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A. Sicilia-Aguilar, L.W. Hartmann (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory), C. Briceno (Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomia), J. Muzerolle (University of Arizona), N. Calvet (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory)
We present the first identification of low mass stars in the young clusters Tr37 and NGC7160, members of the CepOB2 association. This is part of a program to follow the evolution of protoplanetary accretion disks through the ages thought to be crucial to understanding disk dissipation and planet formation (~3-10 Myr). Combining optical photometry and optical spectroscopy, we have identified ~40 members in Tr37, and ~15 in NGC7160. The cluster members confirm the age estimates of 1-5 Myr for Tr37 and 10 Myr for NGC7160. We find active accretion in some of the stars in Tr37, with average accretion rates about 10-8Msunyr-1, consistent with the models of viscous disk evolution. No signs of active accretion have been detected so far in the older cluster NGC7160, suggesting that disk accretion ends before the age of 10 Myr. These results are consistent with those from other populations and are a clear sign of disk evolution within the CepOB2 region. Using IRAC GTO data, we investigate the presence of accretion disks and debris disks in the clusters. We also study the spatial asymmetries in Tr37 and the possible presence of younger populations triggered by Tr37. This work is supported by NASA grants NAG5-9670 and NAG5-13210.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: asicilia@cfa.harvard.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #2
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