Protostars and Planets VI, Heidelberg, July 15-20, 2013

Poster 1H032

NIR Variable YSOs in Cygnus OB7 and the ONC

Wolk, Scott (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astro.)
Rice, Thomas (University of MIchigan)
Aspin, Colin (University of Hawaii)

Abstract:
We present an analysis of near-infrared time-series photometry in J, H, and K bands for about 100 epochs, mostly focusing on a 1x1 degree region of the Lynds 1003/1004 dark cloud in the Cygnus OB7 region. Augmented by data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), we identify 96 candidate disk bearing young stellar objects (YSOs) in the region. Of these, 30 are clearly Class I or earlier. Using the Wide-Field imaging CAMera (WFCAM) on the United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope (UKIRT), we obtained photometry over three observing seasons, with photometric uncertainty better than 0.05 mag down to J ~ 17. We study detailed light curves and color trajectories of ~50 of the YSOs in the monitored field. We investigate the variability and periodicity of the YSOs and find the data are consistent with all YSOs being variable in these wavelengths on time scales of a few years. We divide the variability into four observational classes: 1) stars with periodic variability stable over long timescales, 2) variables which exhibit short-lived cyclic behavior, 3) long duration variables, and 4) stochastic variables. Some YSO variability defies simple classification. We can explain much of the observed variability as being due to dynamic and rotational changes in the disk, including an asymmetric or changing blocking fraction, changes to the inner disk hole size, as well as changes to the accretion rate. Overall, we find that the Class I:Class II ratio of the cluster is consistent with an age of < 1 Myr, with at least one individual, wildly varying, source ~100,000 yr old. We have also discovered a Class~II eclipsing binary system with a period of 17.87 days. Preliminary statistical results for the ONC are also presented.

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