27 years of Spaceborne IR Astronomy: An ISO, Spitzer, WISE and NEOWISE Survey for Large-Amplitude Variability in Young Stellar Objects

TL;DR

This study analyzes 27 years of infrared space telescope data to investigate large-amplitude variability in young stellar objects, revealing diverse burst and decline behaviors and challenging dust extinction as the main variability cause.

Contribution

It provides the first long-term, multi-mission infrared light curves of YSOs, identifying various variability patterns and their potential physical origins.

Findings

Seven YSOs show sustained high-flux bursts over >5 years.

Six YSOs are undergoing declines, possibly ending previous bursts.

Color changes during variability are inconsistent with dust extinction.

Abstract

Infrared observations can probe photometric variability across the full evolutionary range of young stellar objects (YSOs), from deeply embedded protostars to pre-main-sequence stars with dusty disks. We present 3-8 micron light curves extending 27 years from 1997 to 2024 obtained with three space-based IR telescopes: ISO, Spitzer and WISE. Although unevenly sampled with large gaps in coverage, these light curves show variability on time scales ranging from days to decades. We focus on the Spitzer-identified YSOs with disks and envelopes that exhibit variations of a factor of two or more in this wavelength range. We identified seven YSOs where the light curves are dominated by bursts of sustained (> 5 yr) high flux, including four that show a steep decay ending the burst and three that are ongoing as of the final observation. We find six YSOs that are undergoing declines, which may be the end of bursts that began before 1997. The most common form of variability, exhibited by 26 YSOs in our sample, show variations over time intervals of years to months but do not exhibit sustained bursts or fades. The Spitzer [3.6]-[4.5] and WISE [3.5]-[4.6] colors either increase or remain constant with increasing brightness, inconsistent with dust extinction as being the primary source of the large-amplitude variability.