Walsh, C orcid.org/0000-0001-6078-786X, Loomis, RA, Öberg, KI et al. (7 more authors) (2016) First Detection of Gas-phase Methanol in a Protoplanetary Disk. The Astrophysical Journal, 823 (1). L10. ISSN 2041-8205
Abstract
The first detection of gas-phase methanol in a protoplanetary disk (TW Hya) is presented. In addition to being one of the largest molecules detected in disks to date, methanol is also the first disk organic molecule with an unambiguous ice chemistry origin. The stacked methanol emission, as observed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, is spectrally resolved and detected across six velocity channels (> 3σ ), reaching a peak signal-to-noise of 5.5σ , with the kinematic pattern expected for TW Hya. Using an appropriate disk model, a fractional abundance of 3× 10⁻¹²-4× 10⁻¹¹ (with respect to H₂) reproduces the stacked line profile and channel maps, with the favored abundance dependent upon the assumed vertical location (midplane versus molecular layer). The peak emission is offset from the source position, suggesting that the methanol emission has a ring-like morphology: the analysis here suggests it peaks at ≈ 30 au, reaching a column density ≈ 3-6× 10¹² cm⁻². In the case of TW Hya, the larger (up to millimeter-sized) grains, residing in the inner 50 au, may thus host the bulk of the disk ice reservoir. The successful detection of cold gas-phase methanol in a protoplanetary disk implies that the products of ice chemistry can be explored in disks, opening a window into studying complex organic chemistry during planetary system formation.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016. The American Astronomical Society. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Astrophysics (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 08 Nov 2016 15:12 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jun 2023 22:16 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8205/823/1/L10 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | IOP Publishing |
Identification Number: | 10.3847/2041-8205/823/1/L10 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:107109 |