Astrochemistry

Molecules With ALMA At Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) VI: Distribution of the small organics HCN, C2H, and H2CO

By Keith Cowing
astro-ph.EP
September 15, 2021
Filed under
Molecules With ALMA At Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) VI: Distribution of the small organics HCN, C2H, and H2CO
260 GHz dust continuum emission and zeroth-moment maps for the HCN J = 3 − 2 and J = 1 − 0, C2H N = 3 − 2, N = 1 − 0 and H2CO J = 3 − 2 lines. All the hyperfine components were included to generate the HCN zeroth-moment map, while only the brightest hyperfine component is included in the C2H zeroth-moment map. The color is shown with power-law stretch to enhance the faint emission in the outer disk. The beam is shown in the bottom left corner of each panel.

Small organic molecules, such as C2H, HCN, and H2CO, are tracers of the C, N, and O budget in protoplanetary disks.

We present high angular resolution (10-50 au) observations of C2H, HCN, and H2CO lines in five protoplanetary disks from the Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) ALMA Large Program.

We derive column density and excitation temperature profiles for HCN and C2H, and find that the HCN emission arises in a temperate (20-30 K) layer in the disk, while C2H is present in relatively warmer (20-60 K) layers. In the case of HD 163296, we find a decrease in column density for HCN and C2H inside one of the dust gaps near 83 au, where a planet has been proposed to be located. We derive H2CO column density profiles assuming temperatures between 20 and 50 K, and find slightly higher column densities in the colder disks around T Tauri stars than around Herbig Ae stars. The H2CO column densities rise near the location of the CO snowline and/or millimeter dust edge, suggesting an efficient release of H2CO ices in the outer disk.

Finally, we find that the inner 50 au of these disks are rich in organic species, with abundances relative to water that are similar to cometary values. Comets could therefore deliver water and key organics to future planets in these disks, similar to what might have happened here on Earth. This paper is part of the MAPS special issue of the Astrophysical Journal Supplement.

Viviana V. Guzmán, Jennifer B. Bergner, Charles J. Law, Karin I. Oberg, Catherine Walsh, Gianni Cataldi, Yuri Aikawa, Edwin A. Bergin, Ian Czekala, Jane Huang, Sean M. Andrews, Ryan A. Loomis, Ke Zhang, Romane Le Gal, Felipe Alarcón, John D. Ilee, Richard Teague, L. Ilsedore Cleeves, David J. Wilner, Feng Long, Kamber R. Schwarz, Arthur D. Bosman, Laura M. Pérez, François Ménard, Yao Liu

Comments: 23 pages, 10 figures, 4 tables. This paper is part of the MAPS special issue of the Astrophysical Journal Supplement
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
Cite as: arXiv:2109.06391 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2109.06391v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
Submission history
From: Viviana Guzmán Dr
[v1] Tue, 14 Sep 2021 01:45:36 UTC (18,159 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.06391
Astrobiology, Astrochemistry,

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