Phosphorus nitride (PN) is the P-bearing species with the highest number of detections in star-forming regions. Multi-line studies of the molecule have shown that the excitation temperature of PN is usually lower than the gas kinetic temperature, suggesting that PN is likely in conditions of sub-thermal excitation. We present an analysis of PN which takes the possible sub-thermal excitation conditions into account in a sample of 24 massive star-forming regions. We observed PN (2-1), (3-2), (4-3), and (6-5) with the IRAM-30m and APEX telescopes and detected PN lines in 15 of them. Together with 9 similar sources detected in PN in previous works, we have analysed the largest sample of star-forming regions to date, made of 33 sources with 24 detections in total (among which 13 are new detections). Hence, we have increased the number of star-forming regions detected in PN by more than a factor 2. Our analysis indicates that the PN lines are indeed sub-thermally excited, but well described by a single excitation temperature. We have compared line profiles and fractional abundances of PN and SiO, a typical shock tracer, and found that almost all objects detected in PN have high-velocity SiO wings. Moreover, the SiO and PN abundances with respect to H2 are correlated over several orders of magnitude, and uncorrelated with gas temperature. This clearly shows that the production of PN is strongly linked to the presence of shocked gas, and rules out alternative scenarios based on thermal evaporation from iced grain mantles.
We aim to reveal the chemistry of carbon-chain molecules in high-mass star-forming regions from molecular level to chemical evolution, applying the methods established in low-mass star-forming regions. In this proceeding, we summarize the topic about the main formation pathway of HC3N. We carried out observations of three 13C isotopologues of HC3N toward a hot core G28.28-0.36 with the 45-m radio telescope of the Nobeyama Radio Observatory. From the observational results, we propose that the main formation pathway of HC3N is the neutral-neutral reaction between C2H2 and CN. We also compare the…
We studied sulfur chemistry of massive star-forming regions through single-dish submillimeter spectroscopy. OCS, O13CS, 13CS, H2S and SO transitions were observed toward a sample of massive star-forming regions with embedded UCH II or CH II regions. These sources could be divided into H II-hot core and H II-only sources based on their CH3CN emission. Our results show that the OCS line of thirteen sources is optically thick, with optical depth ranging from 5 to 16. Column densities of these molecules were computed under LTE conditions. CS column densities were also derived using its optically t…
Phosphorus is a crucial element in prebiotic chemistry, especially the P$-$O bond, which is key for the formation of the backbone of the deoxyribonucleic acid. So far, PO had only been detected towards the envelope of evolved stars, and never towards star-forming regions. We report the first detection of PO towards two massive star-forming regions, W51 e1/e2 and W3(OH), using data from the IRAM 30m telescope. PN has also been detected towards the two regions. The abundance ratio PO/PN is 1.8 and 3 for W51 and W3(OH), respectively. Our chemical model indicates that the two molecules are chemica…
Phosphorus is a crucial element in biochemistry, especially the P-O bond, which is key for the formation of the backbone of the deoxyribonucleic acid. So far, PO has only been detected towards the envelope of evolved stars, and never towards star-forming regions. We report the first detections of PO towards two massive star-forming regions, W51 e1/e2 and W3(OH), using data from the IRAM 30m telescope. PN has also been detected towards the two regions. The abundance ratio PO/PN is 1.8 and 3 for W51 and W3(OH), respectively. Our chemical model indicates that the two molecules are chemically rela…
Recent astrochemical models and experiments have explained that complex organic molecules (COMs; molecules composed of six or more atoms) are produced on the dust grain mantles in cold and dense gas in prestellar cores. However, the detailed chemical processes and the roles of physical conditions on chemistry are still far from understood. To address these questions, we investigated twelve high-mass star-forming regions using the ALMA band 6 observations. They are associated with 44/95GHz class I and 6.7 GHz class II CH$_{3}$OH masers, indicative of undergoing active accretion. We found 28 hot…
Peptide bonds (N-C=O) play a key role in metabolic processes since they link amino acids into peptide chains or proteins. Recently, several molecules containing peptide-like bonds have been detected across multiple environments in the interstellar medium (ISM), growing the need to fully understand their chemistry and their role in forming larger pre-biotic molecules. We present a comprehensive study of the chemistry of three molecules containing peptide-like bonds: HNCO, NH$_2$CHO, and CH$_3$NCO. We also included other CHNO isomers (HCNO, HOCN), and C$_2$H$_3$NO isomers (CH$_3$OCN, CH$_3$CNO) …
