Booth, AS, Walsh, C orcid.org/0000-0001-6078-786X, Terwisscha van Scheltinga, J et al. (5 more authors) (2021) An inherited complex organic molecule reservoir in a warm planet-hosting disk. Nature Astronomy, 5 (7). pp. 684-690. ISSN 2397-3366
Abstract
Quantifying the composition of the material in protoplanetary disks is essential to determining the potential for exoplanetary systems to produce and support habitable environments. When considering potential habitability, complex organic molecules are relevant, key among which is methanol (CH3OH). Methanol primarily forms at low temperatures via the hydrogenation of CO ice on the surface of icy dust grains and is a necessary basis for the formation of more complex species such as amino acids and proteins. We report the detection of CH3OH in a disk around a young, luminous A-type star, HD 100546. This disk is warm and therefore does not host an abundant reservoir of CO ice. We argue that the CH3OH cannot form in situ, and hence that this disk has probably inherited complex-organic-molecule-rich ice from an earlier cold dark cloud phase. This is strong evidence that at least some interstellar organic material survives the disk-formation process and can then be incorporated into forming planets, moons and comets. Therefore, crucial pre-biotic chemical evolution already takes place in dark star-forming clouds.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2021. This is an author produced version of an article, published in Nature Astronomy. Uploaded 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) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) ST/R000549/1 STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) ST/T000287/1 MRC (Medical Research Council) MR/T040726/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 20 May 2021 09:29 |
Last Modified: | 27 Jul 2022 09:03 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Nature Research |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41550-021-01352-w |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:173979 |