A Spectroscopic Survey of Subarcsecond Binaries in the Taurus‐Auriga Dark Cloud with theHubble Space Telescope

We aim at characterizing the accretion properties of several hundred members of the star-forming cluster NGC 2264 (3 Myr). We performed a deep u,g,r,i mapping and a simultaneous u+r monitoring of the region with CFHT/MegaCam in order to directly probe the accretion process from UV excess measurements. Photometric properties and stellar parameters are determined homogeneously for about 750 monitored young objects, spanning the mass range 0.1-2 Mo. About 40% are classical (accreting) T Tauri stars, based on various diagnostics (H_alpha, UV and IR excesses). The remaining non-accreting members define the (photospheric+chromospheric) reference UV emission level over which flux excess is detected and measured. We revise the membership status of cluster members based on UV accretion signatures and report a new population of 50 CTTS candidates. A large range of UV excess is measured for the CTTS population, varying from a few 0.1 to 3 mag. We convert these values to accretion luminosities and obtain mass accretion rates ranging from 1e-10 to 1e-7 Mo/yr. Taking into account a mass-dependent detection threshold for weakly accreting objects, we find a >6sigma correlation between mass accretion rate and stellar mass. A power-law fit, properly accounting for upper limits, yields M_acc $\propto$ M^{1.4+/-0.3}. At any given stellar mass, we find a large spread of accretion rates, extending over about 2 orders of magnitude. The monitoring of the UV excess on a timescale of a couple of weeks indicates that its variability typically amounts to 0.5 dex, much smaller than the observed spread. We suggest that a non-negligible age spread across the cluster may effectively contribute to the observed spread in accretion rates at a given mass. In addition, different accretion mechanisms (like, e.g., short-lived accretion bursts vs. more stable funnel-flow accretion) may be associated to different M_acc regimes.

Context. The mass accretion rate (Ṁacc) is the fundamental parameter to understand the process of mass assembly that results in the formation of a low-mass star. This parameter has been largely studied in Classical T Tauri stars in star-forming regions with ages of ∼1 − 10 Myr. However, little is known about the accretion properties of young stellar objects (YSOs) in younger regions and early stages of star formation, such as in the Class 0/I phases. Aims. We present new near-infrared spectra of 17 Class I/Flat and 35 Class II sources located in the young (< 1 Myr) NGC 1333 cluster, acquired with the KMOS instrument at the Very Large Telescope. Our goal is to study whether the mass accretion rate evolves with age, as suggested by the widely adopted viscous evolution model, by comparing the properties of the NGC 1333 members with samples of older regions. Methods. For the Class II sources in our sample, we measured the stellar parameters (SpT, AV, and L⋆) through a comparison of the IR spectra with a grid of non-accreting Class III stellar templates. We then computed the accretion luminosity by using the known correlation between Lacc and the luminosity of HI lines (Paβ and Brγ). For the Class I sample, where the presence of a large IR excess makes it impossible to use the same spectral typing method, we applied a procedure that allowed us to measure the stellar and accretion luminosity in a self-consistent way. Mass accretion rates Ṁacc were then measured once masses and radii were estimated adopting suitable evolutionary tracks. Results. The NGC 1333 Class II sources of our sample have Lacc ∼ 10−4 − 1 L⊙ and Ṁacc ∼ 10−11 − 10−7 M⊙ yr−1. We find a correlation between accretion and stellar luminosity in the form of log Lacc = (1.5 ± 0.2)log L⋆ + ( − 1.0 ± 0.1), and a correlation between the mass accretion rate and stellar mass in the form of log Ṁacc = (2.6 ± 0.9) log M⋆ + (−7.3 ± 0.7). Both correlations are compatible within the errors with the older Lupus star-forming region, while only the latter is consistent with results from Chamaeleon I. The Class I sample shows larger accretion luminosities (∼10−2 − 102 L⊙) and mass accretion rates (∼10−9 − 10−6 M⊙ yr−1) with respect to the Class II stars of the same cloud. However, the derived mass accretion rates are not sufficiently high to build up the inferred stellar masses, assuming steady accretion during the Class I lifetime. This suggests that the sources are not in their main accretion phase and that most of their mass has already been accumulated during a previous stage and/or that the accretion is an episodic phenomenon. We show that some of the targets originally classified as Class I through Spitzer photometry are in fact evolved or low accreting objects. This evidence can have implications for the estimated protostellar phase lifetimes. Conclusions. The accretion rates of our sample are larger in more embedded and early stage YSOs. Further observations of larger samples in young star-forming regions are needed to determine if this is a general result. In addition, we highlight the importance of spectroscopic surveys of YSOs to confirm their classification and perform a more correct estimate of their lifetime.