We study the molecular abundance and spatial distribution of the simplest sugar alcohol, ethylene glycol (EG), the simplest sugar glycoladehyde (GA), and other chemically related complex organic species towards the massive star-forming region G31.41+0.31. We have analyzed multiple single dish and interferometric data, and obtained excitation temperatures and column densities using an LTE analysis. We have reported for the first time the presence of EG towards G31.41+0.31, and we have also detected multiple transitions of other complex organic molecules such as GA, methyl formate (MF), dimethyl…
The formation of inorganic dust in circumstellar environments of evolved stars is poorly understood. Spectra of molecules thought to be most important for the nucleation, i.e. AlO, TiO, and TiO2, have been recently detected in the red supergiant VY CMa. These molecules are effectively formed in VY CMa and the observations suggest that non-equilibrium chemistry must be involved in their formation and nucleation into dust. In addition to exploring the recent observations of VY CMa, we briefly discuss the possibility of detecting these molecules in the dust-poor circumstellar environment of Betel…
Habitable zones are regions around stars where large bodies of liquid water can be sustained on a planet or satellite. As many stars form in binary systems with non-zero eccentricity, the habitable zones around the component stars of the binary can overlap and be enlarged when the two stars are at periastron (and less often when the stars are at apastron). We perform N-body simulations of the evolution of dense star-forming regions and show that binary systems where the component stars originally have distinct habitable zones can undergo interactions that push the stars closer together, causin…
To understand how Phosphorus-bearing molecules are formed in star-forming regions, we have analysed ALMA observations of PN and PO towards the massive star-forming region AFGL 5142, combined with a new analysis of the data of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken with the ROSINA instrument onboard Rosetta. The ALMA maps show that the emission of PN and PO arises from several spots associated with low-velocity gas with narrow linewidths in the cavity walls of a bipolar outflow. PO is more abundant than PN in most of the spots, with the PO/PN ratio increasing as a function of the distance to…
Molecule-dependent Abundance Behavior of Oxygen-bearing Complex Organics in High-Mass Star-Forming Regions: A Uniform 50-source Survey
Chongqing University（重庆大学）；Shenzhen Technology University（深圳职业技术大学）；Guangxi University（广西大学）；Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University（西交利物浦大学）；Tsinghua University（清华大学）；National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台）；Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Universités（巴黎天文台、PSL研究大学、法国国家科学研究中心、索邦大学）
My thesis work aims to study the inter-relation between various physical and chemical conditions in a wide range of astrophysical environments. Our studied regions range from the super-hot regions (i.e., nebular, photon-dominated, or photodissociation regions, diffuse area, through which the lights of the background stars can reach us) to the super-cold regions (i.e., dense molecular clouds, proto-planetary disks, etc. where interstellar dust particles absorb all background visible and ultra-violet lights). The chemical complexity of the interstellar cloud gradually evolves due to the evolutio…
The Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) Large Program provides a unique opportunity to study the vertical distribution of gas, chemistry, and temperature in the protoplanetary disks around IM Lup, GM Aur, AS 209, HD 163296, and MWC 480. By using the asymmetry of molecular line emission relative to the disk major axis, we infer the emission height ($z$) above the midplane as a function of radius ($r$). Using this method, we measure emitting surfaces for a suite of CO isotopologues, HCN, and C$_2$H. We find that $^{12}$CO emission traces the most elevated regions with $z/r > 0.3$…
The precursors to larger, biologically-relevant molecules are detected throughout interstellar space, but determining the presence and properties of these molecules during planet formation requires observations of protoplanetary disks at high angular resolution and sensitivity. Here we present 0.3" observations of HC$_3$N, CH$_3$CN, and $c$-C$_3$H$_2$ in five protoplanetary disks observed as part of the Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) Large Program. We robustly detect all molecules in four of the disks (GM Aur, AS 209, HD 163296 and MWC 480) with tentative detections of $c$…
The dust-forming nova V2676 Oph is unique in that it was the first nova to provide evidence of C_2 and CN molecules during its near-maximum phase and evidence of CO molecules during its early decline phase. Observations of this nova have revealed the slow evolution of its lightcurves and have also shown low isotopic ratios of carbon (12C/13C) and nitrogen (14N/15N) in its nova envelope. These behaviors indicate that the white dwarf (WD) star hosting V2676 Oph is a CO-rich WD rather than an ONe-rich WD (typically larger in mass than the former). We performed mid-infrared spectroscopic and photo…
