Menggunakan Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array ([{” attribute=””>ALMA) in Chile, researchers at Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands have for the first time detected dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disc. With nine atoms, this is the largest molecule identified in such a disc to date. It is also a precursor of larger organic molecules that can lead to the emergence of life.
“From these results, we can learn more about the origin of life on our planet and therefore get a better idea of the potential for life in other planetary systems. It is very exciting to see how these findings fit into the bigger picture,” says Nashanty Brunken, a Master’s student at Leiden Observatory, part of Leiden University, and lead author of the study published on March 8, 2022, in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Bagaimana bahan-bahan kehidupan berakhir di planet? Penemuan molekul terbesar yang pernah ditemukan dalam piringan pembentuk planet memberikan petunjuk. Kredit:[{” attribute=””>ESO
Dimethyl ether is an organic molecule commonly seen in star-forming clouds, but had never before been found in a planet-forming disc. The researchers also made a tentative detection of methyl formate, a complex molecule similar to dimethyl ether that is also a building block for even larger organic molecules.
“It is really exciting to finally detect these larger molecules in discs. For a while we thought it might not be possible to observe them,” says co-author Alice Booth, also a researcher at Leiden Observatory.
The molecules were found in the planet-forming disc around the young star IRS 48 (also known as Oph-IRS 48) with the help of ALMA, an observatory co-owned by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). IRS 48, located 444 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, has been the subject of numerous studies because its disc contains an asymmetric, cashew-nut-shaped “dust trap.” This region, which likely formed as a result of a newly born planet or small companion star located between the star and the dust trap, retains large numbers of millimeter-sized dust grains that can come together and grow into kilometer-sized objects like comets, asteroids and potentially even planets.
Many complex organic molecules, such as dimethyl ether, are thought to arise in star-forming clouds, even before the stars themselves are born. In these cold environments, atoms and simple molecules like carbon monoxide stick to dust grains, forming an ice layer and undergoing chemical reactions, which result in more complex molecules. Researchers recently discovered that the dust trap in the IRS 48 disc is also an ice reservoir, harboring dust grains covered with this ice rich in complex molecules. It was in this region of the disc that ALMA has now spotted signs of the dimethyl ether molecule: as heating from IRS 48 sublimates the ice into gas, the trapped molecules inherited from the cold clouds are freed and become detectable.
Video ini memperbesar sistem Oph-IRS 48, sebuah bintang yang dikelilingi oleh piringan pembentuk planet yang berisi perangkap debu. Perangkap ini memungkinkan partikel debu tumbuh dan menelurkan tubuh yang lebih besar.
“Apa yang membuat ini lebih menarik adalah bahwa kita sekarang mengetahui bahwa molekul kompleks yang lebih besar ini tersedia untuk memberi makan planet pembentuk di dalam cakram,” jelas Booth. “Ini tidak diketahui sebelumnya karena di sebagian besar sistem, molekul-molekul ini tersembunyi di dalam es.”
Penemuan dimetil eter menunjukkan bahwa banyak molekul kompleks lainnya yang biasanya terdeteksi di daerah pembentuk bintang mungkin juga bersembunyi di struktur es dalam cakram pembentuk planet. Molekul-molekul ini adalah prekursor molekul prebiotik seperti:[{” attribute=””>amino acids and sugars, which are some of the basic building blocks of life.
By studying their formation and evolution, researchers can therefore gain a better understanding of how prebiotic molecules end up on planets, including our own. “We are incredibly pleased that we can now start to follow the entire journey of these complex molecules from the clouds that form stars, to planet-forming discs, and to comets. Hopefully, with more observations we can get a step closer to understanding the origin of prebiotic molecules in our own Solar System,” says Nienke van der Marel, a Leiden Observatory researcher who also participated in the study.
Video ini memperbesar sistem Oph-IRS 48, sebuah bintang yang dikelilingi oleh piringan pembentuk planet yang berisi perangkap debu. Perangkap ini memungkinkan partikel debu tumbuh dan menelurkan tubuh yang lebih besar.
Studi IRS 48 di masa depan dengan Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) ESO, yang saat ini sedang dibangun di Chili dan akan mulai beroperasi akhir dekade ini, akan memungkinkan tim untuk mempelajari kimia wilayah terdalam cakram, di mana planet seperti Bumi mungkin ada. membentuk.
Referensi: “Perangkap es asimetris utama dalam piringan pembentuk planet: III.” Deteksi pertama dimetil eter” oleh Nashanty GC Brunken, Alice S. Booth, Margot Leemker, Pooneh Nazari, Nienke van der Marel dan Ewine F. van Dishoeck, 8 Maret 2022, Astronomi dan Astrofisika.
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202142981
Publikasi ini dirilis pada Hari Perempuan Internasional 2022 para peneliti dan menampilkan penelitian yang dilakukan oleh enam orang yang mengidentifikasi diri sebagai perempuan.
Tim ini terdiri dari Nashanty GC Brunken (Observatorium Leiden, Universitas Leiden, Belanda [Leiden]), Alice S. Booth (Leiden), Margot Leemker (Leiden), Pooneh Nazari (Leiden), Nienke van der Marel (Leiden), Ewine F. van Dishoeck (Observatorium Leiden, Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching, Jerman)
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