Depending on whether a T Tauri star accretes material from its circumstellar disk or not, different X-ray emission properties can be found. The accretion shocks produce cool heating of the plasma, contributing to the soft X-ray emission from the star. Using X-ray data from the Chandra Orion Ultra-deep Project and accretion rates that were obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope/WFPC2 photometric measurements in the Orion Nebula Cluster, we studied the relation between the accretion processes and the X-ray emissions of a coherent sample of T Tauri sources in the region. We performed regression and correlation analyses of our sample of T Tauri stars between the X-ray parameters, stellar properties, and the accretion measurements. We find that a clear anti-correlation is present between the residual X-ray luminosity and the accretion rates in our samples in Orion that is consistent with that found on the XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus molecular cloud (XEST) study. We provide a catalog with X-ray luminosities (corrected from distance) and accretion measurements of an Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) T Tauri stars sample. Although Orion and Taurus display strong differences in their properties (total gas and dust mass, star density, strong irradiation from massive stars), we find that a similar relation between the residual X-ray emission and accretion rate is present in the Taurus molecular cloud and in the accreting samples from the Orion Nebula Cluster. The spread in the data suggests dependencies of the accretion rates and the X-ray luminosities other than the stellar mass, but the similarity between Orion and Taurus hints at the environment not being one of them. The anti-correlation between the residual X-ray luminosity and mass accretion rate is inherent to the T Tauri stars in general, independent of their birthplace and environment, and intrinsic to early stellar evolution.

We present a high spatial resolution multiwavelength survey of 44 young binary star systems in Taurus-Auriga with separations of 10-1000 AU. These observations, which were obtained using the Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, quadruple the number of close (less than 100 AU) binary stars with spatially resolved measurements from 0.3 to 2.2 μm and are the first 3.6 μm measurements for the majority of the companion stars in the sample. Masses and ages are estimated for the components observed at optical wavelengths. The relative ages of binary star components are more similar than the relative ages of randomly paired single stars within the same star-forming region. This is the first statistically significant evidence for coeval formation. Only one of the companion masses is substellar, from which we conclude that the apparent overabundance of T Tauri star companions relative to main-sequence star companions is not due to a wealth of substellar secondaries that would have been missed in main-sequence surveys. The circumstellar environments of binary star systems are studied in this work through three diagnostics: the infrared color K-L, the ultraviolet excess ΔU, and Hα emission. Several conclusions are drawn. First, the mass accretion rates for primary stars are similar to single stars, which suggests that companions as close as 10 AU have little effect on the mass accretion rate. Second, although most classical T Tauri star binaries retain both a circumprimary and a circumsecondary disk, there are several systems with only a circumprimary disk. Systems with only a circumsecondary disk are rare. This suggests that circumprimary disks survive longer than circumsecondary disks. Third, primary stars accrete at a higher rate, on average, than secondary stars. This is most likely because of their larger stellar mass, since the mass accretion rates for both single and binary T Tauri stars exhibit a moderate mass dependence. Fourth, approximately 10% of T Tauri binary star components have very red near-infrared colors (K-L > 1.4) and unusually high mass accretion rates. This phenomenon does not appear to be restricted to binary systems, however, since a comparable fraction of single T Tauri stars exhibit the same properties. These high accretion rate stars are probably not at an earlier stage of evolution, as has been proposed. Their semblance of younger protostars at optical and infrared wavelengths is most likely because of their similar high levels of accretion, which are above the norm for T Tauri stars, and not because of similar ages. The stellar and circumstellar properties are also used to trace indirectly the evolution of circumbinary material. In contrast to single T Tauri stars, which have disk dissipation timescales comparable to their ages, the disk dissipation timescales for binary T Tauri stars are ~10 times less than their ages. Replenishment of the inner circumstellar disks may be necessary to explain the continuing disk accretion in these systems. The longer disk lifetimes of circumprimary disks, despite their higher depletion rates, suggest that circumprimary disks are being preferentially replenished, possibly from a circumbinary reservoir with low angular momentum relative to the binary. Further support for circumbinary reservoirs comes from the observed correlated presence of circumprimary and circumsecondary disks for binaries with separations of less than ~200 AU. The presence of disks appears uncorrelated for wider binaries. Additionally, binaries with separations of less than ~100 AU exhibit a higher fraction of high mass ratio (ms/mp) pairs than wider binaries. These separation-dependent properties can be explained if the components are being replenished from a common circumbinary reservoir with low angular momentum. The components of the closest pairs are expected to be more equally replenished than the widest pairs, which consequently sustains both disks and drives their mass ratios toward unity. Overall, the results of this study corroborate previous work that suggests that fragmentation is the dominant binary star formation mechanism in Taurus-Auriga; disk instabilities and capture seem unlikely.

