ABSTRACT The total gas mass of a protoplanetary disk is a fundamental, but poorly determined, quantity. A new technique has been demonstrated to assess directly the bulk molecular gas reservoir of ...molecular hydrogen using the HD J = 1-0 line at 112 m. In this work we present a Herschel Space Observatory10 survey of six additional T Tauri disks in the HD line. Line emission is detected at >3 significance in two cases: DM Tau and GM Aur. For the other four disks, we establish upper limits to the line flux. Using detailed disk structure and ray-tracing models, we calculate the temperature structure and dust mass from modeling the observed spectral energy distributions, and we include the effect of UV gas heating to determine the amount of gas required to fit the HD line. The ranges of gas masses are 1.0-4.7 × 10−2 for DM Tau and 2.5-20.4 × 10−2 for GM Aur. These values are larger than those found using CO for GM Aur, while the CO-derived gas mass for DM Tau is consistent with the lower end of our mass range. This suggests a CO chemical depletion from the gas phase of up to a factor of five for DM Tau and up to two orders of magnitude for GM Aur. We discuss how future analysis can narrow the mass ranges further.
Context. One of the important questions of astrochemistry is how complex organic molecules, including potential prebiotic species, are formed in the envelopes around embedded protostars. The ...abundances of minor isotopologues of a molecule, in particular the D- and 13C-bearing variants, are sensitive to the densities, temperatures and timescales characteristic of the environment in which they form, and can therefore provide important constraints on the formation routes and conditions of individual species. Aims. The aim of this paper is to systematically survey the deuteration and the 13C content of a variety of oxygen-bearing complex organic molecules on solar system scales toward the “B component” of the protostellar binary IRAS16293–2422. Methods. We have used the data from an unbiased molecular line survey of the protostellar binary IRAS16293−2422 between 329 and 363 GHz from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The data probe scales of 60 AU (diameter) where most of the organic molecules are expected to have sublimated off dust grains and be present in the gas phase. The deuterated and 13C isotopic species of ketene, acetaldehyde and formic acid, as well as deuterated ethanol, are detected unambiguously for the first time in the interstellar medium. These species are analysed together with the 13C isotopic species of ethanol, dimethyl ether and methyl formate along with mono-deuterated methanol, dimethyl ether and methyl formate. Results. The complex organic molecules can be divided into two groups with one group, the simpler species, showing a D/H ratio of ≈2% and the other, the more complex species, D/H ratios of 4–8%. This division may reflect the formation time of each species in the ices before or during warm-up/infall of material through the protostellar envelope. No significant differences are seen in the deuteration of different functional groups for individual species, possibly a result of the short timescale for infall through the innermost warm regions where exchange reactions between different species may be taking place. The species show differences in excitation temperatures between 125 and 300 K. This likely reflects the binding energies of the individual species, in good agreement with what has previously been found for high-mass sources. For dimethyl ether, the 12C/13C ratio is found to be lower by up to a factor of 2 compared to typical ISM values similar to what has previously been inferred for glycolaldehyde. Tentative identifications suggest that the same may apply for 13C isotopologues of methyl formate and ethanol. If confirmed, this may be a clue to their formation at the late prestellar or early protostellar phases with an enhancement of the available 13C relative to 12C related to small differences in binding energies for CO isotopologues or the impact of FUV irradiation by the central protostar. Conclusions. The results point to the importance of ice surface chemistry for the formation of these complex organic molecules at different stages in the evolution of embedded protostars and demonstrate the use of accurate isotope measurements for understanding the history of individual species.
Millimeter observations of CO gas in planetesimal belts show a high detection rate around A stars, but few detections for later type stars. We present the first CO detection in a planetesimal belt ...around an M star, TWA 7. The optically thin CO (J = 3-2) emission is colocated with previously identified dust emission from the belt, and the emission velocity structure is consistent with Keplerian rotation around the central star. The detected CO is not well shielded against photodissociation, and must thus be continuously replenished by gas release from exocomets within the belt. We analyze in detail the process of exocometary gas release and destruction around young M dwarfs and how this process compares to earlier type stars. Taking these differences into account, we find that CO generation through exocometary gas release naturally explains the increasing CO detection rates with stellar luminosity, mostly because the CO production rate from the collisional cascade is directly proportional to stellar luminosity. More luminous stars will therefore on average host more massive (and hence more easily detectable) exocometary CO disks, leading to the higher detection rates observed. The current CO detection rates are consistent with a ubiquitous release of exocometary gas in planetesimal belts, independent of spectral type.
