Spitzer observations of pre-main-sequence stars

Near-IR circumstellar disk indicators, although the most widely available, are subject to uncertainties that can result from inner disk holes and/or the system inclination. Mid-infrared observations are less sensitive to such effects, but until now, these observations have been difficult to obtain.

The Spitzer Space Telescope now easily enables mid-infrared measurements of large samples of PMS stars covering a broad mass range in nearby star-forming regions. Megeath and collaborators surveyed the Orion Molecular Clouds (1Myr) with the IRAC instrument (3.6, 4.5, 5.8, 8um) as part of a joint IRAC and MIPS GTO program. We examine the relationship between rotation and Spitzer mid-IR fluxes for 900 stars in Orion for stars between 3 and 0.1M_{sun}_.