2002ApJ...568..267K

The small separation of the individual stellar components in the T Tau system has prevented spectroscopy of the individual components in the near-infrared (NIR) in the past. We present NIR data (H and K band) on this object taken using the Adaptive Optics with a Laser for Astronomy (ALFA) system in combination with the 3D integral field spectrograph. Except for the Brackett series seen in emission, the NIR spectra of T Tau S appear featureless, suggesting that warm dust dominates the radiation. No rovibrational lines of molecular hydrogen were found in close vicinity to the stars. The Brackett line emission from T Tau N and S could not be resolved with the 3.5 m telescope, implying that it arises within 6 AU from the stars. The line ratios between Brγ (2.166 µm) and Br10 (1.736 µm) toward T Tau N and T Tau S are similar, suggesting similar selective extinctions toward the respective emitting regions. Our results are consistent with a model that describes T Tau S as a pre-main-sequence star surrounded by a small edge-on disk, leaving the polar regions relatively unobscured. We present numerical simulations which support this model.