2006A&A...454..333C

Grids of H_β indices based on updated (new-ODF) ATLAS9 model atmospheres were computed for solar and scaled solar metallicities [+0.5], [+0.2], [0.0], [-0.5], [-1.0], [-1.5], [-2.0], [-2.5] and for α enhanced compositions [+0.5a], [0.0a], [-0.5a], [-1.0a], [-1.5a], [-2.0a], [-2.5a], and [-4.0a]. Indices for T_eff>5000K were computed with the same methods as described by Lester et al. (1986ApJS...61..509, LGK86) except for a different normalization of the computed natural system to the standard system. LGK86 used special ODFs to compute the fluxes. For T_eff≤5000K we computed the fluxes using the synthetic spectrum method. In order to assess the accuracy of the computed indices comparisons were made with the indices computed by Smalley & Dworetsky (1995A&A...293..446S, MD95) and with the empirical relations T_eff-H_β given by Alonso et al. (1996A&A...313..873A) for several metallicities. Furthermore, for cool stars, temperatures inferred from the computed indices were compared with those of the fundamental stars listed by MD95. The same kind of comparison was made between gravities for B-type stars. The temperatures from the computed indices are in good agreement, within the error limits, with the literature values for 4750K≤T_eff≤8000K, while the gravities agree for T_eff>9000K. The computed H_β indices for the Sun and for Procyon are very close to the observed values. The comparison between the observed and computed H_β indices as function of the observed H_β has shown a very small trend which almost completely disappears when only stars hotter than 10000K are considered. The trend due to the cool stars is probably related with the low accuracy of the fundamental T_eff which are affected by large errors for most of the stars.