Precise determination of disk lifetimes

Typically, this is done by measuring the fraction of young stars with infrared-excess, a sign of circumstellar material, in stellar clusters of different ages. However, comparing data from different star-forming regions at different distances introduces uncertainties and biases because of the different sample completeness and environment.

This study addresses these challenges by analyzing 33 clusters, aged 3 to 21 million years (PARSEC isochrones), within the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association, sampling the stellar IMF from the hydrogen burning limit to about 8M_{sun{_. By using Gaia, 2MASS, and WISE data, we identified stars with infrared-excess through color-color diagrams and spectral energy distributions, ensuring a consistent selection of disk-bearing sources.