Circumstellar discs in the young σ Orionis cluster

Oliveira, JM; Jeffries, RD; Van Loon, JT; Rushton, MT

Abstract

We present new K- and L'-band imaging observations for members of the young (3-5 Myr) sigma Orionis cluster, obtained with UIST at UKIRT. We determine (K-L') colour excesses with respect to the photospheres, finding evidence for warm circumstellar dust around 27 out of 83 cluster members that have masses between 0.04 Msun and 1.0 Msun. This indicates a circumstellar disc frequency of at least (33 +/- 6)% for this cluster, consistent with previous determinations from smaller samples (Oliveira et al. 2004) and also consistent with the 3 Myr disc half-life suggested by Haisch et al. (2001). There is marginal evidence that the disc frequency declines towards lower masses, but the data are also consistent with no mass-dependence at all. There is no evidence for spatial segregation of objects with and without circumstellar discs.

Citation

Oliveira, J., Jeffries, R., Van Loon, J., & Rushton, M. (2006). Circumstellar discs in the young σ Orionis cluster. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 369(1), 272 -280. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10299.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 7, 2006
• Online Publication Date: May 8, 2006
• Publication Date: 2006-06
• Publicly Available Date: May 26, 2023
• Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Print ISSN: 0035-8711
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 369
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 272 -280
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10299.x
• Keywords: Astrophysics
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10299.x