%ASullivan, Kendall%AKraus, Adam%BJournal Name: The Astrophysical Journal; Journal Volume: 928; Journal Issue: 2; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2024-01-16 14:02:03 %D2022%IDOI PREFIX: 10.3847 %JJournal Name: The Astrophysical Journal; Journal Volume: 928; Journal Issue: 2; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2024-01-16 14:02:03 %K %MOSTI ID: 10364731 %PMedium: X; Size: Article No. 134 %TOptical and Near-infrared Excesses are Correlated in T Tauri Stars %X
Accretion is one of the defining characteristics of classical T Tauri stars, fueled by the presence of a circumstellar disk comprised of dust and gas. Accretion produces a UV and optical excess, while re-radiated emission at the inner edge of the dust component of the disk produces a near-infrared (NIR) excess. The interplay between stars and their disks helps regulate protoplanetary disk evolution and dispersal, which is key to a full understanding of planet formation. To investigate the relations between NIR excess and optical excess in both single and binary stars, we used an archival sample of spectroscopically characterized members of the Taurus star-forming region (