Accretion rates on pre-main-sequence stars in the young open cluster NGC 6530

Abstract

It is well accepted that during the star formation process, material from a protoplanetary disk is accreted onto the central object during the first ∼1–5 Myr. Different authors have published measurements of accretion rates for young low- and intermediate-mass stars in several nearby star-forming regions (SFRs). Due to its somewhat larger distance, the SFR M8 (the Lagoon Nebula) has not been studied to the same extent, despite its abundant population of young stellar objects. We have obtained optical band low-resolution spectra of a sample of premain- sequence stars in the open cluster NGC 6530 located in the aforementioned nebulae using the Gemini Multi Object Spectrograph at Gemini-South in multi-object mode. Spectra cover the Hα emission line used to measure the accretion rate, following the method presented by Natta et al. The observed spectral characteristics are fully consistent with pre-main-sequence stars, showing lithium absorption lines, which are very common in young stellar objects, as well as prominent and broad Hα emission lines, indicating a T Tauri evolutionary stage. This work presents the first determinations of mass accretion rates of young stellar objects in the open cluster NGC 6530, confirming that they are classical T Tauri stars going through the accretion phase. These observations contribute to a better understanding of the stellar content and evolutionary phase of the very active Lagoon Nebula SFR.