The Spatial Distribution of CH4 and CO2 Ice Around Protostars IRAS 16253-2429 and IRAS 23385+6053

The origin and evolution of organic molecules represent a pivotal issue in the fields of astrobiology and astrochemistry, potentially shedding light on the origins of life.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with its exceptional sensitivity and spectral resolution, is well suitable to observe molecules such as methane (CH₄). Our analysis focused on the distribution of CH₄, CO₂, H₂O, CH₃OH+NH+⁴ ice and silicate absorption dips at approximately 7.7, 15.0, 6.0, 6.7 and 10.0 micrometres in two protostars: IRAS 16253-2429 and IRAS 23385+6053. We extract the CH₄, CO₂, H₂O, CH₃OH+NH+⁴ ice equivalent width (EW) maps and silicate extinction maps of the two sources.

Our results reveal that the spatial distribution of CH₄ in the protostellar system IRAS 16253-2429 closely mirrors that of its CO₂ ice, forming a surrounded distribution that encircles the central protostar. This alignment suggests a common formation mechanism and subsequent trapping within the protostellar envelope, which is consistent with the “Classical” dark-cloud chemistry with ion-molecule reaction.

In contrast, the spatial distributions of various molecules in the system IRAS 23385+6053 exhibit low similarities, which may be attributed to the dynamic influences of outflows or accretion processes. These discrepancies highlight the complex interplay between physical processes and chemical evolution in protostellar environments.

Lei Lei, Lei Feng, Yi-Zhong Fan

Comments: 5 pages, 2 figures, 1 table
Subjects: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA); Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
Cite as: arXiv:2409.04217 [astro-ph.GA](or arXiv:2409.04217v1 [astro-ph.GA] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2409.04217
Focus to learn more
Submission history
From: Lei Lei
[v1] Fri, 6 Sep 2024 12:16:08 UTC (240 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.04217

Astrobiology,