Context. Deuterium fractionation has been used to study the thermal history of prestellar environments. Their formation pathways trace different regions of the disk and may shed light into the ...physical structure of the disk, including locations of important features for planetary formation. Aims. We aim to constrain the radial extent of the main deuterated species; we are particularly interested in spatially characterizing the high and low temperature pathways for enhancing deuteration of these species. Methods. We observed the disk surrounding the Herbig Ae star HD 163296 using ALMA in Band 6 and obtained resolved spectral imaging data of DCO+ (J = 3 − 2), DCN (J = 3 − 2) and N2D+ (J = 3 − 2) with synthesized beam sizes of 0.̋53 × 0.̋42, 0.̋53 × 0.̋42, and 0.̋50 × 0.̋39, respectively. We adopted a physical model of the disk from the literature and use the 3D radiative transfer code LIME to estimate an excitation temperature profile for our detected lines. We modeled the radial emission profiles of DCO+, DCN, and N2D+, assuming their emission is optically thin, using a parametric model of their abundances and our excitation temperature estimates. Results. DCO+ can be described by a three-region model with constant-abundance rings centered at 70 AU, 150 AU, and 260 AU. The DCN radial profile peaks at about 60 AU and N2D+ is seen in a ring at 160 AU. Simple models of both molecules using constant abundances reproduce the data. Assuming reasonable average excitation temperatures for the whole disk, their disk-averaged column densities (and deuterium fractionation ratios) are 1.6–2.6×1012 cm-2 (0.04–0.07), 2.9–5.2×1012 cm-2 (~0.02), and 1.6–2.5×1011 cm-2 (0.34–0.45) for DCO+, DCN, and N2D+, respectively. Conclusions. Our simple best-fit models show a correlation between the radial location of the first two rings in DCO+ and the DCN and N2D+ abundance distributions that can be interpreted as the high and low temperature deuteration pathways regimes. The origin of the third DCO+ ring at 260 AU is unknown but may be due to a local decrease of ultraviolet opacity allowing the photodesorption of CO or due to thermal desorption of CO as a consequence of radial drift and settlement of dust grains. The derived Df values agree with previous estimates of 0.05 for DCO+/HCO+ and 0.02 for DCN/HCN in HD 163296, and 0.3−0.5 for N2D+/N2H+ in AS 209, a T Tauri disk. The high N2D+/N2H+ confirms N2D+ as a good candidate for tracing ionization in the cold outer disk.
Resolved observations of millimeter-sized dust, tracing larger planetesimals, have pinpointed the location of 26 Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt analogs. We report that a belt's distance R to its host star ...correlates with the star's luminosity L , following with a low intrinsic scatter of ∼17%. Remarkably, our Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt in the solar system and the two CO snow lines imaged in protoplanetary disks lie close to this R-L relation, suggestive of an intrinsic relationship between protoplanetary disk structures and belt locations. To test the effect of bias on the relation, we use a Monte Carlo approach and simulate uncorrelated model populations of belts. We find that observational bias could produce the slope and intercept of the R-L relation but is unable to reproduce its low scatter. We then repeat the simulation taking into account the collisional evolution of belts, following the steady-state model that fits the belt population as observed through infrared excesses. This significantly improves the fit by lowering the scatter of the simulated R-L relation; however, this scatter remains only marginally consistent with the one observed. The inability of observational bias and collisional evolution alone to reproduce the tight relationship between belt radius and stellar luminosity could indicate that planetesimal belts form at preferential locations within protoplanetary disks. The similar trend for CO snow line locations would then indicate that the formation of planetesimals or planets in the outer regions of planetary systems is linked to the volatility of their building blocks, as postulated by planet formation models.
Context. The gas and dust in circumstellar disks provide the raw materials to form planets. The study of organic molecules and their building blocks in such disks offers insight into the origin of ...the prebiotic environment of terrestrial planets. Aims. We aim to determine the distribution of formaldehyde, H2CO, in the disk around HD 163296 to assess the contribution of gas- and solid-phase formation routes of this simple organic. Methods. Three formaldehyde lines were observed (H2CO 303–202, H2CO 322–221, and H2CO 321–220) in the protoplanetary disk around the Herbig Ae star HD 163296 with ALMA at ~0.5″ (60 AU) spatial resolution. Different parameterizations of the H2CO abundance were compared to the observed visibilities, using either a characteristic temperature, a characteristic radius or a radial power law index to describe the H2CO chemistry. Similar models were applied to ALMA Science Verification data of C18O. In each scenario, χ2 minimization on the visibilities was used to determine the best-fit model in each scenario. Results. H2CO 303–202 was readily detected via imaging, while the weaker H2CO 322–221 and H2CO 321–220 lines required matched filter analysis to detect. H2CO is present throughout most of the gaseous disk, extending out to ~550 AU. An apparent 50 AU inner radius of the H2CO emission is likely caused by an optically thick dust continuum. The H2CO radial intensity profile shows a peak at ~100 AU and a secondary bump at ~300 AU, suggesting increased production in the outer disk. In all modeling scenarios, fits to the H2CO data show an increased abundance in the outer disk. The overall best-fit H2CO model shows a factor of two enhancement beyond a radius of 270 ± 20 AU, with an inner abundance (relative to H2) of 2 − 5 × 10-12. The H2CO emitting region has a lower limit on the kinetic temperature of T> 20 K. The C18O modeling suggests an order of magnitude depletion of C18O in the outer disk and an abundance of 4 − 12 × 10-8 in the inner disk. Conclusions. There is a desorption front seen in the H2CO emission that roughly coincides with the outer edge of the 1.3 millimeter continuum. The increase in H2CO outer disk emission could be a result of hydrogenation of CO ices on dust grains that are then sublimated via thermal desorption or UV photodesorption. Alternatively, there could be more efficient gas-phase production of H2CO beyond ~300 AU if CO is photodisocciated in this region.
