attributed to small, very hot spots where accretion columns shock onto the stellar surface; the stronger mid-optical peak near 6000–7000 Å is attributed to larger, cooler emitting regions; and the red-end rise from 8500 to 10000 Å is tentatively attributed to photospheric spots or noise rather than to accretion. The paper further claims that veiling increases monotonically with H-alpha emission strength, that this trend holds across effective temperature ranges, and that veiling shows no clear dependence on age because disk dissipation is stochastic.
Load-bearing premise
The argument assumes that veiling measured in weak-line T Tauri stars is purely systematic and identical for Classical and weak-line T Tauri stars of the same effective temperature, so subtracting it removes bias rather than real accretion-related differences.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- Veiling must be treated as wavelength dependent in Classical T Tauri star studies; a single scaling factor hides the three-feature structure and will bias any derived photospheric parameters.
- H-alpha equivalent width is a working proxy for accretion strength: more negative equivalent widths correspond to higher veiling across the sampled effective temperature ranges.
- The mid-optical veiling peak indicates emission from large, relatively cool regions on the stellar surface, while the ultraviolet rise indicates compact, hot accretion shock spots nested within them.
- The red-end veiling rise is most likely not accretion related and should not be used as an accretion tracer in this wavelength range.
- Age alone does not predict veiling; disk dissipation is probabilistic, so some older stars keep strong accretion while some young stars are already quiescent.
Reading between the lines
- Editorial inference: if the measured profile is real, fitting Classical T Tauri spectra with constant veiling will systematically bias effective temperature and surface gravity estimates; a two-component hot-plus-cool spot veiling law would likely improve parameter recovery.
- Editorial inference: the red-end veiling rise implies that mass accretion rates derived from red or near-infrared veiling alone could be overestimated, a prediction that independent near-infrared veiling measurements could test.
- Editorial inference: a direct test of the WTTS subtraction assumption would be to observe spotted weak-line T Tauri stars over a full rotation; if their systematic veiling changes with spot coverage, the subtraction can distort the accreting-star profiles.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. This paper presents empirical veiling measurements for ~1800 classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) and ~35,000 weak-line T Tauri stars (WTTSs) using SDSS-V/BOSS spectra. The authors fit PHOENIX synthetic spectra to extinction-corrected spectra in 1000 Å-wide bins stepped by 100 Å to derive wavelength-dependent veiling, then subtract the average WTTS veiling per Teff bin as a systematic zero-point correction. They report three characteristic features in the corrected CTTS veiling (a blue rise from 3700 Å, a mid-optical peak near 6000–7000 Å, and a red rise from 8500 Å), a correlation between veiling and Hα equivalent width, no strong Teff dependence, and no clear age trend. The paper also compares two sources with previous studies (Ingleby et al. 2013; ULLYSES) and tests the pipeline by injecting artificial veiling into WTTS spectra.
Significance. If the measured profiles are accurate, this is a valuable large-sample empirical characterization of wavelength-dependent veiling in CTTSs, directly relevant to accretion shock models. The injection-recovery test (Figure 7) provides a useful sanity check on the pipeline, and the homogeneous treatment of a large sample is a strength. However, the central result depends on the assumption that WTTS veiling is purely systematic and transferable to CTTSs, which is not demonstrated; and the significance of the reported spectral features is not quantifiable from the presented figures because uncertainties are not propagated into the mean veiling profiles.
major comments (3)
- [Section 3.3, Figure 7] The zero-point subtraction assumes that the WTTS veiling is entirely systematic (spots, template mismatch, continuum errors) and identical for CTTSs and WTTSs at the same Teff. The manuscript itself attributes WTTS veiling partly to spots, and later attributes the red-end rise in CTTSs to photospheric spots (Section 5.1). If spot properties or template mismatch differ between accreting and non-accreting stars, the subtraction will bias the corrected veiling and the inferred wavelength dependence. The injection-recovery test only shows that known continuum added to WTTS spectra is recovered; it does not test whether the WTTS zero-point applies to CTTSs. Please provide additional validation that the systematic component is the same for both populations, or propagate this uncertainty into the corrected veiling values and the final results.
- [Figures 9 and 10] The average veiling profiles are plotted without any propagated uncertainties or confidence bands, despite the text stating that weighted means were computed using the veiling uncertainties as weights. Moreover, the wavelength bins are 1000 Å wide with 100 Å steps, so adjacent measurements are strongly correlated. Without error bars and an account of bin-to-bin correlation, the significance of the 'three distinct peaks' (the blue rise, mid-optical peak, and red rise) cannot be assessed. Please include uncertainties on the mean profiles and quantify the correlation, or state the effective number of independent wavelength points.