We conducted a 12-month monitoring campaign of 33 T Tauri stars (TTS) in Taurus. Our goal was to monitor objects that possess a disk but have a weak Halpha line, a common accretion tracer for young stars, to determine whether they host a passive circumstellar disk. We used medium-resolution optical spectroscopy to assess the objects' accretion status and to measure the Halpha line. We found no convincing example of passive disks; only transition disk and debris disk systems in our sample are non-accreting. Among accretors, we find no example of flickering accretion, leading to an upper limit of 2.2% on the duty cycle of accretion gaps assuming that all accreting TTS experience such events. Combining literature results with our observations, we find that the reliability of traditional Halpha-based criteria to test for accretion is high but imperfect, particularly for low-mass TTS. We find a significant correlation between stellar mass and the full width at 10 per cent of the peak (W10%) of the Halpha line that does not seem to be related to variations in free-fall velocity. Finally, our data reveal a positive correlation between the Halpha equivalent width and its W10%, indicative of a systematic modulation in the line profile whereby the high-velocity wings of the line are proportionally more enhanced than its core when the line luminosity increases. We argue that this supports the hypothesis that the mass accretion rate on the central star is correlated with the Halpha W10% through a common physical mechanism.

We propose that FU Orionis outbursts may play an important role in maintaining the slow rotation of classical disk-accreting T Tauri stars. Current estimates for the frequency and duration of FU Orionis outbursts and the mass accretion rates of T Tauri and FU Orionis stars suggest that more mass may be accreted during the outbursts than during the T Tauri phases. If this is the case, then the outbursts should also dominate the accretion of angular momentum. During the outbursts, the accretion rate is so high that the magnetic field of the star should not disrupt the disk, and the disk will extend all the way in to the stellar surface. Standard thin disk models then predict that the star should accrete large amounts of angular momentum, which will produce a secular spinup of the star. We present boundary layer solutions for FU Orionis parameters which show that the angular momentum accretion rate drops below zero for stellar rotation rates which are always substantially below breakup, but depend on the mass accretion rate and on the adopted definition of the stellar radius. When the angular momentum accretion rate drops close to zero, the star will stop spinning up. Faster stellar rotation rates will produce negative angular momentum accretion which will spin the star down. Therefore, FU Orionis outbursts can keep the stellar rotation rate close to some equilibrium value for which the angular momentum accretion rate is small. We show that this equilibrium rotation rate may be similar to the observed rotation rates of T Tauri stars; thus we propose that FU Orionis outbursts may be responsible for the observed slow rotation of T Tauri stars. This mechanism is independent of whether the disk is disrupted by the stellar magnetic field during the T Tauri phase.

Mass accretion at stellar surfaces occurs in pre-main-sequence binaries of all separations. The accretion rates are comparable to those found for single stars. This paper describes several recent observations which shed light on the accretion process in the binary environment. 1) Most classical T Tauri binaries include two classical T Tauri stars, suggesting that the lifetimes of their circumstellar disks are correlated. 2) The classical T Tauri binary DQ Tau shows evidence for enhanced accretion rates at periastron passage, as predicted for accretion streams from circumbinary disks. 3) Two infrared companions show evidence for shocked molecular hydrogen emission, indicative of continued infall onto these stars or associated disks. Timescale arguments indicate that for many binaries existing circumstellar material cannot supply the observed accretion rates for as long as the ages of the binaries. Presuming steady accretion rates, this requires replenishment. Infall from circumbinary envelopes or accretion...

