Disk Lifetime Distribution as a Function of the Mass of Host Star

Abstract The lifetime of protoplanetary disks is a critical factor for planet formation. Although the mean disk lifetime provides an estimate of the typical period available for planet formation, it does not capture the substantial variability in individual disk lifetimes or their dependence on host star mass. This study addresses these limitations by deriving the disk lifetime distribution as a function of stellar mass. Our results reveal a pronounced mass-dependence. Performing a phenomenological fit using a Weibull distribution, we find the maxima of the distributions at t max H = 3.72 Myr for high-mass stars (≈1.00–3.00 M ⊙ ) and t max L = 7.20 Myr for low-mass stars (≈0.01–0.20 M ⊙ ), assuming an initial disk fraction of f init = 0.8. All distributions are broad (typically 3.2 Myr < σ < 4.7 Myr), with the distribution for low-mass stars being somewhat broader. Our analysis indicates that not all stars are initially surrounded by a disk (60% < f init < 90% at cluster zero age), and that the initial disk fraction is even lower ( f init ≈ 40%) for higher-mass stars. The potential mechanisms responsible for the observed spread and mass-dependence of disk lifetime distributions and initial disk fractions are discussed. Our primary aim is to demonstrate the methodology; more robust constraints will require improved data on mass-dependent disk fractions. Nevertheless, the derived mass-dependent disk lifetime distributions can already serve as a valuable input or a benchmark for planet-formation synthesis models.