Spectroscopic characterization of X-ray emitting young stars associated with the Sh 2-296 nebula

We studied a sample of stars associated with the Sh 2-296 nebula, part of the reflection nebulae complex in the region of Canis Major R1 (CMa R1). Our sample corresponds to optical counterparts of X-ray sources detected from observations with the XMM-Newton satellite, which revealed dozens of possible low-mass young stars not yet known in this region. A sample of 58 young star candidates were selected based on optical spectral features, mainly Hα and lithium lines, observed with multiobjects spectroscopy performed by the Gemini South telescope. Among the candidates, we find 41 confirmed T Tauri and 15 very likely young stars. Based on the Hα emission, the T Tauri stars were distinguished between classical (17 per cent) and weak-lined (83 per cent), but no significant difference was found in the age and mass distribution of these two classes. The characterization of the sample was complemented by near- and mid-infrared data, providing an estimate of ages and masses from the comparison with pre-main-sequence evolutionary models. While half of the young stars have an age of 1-2 Myr or less, only a small fraction (∼25 per cent) shows evidence of IR excess revealing the presence of circumstellar discs. This low fraction is quite rare compared to most young star-forming regions, suggesting that some external factor has accelerated the disc dissipation.