Classical T Tauri stars with VPHAS+ - I. H α and u-band accretion rates in the Lagoon Nebula M8

V. M. Kalari, J. S. Vink, J. E. Drew, G. Barentsen, J. J. Drake, J. Eislöffel, E. L. Martín, Q. A. Parker, Y. C. Unruh, N. A. Walton, N. J. Wright

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We estimate the accretion rates of 235 Classical T Tauri star (CTTS) candidates in the Lagoon Nebula using ugri H α photometry from the VST Photometric H α survey+. Our sample consists of stars displaying H α excess, the intensity of which is used to derive accretion rates. For a subset of 87 stars, the intensity of the u-band excess is also used to estimate accretion rates. We find the mean variation in accretion rates measured using H α and u-band intensities to be ~0.17 dex, agreeing with previous estimates (0.04-0.4 dex) but for a much larger sample. The spatial distribution of CTTS align with the location of protostars and molecular gas suggesting that they retain an imprint of the natal gas fragmentation process. Strong accretors are concentrated spatially, while weak accretors are more distributed. Our results do not support the sequential star-forming processes suggested in the literature.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1026-1046
Number of pages21
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume453
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Oct 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Accretion, accretion discs
  • Open clusters and associations: Individual: NGC 6530, Lagoon Nebula, M8
  • Stars: Pre-main-sequence
  • Stars: Variables: T Tauri, Herbig Ae/Be

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