2025A&A...704A.170R

Context. Free-floating planetary-mass objects (FFPs) have been detected through direct imaging in several young, nearby star-forming regions. The properties of circumstellar disks around these objects may provide a valuable probe into their origin but are currently limited by the small sample sizes explored.
Aims. We aim to perform a statistical study of the occurrence of circumstellar disks down to the planetary-mass regime.
Methods. We performed a systematic survey of disks among the population identified in the 5-10 Myr-old Upper Scorpius association, restricted to members outside the younger, embedded Ophiuchus region, and with estimated masses below 105 M_Jup. We took advantage of unWISE photometry to search for mid-infrared excesses in the WISE (W1-W2) color. We implemented a Bayesian outlier detection method, which models the photospheric sequence and computes excess probabilities for each object, enabling a statistically sound estimation of disk fractions.
Results. We explored disk fractions across an unprecedentedly fine mass grid, reaching down to objects as low as ∼6 M_Jup assuming 5 Myr or ∼8 M_Jup assuming 10 Myr, thus extending the previous lower boundary of disk fraction studies. Depending on the age, our sample includes between 17 and 40 FFPs. We confirm that the disk fraction steadily rises with decreasing mass and exceeds 30% near the substellar-to-planetary mass boundary at ∼13 M_Jup. We find hints of a possible flattening in this trend around 25-45 M_Jup, potentially signaling a transition in the dominant formation processes. This shift in trend should be considered with caution and needs to be confirmed with more sensitive observations. Our results are consistent with the gradual dispersal of disks over time, as disk fractions in Upper Scorpius appear systematically lower than those in younger regions.