Context. One of the open questions in astrochemistry is how complex organic and prebiotic molecules are formed. The unsurpassed sensitivity of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) ...takes the quest for discovering molecules in the warm and dense gas surrounding young stars to the next level. Aims. Our aim is to start the process of compiling an inventory of oxygen-bearing complex organic molecules toward the solar-type Class 0 protostellar binary IRAS 16293-2422 from an unbiased spectral survey with ALMA, Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey (PILS). Here we focus on the new detections of ethylene oxide (c-C2H4O), acetone (CH3COCH3), and propanal (C2H5CHO). Methods. With ALMA, we surveyed the spectral range from 329 to 363 GHz at 0.5″ (60 AU diameter) resolution. Using a simple model for the molecular emission in local thermodynamical equilibrium, the excitation temperatures and column densities of each species were constrained. Results. We successfully detect propanal (44 lines), ethylene oxide (20 lines) and acetone (186 lines) toward one component of the protostellar binary, IRAS 16293B. The high resolution maps demonstrate that the emission for all investigated species originates from the compact central region close to the protostar. This, along with a derived common excitation temperature of Tex ≈ 125 K, is consistent with a coexistence of these molecules in the same gas. Conclusions. The observations mark the first detections of acetone, propanal and ethylene oxide toward a low-mass protostar. The relative abundance ratios of the two sets of isomers, a CH3COCH3/C2H5CHO ratio of 8 and a CH3CHO/c-C2H4O ratio of 12, are comparable to previous observations toward high-mass protostars. The majority of observed abundance ratios from these results as well as those measured toward high-mass protostars are up to an order of magnitude above the predictions from chemical models. This may reflect either missing reactions or uncertain rates in the chemical networks. The physical conditions, such as temperatures or densities, used in the models, may not be applicable to solar-type protostars either.
Ortho-to-para (o/p) ratios of species like water, ammonia, and formaldehyde ( ) are believed to encode information about the formation history of the molecule. Measurements of o/p ratios in ...protoplanetary disks could thus be used to constrain their physical and chemical histories. We present the first measurement of the o/p ratio in a protoplanetary disk, using three ortho and two para lines observed with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) combined with one highly resolved measurement of a single line with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) toward the disk around Herbig Ae star HD 163296. We find a disk-averaged o/p ratio of 1.8-2.8 (depending on the assumed disk structure), corresponding to a spin temperature of 11-22 K. We also derive a rotational temperature of 24 K from the flux ratio of the three ortho lines. The observed spatial distribution, as seen by ALMA, as well as the rotational temperature and the o/p ratio, at the large scales the SMA is most sensitive to, are consistent with a low-temperature formation pathway, most likely grain surface chemistry, of in this disk.
Formamide (NH2CHO) has previously been detected in several star-forming regions and is thought to be a precursor for different prebiotic molecules. Its formation mechanism is still debated, however. ...Observations of formamide, related species, and their isopotologues may provide useful clues to the chemical pathways leading to their formation. The Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey (PILS) represents an unbiased, high angular resolution and sensitivity spectral survey of the low-mass protostellar binary IRAS 16293–2422 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). For the first time, we detect the three singly deuterated forms of NH2CHO (NH2CDO, cis- and trans-NHDCHO), as well as DNCO towards the component B of this binary source. The images reveal that the different isotopologues are all present in the same region. Based on observations of the 13C isotopologues of formamide and a standard 12C/13C ratio, the deuterium fractionation is found to be similar for the three different forms with a value of about 2%. The DNCO/HNCO ratio is also comparable to the D/H ratio of formamide (~1%). These results are in agreement with the hypothesis that NH2CHO and HNCO are chemically related through grain-surface formation.
The exocometary origin of CO gas has been confirmed in several extrasolar Kuiper belts, with CO ice abundances consistent with solar system comets. We here present a molecular survey of the β ...Pictoris belt with the Submillimeter Array (SMA), reporting upper limits for CN, HCN, HCO+, N2H+, and H2CO, as well as for H2S, CH3OH, SiO, and DCN from archival ALMA data. Nondetections can be attributed to rapid molecular photodissociation due to the A-star's strong UV flux. CN is the longest lasting and most easily detectable molecule after CO in this environment. We update our nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium excitation model to include UV fluorescence, finding it plays a key role in CO and CN excitation, and we use it to turn the SMA CN/CO flux ratio constraint into an upper limit of % on the HCN/(CO+CO2) ratio of outgassing rates. This value is consistent with, but at the low end of, the broad range observed in solar system comets. If sublimation dominates outgassing, then this low value may be caused by decreased outgassing for the less volatile molecule HCN compared to CO. If instead UV photodesorption or collisional vaporization of unbound grains dominates outgassing, then this low ratio of rates would imply a low ice abundance ratio, which would in turn indicate a variation in cometary cyanide abundances across planetary systems. To conclude, we make predictions for future molecular surveys and show that CN and HCN should be readily detectable with ALMA around β Pictoris for solar-system-like exocometary compositions.
PDF
