Twins in diversity: understanding circumstellar disk evolution in the twin clusters of W5 complex

Belinda Damian*, Jessy Jose*, Swagat R Das, Saumya Gupta, Vignesh Vaikundaraman, D K Ojha, Sreeja S Kartha, Neelam Panwar, Chakali Eswaraiah

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Young star-forming regions in massive environments are ideal test beds to study the influence of surroundings on the evolution of disks around low-mass stars. We explore two distant young clusters, IC 1848-East and West located in the massive W5 complex. These clusters are unique due to their similar (distance, age, and extinction) yet distinct (stellar density and FUV radiation fields) physical properties. We use deep multi-band photometry in optical, near-IR, and mid-IR wavelengths complete down to the substellar limit in at least five bands. We trace the spectral energy distribution of the sources to identify the young pre-main sequence members in the region and derive their physical parameters. The disk fraction for the East and West clusters down to 0.1 M⊙ was found to be ∼27 ±2% (Ndisk=184, Ndiskless=492) and ∼17 ±1% (Ndisk=173, Ndiskless=814), respectively. While no spatial variation in the disk fraction is observed, these values are lower than those in other nearby young clusters. Investigating the cause of this decrease, we find a correlation with the intense feedback from massive stars throughout the cluster area. We also identified the disk sources undergoing accretion and observed the mass accretion rates to exhibit a positive linear relationship with the stellar host mass and an inverse relationship with stellar age. Our findings suggest that the environment significantly influences the dissipation of disks in both clusters. These distant clusters, characterized by their unique attributes, can serve as templates for future studies in outer galaxy regions, offering insights into the influence of feedback mechanisms on star and planetary formation.
Original languageEnglish
Article numberstae2452
Pages (from-to)1321-1337
Number of pages17
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume535
Issue number2
Early online date30 Oct 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2024

Keywords

  • Stars: low-mass
  • Protoplanetary discs
  • Hertzsprung–Russell and colour–magnitude diagrams
  • Pre-main sequence
  • Accretion
  • Techniques
  • Photometric

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