We have studied four complex organic molecules (COMs), methyl formate ($CH_3OCHO$), dimethyl ether ($CH_3OCH_3$), formamide ($NH_2CHO$), and ethyl cyanide ($C_2H_5CN$), towards a large sample of 39 high-mass star-forming regions representing different evolutionary stages, from early to evolved phases. We aim to identify potential correlations between the molecules and to trace their evolutionary sequence through the star formation process. We analysed spectra obtained at 3, 2, and 0.9 mm with the IRAM-30m telescope. We derived the main physical parameters for each species by fitting the molecu…
The different spatial distributions of N-bearing and O-bearing species, as is well known towards Orion~KL, is one of the long-lasting mysteries. We conducted a survey observation and chemical modeling study to investigate if the different distributions of O- and N-bearing species are widely recognized in general star-forming regions. First, we report our observational results of complex organic molecules (COMs) with the 45~m radio telescope at the Nobeyama Radio Observatory towards eight star-forming regions. Through our spectral survey ranging from 80 to 108~GHz, we detected CH$_3$OH, HCOOCH$…
The complex organic molecules (COMs) detected in star-forming regions are the precursors of the prebiotic molecules that can lead to the emergence of life. By studying COMs in more evolved protoplanetary disks we can gain a better understanding of how they are incorporated into planets. This paper presents ALMA band 7 observations of the dust and ice trap in the protoplanetary disk around Oph IRS 48. We report the first detection of dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3) in a planet-forming disk and a tentative detection of methyl formate (CH3OCHO). We determined column densities for the detected molecules …
We study the abundances of complex carbon-bearing molecules in the oxygen-rich dust- forming atmospheres of Brown Dwarfs and giant gas planets. The inner atmospheric re- gions that form the inner boundary for thermochemical gas-phase models are investigated. Results from Drift-phoenix atmosphere simulations, which include the feedback of phase- non-equilibrium dust cloud formation on the atmospheric structure and the gas-phase abun- dances, are utilised. The resulting element depletion leads to a shift in the carbon-to-oxygen ratio such that several hydrocarbon molecules and cyanopolycyanopoly…
We report a sensitive search for the rotational transitions of the carbon chain alcohol HC4OH in the frequency range of 21.2-46.7 GHz in the star-forming region L1527 and the dark cloud TMC-1. The motivation was laboratory detection of HC4OH by microwave spectroscopy. Despite achieving rms noise levels of several millikelvin in the antenna temperature using the 45 m telescope at Nobeyama Radio Observatory, the detection was not successful, leading to 3 sigma upper limits corresponding to the column densities of 2.0 \times 1012 and 5.6 \times 1012 cm-2 in L1527 and TMC-1, respectively. These up…
The study of the physical and chemical properties of gas infall motion in the molecular clumps helps us understand the initial stages of star formation. We used the FTS wide-sideband mode of the IRAM 30-m telescope to observe nine infall sources with significant double peaked blue line profile. The observation frequency range are 83.7 - 91.5 GHz and 99.4 - 107.2 GHz. We have obtained numbers of molecular line data. Using XCLASS, a total of 7 to 27 different molecules and isotopic transition lines have been identified in these nine sources, including carbon chain molecules such as CCH, c-C3H2 a…
The cosmic abundance of hydrides depends critically on high-energy UV, X-ray, and particle irradiation. Here we study hydrides in star-forming regions where irradiation by the young stellar object can be substantial, and density and temperature can be much enhanced over interstellar values. Lines of OH, CH, NH, SH and their ions OH+, CH+, NH+, SH+, H2O+, and H3O+ were observed in star-forming regions by the HIFI spectrometer onboard the Herschel Space Observatory. Molecular column densities are derived from observed ground-state lines, models, or rotational diagrams. We report here on two prot…
We investigate the chemistry in a radiation-hydrodynamics model of star-forming core which evolves from a cold ($\sim 10$ K) prestellar core to the main accretion phase in $\sim 10^5$ yr. A rotationally-supported gravitationally unstable disk is formed around a protostar. We extract the temporal variation of physical parameters in $\sim 1.5 \times 10^3$ SPH particles which end up in the disk, and perform post-processing calculations of the gas-grain chemistry adopting a three-phase model. Inside the disk, the SPH particles migrate both inward and outward. Since a significant fraction of volati…