- [Section 5.3 and Conclusions] The Results and Discussion (Section 5.3) state that veiling shows no clear dependence on Teff, yet the Conclusions say 'we found veiling to be related to both Hα eqw and Teff' and 'some of the features in veiling were found to be more prominent in some Teff ranges.' These statements are inconsistent. Please reconcile the summary with the analysis and clarify which Teff trends are actually supported by the data shown in Figures 9 and 10.
minor comments (5)
- [Equation (1)] Equation (1) appears malformed: 'Fsource,λ = Fphot,λ + rλ (1 + rλ)' is missing a fraction or operator, making it impossible to read the intended veiling definition. Please check the typesetting.
- [Section 3.2] The description of the wavelength binning says '1000 Å wide with advancing in steps of 100 Å'; please state explicitly how many independent wavelength measurements result from this heavily overlapping binning and why this choice was made rather than non-overlapping bins.
- [Figure captions] Several figure captions contain garbled symbols (e.g., 'H® eqw', 'Te®', 'Wavelength(ºA)') and should be corrected in the final version.
- [Conclusions, Section 4.2] The statement that 'the peak of the veiling in mid-optical region shifts towards redder wavelengths for lower eqw values' appears only in the Conclusions; if this is a result, it should be shown in a figure or quantified in Section 4.2.
- [Section 4.1] The comparison with 'Pittman et al. 2025, in prep' is cited as a private communication; please update this to a public reference if available, or remove it if the comparison cannot be verified by readers.
Circularity Check
No significant circularity found; veiling is measured independently of Hα, and the WTTS subtraction is an empirical zero-point calibration rather than a definitional or self-citational reduction.
full rationale
The central derivation chain is self-contained. Veiling is measured bin-by-bin by least-squares matching of extinction-corrected BOSS spectra to PHOENIX templates (Section 3.2), with no parameter fitted to the Hα equivalent width or to the headline wavelength features. The Hα-veiling correlation (Section 4.2, Figure 9) is therefore not a fit renamed as a prediction; Hα eqw comes from a separate line measurement, and the sample is not constructed so that veiling and Hα are algebraically linked. The WTTS subtraction (Section 3.3) is a zero-point calibration: the authors explicitly treat WTTS veiling as systematics from spots and template mismatch, and their injection-recovery test (Figure 7) checks the pipeline. Even if the assumption that WTTS systematics transfer to CTTSs is physically uncertain, that is a bias and validity concern, not circularity, because the corrected CTTS profile is not equal to the subtracted quantity by construction. Self-citations to Saad et al. (2024), Kounkel et al. (2023), Sizemore et al. (2024), and McBride et al. (2021) are tool citations for sample identification, stellar parameters, and ages; none is invoked as a uniqueness theorem or as proof of the veiling result. The paper also flags its own limitations, including noisier spectra at long wavelengths (Section 5.1) and ambiguity in non-contemporaneous comparisons (Section 4.1); these are acknowledged caveats, not circular steps.
Assumptions & free parameters
free parameters (1)
- Extinction AV per source =
0.5 to 3.0 mag depending on source
assumptions (5)
- domain assumption PHOENIX synthetic spectra at [Fe/H]=0 and [alpha/Fe]=0 accurately represent the photospheres of the young stars in the sample.
- domain assumption The G23 extinction model correctly describes the wavelength dependence of extinction toward each source.
- ad hoc to paper WTTS veiling is entirely systematic and can be subtracted from CTTS veiling at the same Teff.
- domain assumption Halpha equivalent width is a reliable tracer of accretion activity and the CTTS/WTTS classification is accurate.
- domain assumption Sagitta-derived ages are accurate enough to detect a veiling-age trend if one exists.