Context. Mass accretion rate determinations are fundamental for an understanding of the evolution of pre-main sequence star circumstellar disks. Aims. Magnetospheric accretion models are used to derive values of the mass accretion rates in objects of very different properties, from brown dwarfs to intermediate-mass stars; we test the validity of these models in the brown dwarf regime, where the stellar mass and luminosity, as well as the mass accretion rate, are much lower than in T Tauri stars. Methods. We have measured nearly simultaneously two infrared hydrogen lines, Pa β and Br$_\gamma$, in a sample of 16 objects in the star-forming region ρ -Oph. The sample includes 7 very low mass objects and brown dwarfs and 9 T Tauri stars. Results. Brown dwarfs where both lines are detected have a ratio Pa β /Br$_\gamma$of ~2. Larger values, $\ga$3.5, are only found among the T Tauri stars. The low line ratios in brown dwarfs indicate that the lines cannot originate in the column of gas accreting from the disk onto the star along the magnetic field lines, and we suggest that they form instead in the shocked photosphere, heated to temperatures of ~3500 K. If so, in analogy to veiling estimates in T Tauri stars, the hydrogen infrared line fluxes may provide a reliable measure of the accretion rate in brown dwarfs.

Motivated by the recent detection of a large number of embedded young stellar objects (YSOs) with mass accretion rates that are inconsistent with the predictions of the standard model of inside-out collapse (Shu 1977), we perform a series on numerical hydrodynamic simulations of the gravitational collapse of molecular cloud cores with various initial masses, rotation rates, and sizes. We focus on the early Class I stage of stellar evolution when circumstellar disks are exposed to high rates of mass deposition from infalling envelopes. Our numerical modeling reproduces the large observed spread in accretion rates inferred for embedded YSOs in Perseus, Serpens, and Ophiuchus star forming regions by Enoch et al. (2009), yielding 37%--75% of objects with "sub-Shu" accretion rates \dot{M} \la 10^{-6} Msun/yr and 1%--2% of objects with "super-Shu" accretion rates \dot{M}>10^{-5} Msun/yr. Mass accretion rates in the Class I stage have a log-normal distribution, with its shape controlled by disk viscosity and disk temperature. The spread in $\dot{M}$ is greater in models with lower viscosity and smaller in models with higher viscosity and higher disk temperature, suggesting that gravitational instability may be a dominant cause of the observed diversity in $\dot{M}$ in embedded YSOs. Our modeling predicts a weak dependence between the mean mass accretion rates and stellar masses in the Class I stage, in sharp contrast to the corresponding steep dependence for evolved T Tauri stars and brown dwarfs.

Four Ophiuchus binaries, two Class I systems and two Class II systems, with separations of ~450-1100 AU, were observed with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) millimeter interferometer. In each system, the 3 mm continuum maps show dust emission at the location of the primary star, but no emission at the position of the secondary. This result is different from observations of less evolved Class 0 binaries, in which dust emission is detected from both sources. The nondetection of secondary disks is, however, similar to the dust distribution seen in wide Class II Taurus binaries. The combined OVRO results from the Ophiuchus and Taurus binaries suggest that secondary disk masses are significantly lower than primary disk masses by the Class II stage, with initial evidence that massive secondary disks are reduced by the Class I stage. Although some of the secondaries retain hot inner disk material, the early dissipation of massive outer disks may negatively impact planet formation around secondary stars. Masses for the circumprimary disks are within the range of masses measured for disks around single T Tauri stars and, in some cases, larger than the minimum mass solar nebula. More massive primary disks are predicted by several formation models and are broadly consistent with the observations. Combining the 3 mm data with previous 1.3 mm observations, the dust opacity power-law index for each primary disk is estimated. The opacity index values are all less than the scaling for interstellar dust, possibly indicating grain growth within the circumprimary disks.

