An ALMA Survey of Protoplanetary Disks in the σ Orionis Cluster

The sigma Orionis cluster is important for studying protoplanetary disk evolution, as its intermediate age (similar to n 3-5 Myr) is comparable to the median disk lifetime. We use ALMA to conduct a high-sensitivity survey of dust and gas in 92 protoplanetary disks around sigma Orionis members with M-* greater than or similar to 0.1. M circle dot. Our observations cover the 1.33. mm continuum and several CO J = 2-1 lines: out of 92 sources, we detect 37 in the millimeter continuum and 6 in (CO)-C-12, 3 in (CO)-C-13, and none in (CO)-O-18. Using the continuum emission to estimate dust mass, we find only 11 disks with M-dust greater than or similar to 10. M circle dot, indicating that. after only a few Myr. of evolution. most disks lack sufficient dust to form giant planet cores. Stacking the individually undetected continuum sources limits their average dust mass to 5x. lower than that of the faintest detected disk, supporting theoretical models that indicate rapid dissipation once disk clearing begins. Comparing the protoplanetary disk population in sigma Orionis to those of other star-forming regions supports the steady decline in average dust mass and the steepening of the M-dust-M-* relation with age; studying these evolutionary trends can inform the relative importance of different disk processes during key eras of planet formation. External photoevaporation from the central O9 star is influencing disk evolution throughout the region: dust masses clearly decline with decreasing separation from the photoionizing source, and the handful of CO detections exist at projected separations of > 1.5 pc. Collectively, our findings indicate that giant planet formation is inherently rare and/or well underway by a few Myr. of age.