Cite this review
Pith. "Pith review of ABYSS III: Observing accretion activity in young stars through empirical veiling measurements." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/BY2VYWWQ
@misc{pith2026250609826,
author = {Pith},
title = {Pith review of: ABYSS III: Observing accretion activity in young stars through empirical veiling measurements},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/BY2VYWWQ}},
note = {Machine review of arXiv:2506.09826}
}
abstract
Stellar accretion plays an important role in the early stages of stellar evolution, particularly in Classical T Tauri Stars (CTTSs). Accretion of a CTTS can be related to different physical parameters such as effective temperature (T$_{\text{eff}}$), age, abundance of hydrogen, etc. We can infer how accretion works by examining it across different wavelength regions. Accretion can be traced using veiling, a parameter that measures how excess emission from accretion affects the photospheric spectrum of CTTS. In this study, we selected a sample of CTTSs, Weak-line T Tauri Stars (WTTSs), and field stars, observed as a part of the SDSS-V Milky Way Mapper using the BOSS spectrograph. We measured veiling for CTTSs through comparing them to theoretical spectra. Next, we assessed the effect of veiling on different stellar properties, including wavelength, H$\alpha$ emission, effective temperature, and age. We investigated how veiling changes with these parameters and what the physical reasons behind the changes can be. Finally, we evaluated how our findings align with existing accretion shock models. This study highlights veiling as a critical diagnostic tool for understanding accretion in young stars.
Figures
Figures from the paper (7 more)
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
Alcal´ a, J. M., Manara, C. F., Natta, A., et al. 2017, A&A, 600, A20, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201629929 Astropy Collaboration, Price-Whelan, A. M., Lim, P. L., et al. 2022, ApJ, 935, 167, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac7c74
-
[2]
1990, ApJ, 363, 654, doi: 10.1086/169374
Basri, G., & Batalha, C. 1990, ApJ, 363, 654, doi: 10.1086/169374
doi:10.1086/169374 1990
-
[3]
1989, ARA&A, 27, 351, doi: 10.1146/annurev.aa.27.090189.002031 12
Bertout, C. 1989, ARA&A, 27, 351, doi: 10.1146/annurev.aa.27.090189.002031 12
-
[4]
2008, A&A, 478, 155, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361:20078328
Bouvier, J. 2008, A&A, 478, 155, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361:20078328
-
[5]
Bowen, I. S., & Vaughan, A. H., J. 1973, ApOpt, 12, 1430, doi: 10.1364/AO.12.001430 Brice˜ no, C., Calvet, N., Hern´ andez, J., et al. 2019, AJ, 157, 85, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/aaf79b
-
[6]
1998, ApJ, 509, 802, doi: 10.1086/306527
Calvet, N., & Gullbring, E. 1998, ApJ, 509, 802, doi: 10.1086/306527
doi:10.1086/306527 1998
-
[7]
Espaillat, C. C., Herczeg, G. J., Thanathibodee, T., et al. 2022, AJ, 163, 114, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ac479d
-
[8]
J., Hillenbrand, L
Fischer, W. J., Hillenbrand, L. A., Herczeg, G. J., et al. 2023, in Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference
2023
Show all 42 references
- [9]
-
[10]
F., Walter, F
Gahm, G. F., Walter, F. M., Stempels, H. C., Petrov, P. P., & Herczeg, G. J. 2008, A&A, 482, L35, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361:200809488
2008 doi
-
[11]
2024, The Journal of Open Source Software, 9, 7023, doi: 10.21105/joss.07023
Gordon, K. 2024, The Journal of Open Source Software, 9, 7023, doi: 10.21105/joss.07023
2024 doi
-
[12]
1998, ApJ, 492, 323, doi: 10.1086/305032
Gullbring, E., Hartmann, L., Brice˜ no, C., & Calvet, N. 1998, ApJ, 492, 323, doi: 10.1086/305032
1998 doi
-
[13]
E., Siegmund, W
Gunn, J. E., Siegmund, W. A., Mannery, E. J., et al. 2006, AJ, 131, 2332, doi: 10.1086/500975
2006 doi
-
[14]
1994, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, Vol
Hartigan, P., Edwards, S., & Ghandour, L. 1994, in American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, Vol. 185, American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, 48.15
1994
-
[15]
2016, ARA&A, 54, 135, doi: 10.1146/annurev-astro-081915-023347
Hartmann, L., Herczeg, G., & Calvet, N. 2016, ARA&A, 54, 135, doi: 10.1146/annurev-astro-081915-023347
2016 doi
-
[16]
J., Chen, Y., Donati, J.-F., et al