We present low-, medium-, and high-resolution optical spectra, obtained with the Magellan Baade 6.5 m telescope, of LS-RCrA 1, a late-type object identified recently by Fernandez & Comeron in the R Coronae Australis star-forming region. We confirm both pre-main-sequence status and membership in the R CrA region for this object, through the detection of Li I, presence of narrow K I indicative of low gravity, and measurement of radial velocity. The Hα emission profile is very broad, with a 10% full width of 316 km s-1 at high resolution, implying the presence of ongoing accretion. Our spectra also exhibit many forbidden emission lines indicative of mass outflow, in agreement with the Fernandez & Comeron results. We derive a spectral type, independent of extinction, of M6.5 ± 0.5 IV. Using new Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) near-infrared photometry, no significant near-infrared (NIR) excess is found. Our optical veiling measurements yield a mass accretion rate of 10-10 M 10-9 M☉ yr-1. The presence of prominent outflow signatures at these low accretion rates is initially puzzling. We consider, and discard as improbable, the possibility that these signatures arise in a line-of-sight Herbig-Haro knot unassociated with LS-RCrA 1 itself. However, if LS-RCrA 1 possesses a nearly edge-on disk, a natural outcome would be the enhancement of any outflow signatures relative to the photosphere; we favor this view. A low accretion/outflow rate, combined with an edge-on orientation, is further supported by the absence of high-velocity components and any significant asymmetries in the forbidden lines. An edge-on geometry is also consistent with the lack of NIR excess in spite of ongoing accretion and explains the relatively large Hα 10% width compared to other low-mass objects with similar accretion rates. Through comparison with the latest synthetic spectra, we infer Teff ≈ 2700 ± 100 K, somewhat lower than the previous estimate (2900 ± 200 K). Theoretical evolutionary tracks then imply an age of ~20 Myr (as derived from Teff and luminosity) or ~8 Myr (Teff vs. gravity) for LS-RCrA 1. This last value is consistent with the estimated age of other T Tauri stars in R CrA (10 Myr), and it is substantially less than the ~50 Myr derived previously. Therefore, LS-RCrA 1 indeed appears subluminous relative to expectations for an R CrA member. By comparing its position on the H-R diagram with that of other similarly accreting low-mass objects, we show that accretion-induced effects are unlikely to account for its faintness. We suggest instead that LS-RCrA 1 possesses a nearly edge-on disk and its photosphere is seen predominantly in scattered light, making it appear much fainter (and older) than it really is. The ease with which such a disk simultaneously explains all the puzzling aspects of LS-RCrA 1—subluminosity, unusually prominent outflow signatures without high-velocity components or asymmetries, very broad Hα, lack of NIR excess combined with accretion—makes its presence a strong possibility. Finally, the surface gravity and Teff estimates, combined with the latest evolutionary tracks, indicates a mass of ~0.06 or 0.035 ± 0.010 M☉ (depending on the Teff scale), i.e., at or below the substellar boundary. Our results, together with those of Fernandez & Comeron, imply that young brown dwarfs can not only harbor accretion disks but also generate jets/outflows analogous to those in higher mass classical T Tauri stars. This is further evidence of a common formation mechanism for stars and brown dwarfs.

(abridged) We present Spitzer infrared observations to constrain disc and dust evolution in young T Tauri stars in MBM 12, a star-forming cloud at high latitude with an age of 2 Myr and a distance of 275 pc. The region contains 12 T Tauri systems, with primary spectral types between K3 and M6; 5 are weak-line and the rest classical T Tauri stars. We first use MIPS and literature photometry to compile spectral energy distributions for each of the 12 members in MBM 12, and derive their IR excesses. The IRS spectra are analysed with the newly developed two-layer temperature distribution (TLTD) spectral decomposition method. For the 7 T Tauri stars with a detected IR excess, we analyse their solid-state features to derive dust properties such as mass-averaged grain size, composition and crystallinity. We find a spatial gradient in the forsterite to enstatite range, with more enstatite present in the warmer regions. The fact that we see a radial dependence of the dust properties indicates that radial mixing is not very efficient in the discs of these young T Tauri stars. The SED analysis shows that the discs in MBM 12, in general, undergo rapid inner disc clearing, while the binary sources have faster discevolution. The dust grains seem to evolve independently from the stellar properties, but are mildly related to disc properties such as flaring and accretion rates.

