Disk Dissipation Timescale of Pre-main Sequence Stars in Taurus

TL;DR

This study estimates the disk dissipation timescale of pre-main sequence stars in Taurus to be approximately 3-4 million years by analyzing stellar ages and infrared excesses using high-resolution spectroscopy.

Contribution

It introduces a new method for age determination of young stars using surface gravity diagnostics from absorption line ratios, avoiding veiling correction.

Findings

Inner disk lifetime of 3-4 Myr for stars in Taurus

Surface gravity diagnostics provide direct age estimates

Age and infrared excess correlation supports disk dissipation timeline

Abstract

We present the results of an age determination study of pre-main sequence stars in the Taurus star-forming region. The ages of 10 single stars with masses of 0.5-1.1 Msun were derived from the surface gravities, estimated from high-resolution optical and near-infrared spectroscopy. The equivalent width ratios of nearby absorption line pairs were employed for the surface gravity diagnostic, which directly reflects the parameters of the stellar atmosphere without any veiling correction. From a comparison of determined ages and near-infrared color excesses such as J-H, J-K, and J-L, the inner disk lifetime of the young stars with 0.5-1.1 Msun in Taurus is estimated to be 3-4 Myr.