Herczeg, G. J., Chen, Y., Donati, J.-F., et al. 2023, ApJ, 956, 102, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/acf468
2023 doi
-
[17]
2013, A&A, 553, A6, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201219058
Husser, T.-O., Wende-von Berg, S., Dreizler, S., et al. 2013, A&A, 553, A6, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201219058
2013 doi
-
[18]
2014, ApJ, 790, 47, doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/790/1/47
Ingleby, L., Calvet, N., Hern´ andez, J., et al. 2014, ApJ, 790, 47, doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/790/1/47
2014 doi
-
[19]
2013, ApJ, 767, 112, doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/767/2/112
Ingleby, L., Calvet, N., Herczeg, G., et al. 2013, ApJ, 767, 112, doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/767/2/112
2013 doi
-
[20]
D., Jackson, R
Jeffries, R. D., Jackson, R. J., Franciosini, E., et al. 2017, MNRAS, 464, 1456, doi: 10.1093/mnras/stw2458
2017 doi
-
[21]
Joy, A. H. 1949, ApJ, 110, 424
1949
-
[22]
2021, ApJ, 922, 27, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac1dae
Kidder, B., Mace, G., L´ opez-Valdivia, R., et al. 2021, ApJ, 922, 27, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac1dae
2021 doi
-
[23]
2023, mkounkel/SEDFit: 0.3, 0.3, Zenodo, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.8076501
Kounkel, M. 2023, mkounkel/SEDFit: 0.3, 0.3, Zenodo, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.8076501
2023 doi
-
[24]
2023, ApJS, 266, 10, doi: 10.3847/1538-4365/acc106
Kounkel, M., Zari, E., Covey, K., et al. 2023, ApJS, 266, 10, doi: 10.3847/1538-4365/acc106
2023 doi
-
[25]
2023, LineForest, 1.0, Zenodo, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10279307
Kounkel, M., Saad, S., Lane, K., et al. 2023, LineForest, 1.0, Zenodo, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10279307
2023 doi
-
[26]
F., Testi, L., Natta, A., et al
Manara, C. F., Testi, L., Natta, A., et al. 2014, A&A, 568, A18, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201323318
2014 doi
-
[27]
2021, AJ, 162, 282, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ac2432
Hutchinson, B. 2021, AJ, 162, 282, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ac2432
2021 doi
-
[28]
Morbidelli, A., & Raymond, S. N. 2016, Journal of Geophysical Research (Planets), 121, 1962, doi: 10.1002/2016JE005088
2016 doi
-
[29]
2003, ApJ, 592, 266, doi: 10.1086/375704
Hartmann, L. 2003, ApJ, 592, 266, doi: 10.1086/375704
2003 doi
-
[30]
V., Espaillat, C
Pittman, C. V., Espaillat, C. C., Robinson, C. E., et al. 2022, AJ, 164, 201, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ac898d
2022 doi
-
[31]
E., & Espaillat, C
Robinson, C. E., & Espaillat, C. C. 2019, ApJ, 874, 129, doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ab0d8d
2019 doi
-
[32]
Lovelace, R. V. E. 2002, ApJ, 578, 420, doi: 10.1086/342464
2002 doi
-
[33]
2024, AJ, 167, 125, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad2001
Saad, S., Lane, K., Kounkel, M., et al. 2024, AJ, 167, 125, doi: 10.3847/1538-3881/ad2001
2024 doi
-
[34]
1994, ApJ, 429, 781, doi: 10.1086/174363
Shu, F., Najita, J., Ostriker, E., et al. 1994, ApJ, 429, 781, doi: 10.1086/174363
1994 doi
-
[35]
2024, hutchresearch/BOSSNet: BOSS Net v1.0.0, 1.0.0, Zenodo, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10453135
Sizemore, L. 2024, hutchresearch/BOSSNet: BOSS Net v1.0.0, 1.0.0, Zenodo, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.10453135
2024 doi
- [36]
-
[37]
A., Gunn, J
Smee, S. A., Gunn, J. E., Uomoto, A., et al. 2013, AJ, 146, 32, doi: 10.1088/0004-6256/146/2/32
2013 doi
-
[38]
Ray, T. P. 2022, A&A, 668, A94, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202244315
2022 doi
-
[39]
E., Edwards, S., & Skrutskie, M
Strom, S. E., Edwards, S., & Skrutskie, M. F. 1993, in Protostars and Planets III, ed. E. H. Levy & J. I. Lunine, 837
1993
-
[40]
Taylor, M. B. 2005, in Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, Vol. 347, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XIV, ed. P. Shopbell, M. Britton, & R. Ebert, 29
2005
- [41]
-
[42]
Wilson, T. J. G., Matt, S., Harries, T. J., & Herczeg, G. J. 2022, MNRAS, 514, 2162, doi: 10.1093/mnras/stac1397
2022 doi
Reviewed August 7, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.
Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.