Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, astronomers from the Netherlands’ Leiden Observatory discovered dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disc for the first time. This is the biggest molecule discovered in such a disc yet, with nine atoms. It is also a precursor to bigger organic compounds, which can result in the birth of life.
Dimethyl ether is a common chemical compound found in star-forming clouds, but it has never been seen in a planet-forming disc previously. The researchers also achieved a preliminary discovery of methyl formate, a complex chemical akin to dimethyl ether that may be used to generate even bigger organic compounds.
“It’s incredibly amazing to see these bigger molecules in discs for the first time. We believed for a long time that we wouldn’t be able to see them “Alice Booth, a researcher at Leiden Observatory, is one of the co-authors.
The molecules were discovered using ALMA, an observatory co-owned by the European Southern Observatory, in the planet-forming disc surrounding the young star IRS 48, also known as Oph-IRS 48. (ESO). IRS 48, situated 444 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, has been the topic of multiple research due to the presence of an asymmetric, cashew-nut-shaped “dust trap” on its disc. This region, which most likely formed as a result of a newly formed planet or small companion star located between the star and the dust trap, retains a large number of millimeter-sized dust grains that can collide and grow into kilometer-sized objects such as comets, asteroids, and possibly planets.
This planet-forming disc surrounding the IRS 48 star, also known as Oph-IRS 48, is depicted in this artist’s rendition. This disc has an area in its southern hemisphere that collects millimeter-sized dust grains, which may collide and evolve into kilometer-sized objects like comets, asteroids, and possibly even planets. This “dust trap” is also an ice reservoir, with layers of ice containing complex molecules accumulating around the dust grains. The IRS 48 star’s heat can sublimate the ice into gas, releasing the trapped molecules and allowing them to be detected. The final animation depicts two of the compounds observed in the IRS 48 system: methanol and dimethyl ether, the latter of which is the biggest molecule yet identified in a planet-forming disc.
Many complex chemical compounds, such as dimethyl ether, are predicted to develop in star-forming clouds prior to the birth of the stars themselves. Atoms and basic molecules like carbon monoxide adhere to dust grains in these freezing conditions, generating an ice coating and performing chemical processes that result in more complex molecules. Researchers have revealed that the IRS 48 disc’s dust trap is actually an ice reservoir, including dust grains wrapped in complex molecule-rich ice. ALMA has recently discovered evidence of the dimethyl ether molecule in this region of the disc: when heating from IRS 48 sublimates the ice into gas, the trapped molecules inherited from the cold clouds become free and observable.
“What makes this more intriguing is that we now know these more complex chemicals are accessible to feed planets developing in the disc,” Booth says. “This was previously unknown since, in most settings, these molecules are concealed under the ice.”
The finding of dimethyl ether hints that many additional complex compounds seen in star-forming regions may also be hidden atop frozen structures in planet-forming discs. These compounds are the antecedents of prebiotic chemicals like amino acids and carbohydrates, which are some of the fundamental building blocks of life.
Researchers can acquire a better grasp of how prebiotic chemicals end up on worlds like ours by examining their origin and development. “We are overjoyed that we can now begin to track the complete course of these complicated chemicals from star-forming clouds to planet-forming discs and comets. With further data, we should be able to get a little closer to understanding the origins of prebiotic chemicals in our own Solar System “Nienke van der Marel, a Leiden Observatory researcher who also took part in the study, agrees.
Future investigations of IRS 48 using ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which is now being built in Chile and is scheduled to begin operations later this decade, will allow the researchers to explore the chemistry of the disc’s most inner regions, where planets like Earth may be forming.