We have completed the first systematic survey for disks around spectroscopically identified young brown dwarfs and very low mass stars. For a sample of 38 very cool objects in IC 348 and Taurus, we have obtained L'-band (3.8 μm) imaging with sufficient sensitivity to detect objects with and without disks. The sample should be free of selection biases for our purposes. Our targets span spectral types from M6 to M9.5, corresponding to masses of ~15-100 MJup and ages of ≲5 Myr, based on current models. None appear to be binaries at 04 resolution (55-120 AU). Using the objects' measured spectral types and extinctions, we find that most of our sample (77% ± 15%) possess intrinsic IR excesses, indicative of circum(sub)stellar disks. Because the excesses are modest, conventional analyses using only IR colors would have missed most of the sources with excesses. Such analyses inevitably underestimate the disk fraction and will be less reliable for young brown dwarfs than for T Tauri stars. The observed IR excesses are correlated with Hα emission, consistent with a common accretion disk origin. In the same star-forming regions, we find that disks around brown dwarfs and T Tauri stars are contemporaneous; assuming coevality, this demonstrates that the inner regions of substellar disks are at least as long-lived as stellar disks and evolve slowly for the first ~3 Myr. The disk frequency appears to be independent of mass. However, some objects in our sample, including the very coolest (lowest mass) ones, lack IR excesses and may be diskless. The observed excesses can be explained by disk reprocessing of starlight alone; the implied accretion rates are at least an order of magnitude below typical values for classical T Tauri stars. The observed distribution of IR excesses suggests inner disk holes with radii of ≳2R*, consistent with the idea that such holes arise from disk-magnetosphere interactions. Altogether, the frequency and properties of young circumstellar disks appear to be similar from the stellar regime down to the substellar and planetary-mass regime. This provides prima facie evidence of a common origin for most stars and brown dwarfs.

The effects of bulk motion Comptonization on the spectral formation in a converging flow onto a black hole are investigated. The problem is tackled by means of both a fully relativistic, angle-dependent transfer code and a semianalytical, diffusion approximation method. We find that a power-law high-energy tail is a ubiquitous feature in converging flows and that the two approaches produce consistent results at large enough accretion rates when photon diffusion holds. Our semianalytical approach is based on an expansion in eigenfunctions of the diffusion equation. Contrary to previous investigations based on the same method, we find that although the power-law tail at extremely large energies is always dominated by the flatter spectral mode, the slope of the hard X-ray portion of the spectrum is dictated by the second mode and it approaches Γ = 3 at large accretion rates, irrespective of the model parameters. The photon index in the tail is found to be largely independent on the spatial distribution of soft seed photons when the accretion rate is either quite low (5 in Eddington units) or sufficiently high (10). On the other hand, the spatial distribution of source photons controls the photon index at intermediate accretion rates, when Γ switches from the first to the second mode. Our analysis confirms that a hard tail with photon index Γ < 3 is produced by the upscattering of primary photons onto infalling electrons if the central object is a black hole.

We have performed the first measures of mass accretion rates in the core of the Orion Nebula Cluster. Four adjacent fields centered on the Trapezium stars have been imaged in the U and B bands using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We obtained photometry for 91 stars in the U band (F336W) and 71 stars in the B band (F439W). The WFPC2 archive was also searched to obtain complementary V-band (F547M) and I-band (F791W) photometry. In this paper we focus our attention on a group of 40 stars with known spectral types and complete UBVI WFPC2 photometry. We locate each star on the H-R diagram, considering both the standard ISM reddening law with RV = 3.1 and the anomalous reddening law with RV = 5.5 more appropriate for the Orion Nebula. Then we derive the stellar masses and ages by comparing with the evolutionary tracks and isochrones calculated by D'Antona & Mazzitelli and Palla & Stahler. Approximately three-quarters of the sources show excess luminosity in the U band, which we attribute to mass accretion. The known correlation between the U-band excess and the total accretion luminosity, recalibrated for our photometric system, allows us to estimate the accretion rates, which are all found to be in the range 10-8 to 10-12 M☉ yr-1. For stars older than 1 Myr, there is some evidence of a relation between mass accretion rates and stellar age. Overall, mass accretion rates appear lower than those measured by other authors in the Orion flanking fields or in Taurus-Auriga. Mass accretion rates remain low even in the vicinity of the 10-5 M☉ yr-1 birth line of Palla & Stahler, suggesting that in the core of the Trapezium cluster, disk accretion has been recently depressed by an external mechanism. We suggest that the UV radiation generated by the Trapezium OB stars, responsible for the disk evaporation, may also cause the drop of the mass accretion rate. In this scenario, low-mass stars may terminate their pre-main-sequence evolution with masses lower than those they would have reached if disk accretion could have proceeded undisturbed until the final disk consumption. In OB associations the low-mass end of the initial mass function (IMF) may therefore be affected by the rapid evolution of the most massive cluster's stars, causing a surplus of accretion-aborted, very low mass stars and brown dwarfs and a deficit of intermediate-mass stars. This trend is in agreement with recent observations of the IMF in the Trapezium cluster.