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arXiv · 2609.00938

X-shooter survey Across Regions and Ages to probe Disk Evolution (ARADE): Accretion properties in Orion A and their relation with disk masses

Abstract

We present a homogeneous VLT/X-Shooter study of accretion in young stellar objects spanning the entire Orion A complex. Our sample includes 91 pre-main-sequence stars hosting a protoplanetary disk according to Spitzer photometry, of which 34 have complementary ALMA dust mass measurements. We derived stellar and accretion properties using a self-consistent multi-component fitting procedure. Our sample encompasses spectral types from K3 down to M5, corresponding to stellar masses within $\sim$0.8-0.1 $M_{\odot}$. The accretion-stellar luminosity ($L_{acc}-L_{\star}$) and the mass accretion rate-stellar mass ($\dot{M}_{acc}-M_{\star}$) scaling relations in Orion A are consistent with those of other star-forming regions (SFRs) that span a range of stellar densities, far-ultraviolet (FUV) irradiation fields, and ages, with all regions occupying the same locus in parameter space. For the 34 sources with complementary dust mass measurements, we present the first investigation of the $\dot{M}_{acc}$ and disk mass ($M_{disk}$) correlation in Orion A, recovering a spread consistent with that reported for other regions. Despite our sample spanning nearly five orders of magnitude in local FUV field strength, we find no statistically significant correlation between $\dot{M}_{acc}$ and FUV irradiation. However, by combining our sample with literature measurements in Lupus, the Orion Nebula Cluster, and $\sigma$ Orionis, we find a tentative population-level decrease of the inferred disk lifetime $t_{\rm disk} =M_{disk}/\dot{M}_{acc}$ toward stronger FUV environments, though large intrinsic scatter and limited sample sizes at intermediate and high FUV fields prevent firm conclusions. The homogeneous $\dot{M}_{acc}$ measurements reported here provide a solid foundation for future studies of accretion and disk evolution across the diverse environments of Orion A and other SFRs.

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Lara Piscarreta, Giacomo Beccari, Carlo Manara, Rossella Anania, Sierk van Terwisga, Victor Almendros-Abad, Henri Boffin, Rik Claes, Aaron Empey, Barbara Ercolano, Tereza Jerabkova, Karina Maucó, Miguel Vioque. 2026-09-01. X-shooter survey Across Regions and Ages to probe Disk Evolution (ARADE): Accretion properties in Orion A and their relation with disk masses. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.00938

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