Using the new equipment of the Shanghai Tian Ma Radio Telescope, we have searched for carbon-chain molecules (CCMs) towards five outflow sources and six Lupus I starless dust cores, including one region known to be characterized by warm carbon-chain chemistry (WCCC), Lupus I-1 (IRAS 15398-3359), and one TMC-1 like cloud, Lupus I-6 (Lupus-1A). Lines of HC3N J=2-1, HC5N J=6-5, HC7N J=14-13, 15-14, 16-15 and C3S J=3-2 were detected in all the targets except in the outflow source L1660 and the starless dust core Lupus I-3/4. The column densities of nitrogen-bearing species range from 10$^{12}$ to …
Star-forming regions show a rich and varied chemistry, including the presence of complex organic molecules - both in the cold gas distributed on large scales, and in the hot regions close to young stars where protoplanetary disks arise. Recent advances in observational techniques have opened new possibilities for studying this chemistry. In particular, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has made it possible to study astrochemistry down to Solar System size scales, while also revealing molecules of increasing variety and complexity. In this review, we discuss recent observa…
Glycolaldehyde (HOCH$_2$CHO) and ethylene glycol ((CH$_2$OH)$_2$) are two complex organic molecules detected in the hot cores and hot corinos of several star-forming regions. The ethylene glycol/glycolaldehyde abundance ratio seems to show an increase with the source luminosity. In the literature, several surface-chemistry formation mechanisms have been proposed for these two species. With the UCLCHEM chemical code, we explored the different scenarios and compared the predictions for a range of sources of different luminosities with the observations. None of the scenarios reproduce perfectly t…
Hot molecular cores (HMCs), the cradles of massive stars, are the most chemically rich sources in the Galaxy. The typical masses of these cores (few hundreds of solar masses) make them the most important reservoirs of complex organic molecules (COMs), including key species for prebiotic processes. This rich chemistry is thought to be the result of the evaporation of dust grain mantles by the strong radiation of the deeply embedded early-type star(s). Our own Sun may have been born in a high-mass star-forming region, so our Earth may have inherited the primordial chemical composition of its par…
We present a detailed analysis of the disk and circumstellar environment of the forming O-type star AFGL 4176 mm1, placing results from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) into context with multiwavelength data. With ALMA, we detect seventeen 1.2 mm continuum sources within 5$''$ (21,000 au) of AFGL 4176 mm1. We find that mm1 has a spectral index of 3.4$\pm$0.2 across the ALMA band, with $>$87% of its 1.2 mm continuum emission from dust. The source mm2, projected 4200 au from mm1, may be a companion or a blueshifted knot in a jet. We also explore the morphological differenc…
Complex organic molecules have been observed for decades in the interstellar medium. Some of them might be considered as small bricks of the macromolecules at the base of terrestrial life. It is hence particularly important to understand organic chemistry in Solar-like star forming regions. In this article, we present a new observational project: SOLIS (Seeds Of Life In Space). This is a Large Project at the IRAM-NOEMA interferometer, and its scope is to image the emission of several crucial organic molecules in a sample of Solar-like star forming regions in different evolutionary stage and en…
For decades, the detection of phosphorus-bearing molecules in the interstellar medium was restricted to high-mass star-forming regions (as e.g. SgrB2 and Orion KL) and the circumstellar envelopes of evolved stars. However, recent higher-sensitivity observations have revealed that molecules such as PN and PO are present not only toward cold massive cores and low-mass star-forming regions with PO/PN ratios >1, but also toward the Giant Molecular Clouds in the Galactic Center known to be exposed to highly energetic phenomena such as intense UV radiation fields, shock waves and cosmic rays. In thi…
Observations of star forming environments revealed that the abundances of some deuterated interstellar molecules are markedly larger than the cosmic D/H ratio of 10-5. Possible reasons for this pointed to grain surface chemistry. How- ever, organic molecules and water, which are both ice constituents, do not enjoy the same deuteration. For example, deuterated formaldehyde is very abundant in comets and star forming regions, while deuterated water rarely is. In this article, we explain this selective deuteration by following the formation of ices (using the rate equation method) in translucent …
The youngest low-mass protostars are known to be chemically rich, accreting matter most vigorously, and producing the most powerful outflows. Molecules are unique tracers of these phenomena. We use ALMA to study several outflow sources in the Serpens Main region. The most luminous source, Ser-SMM1, shows the richest chemical composition, but some complex molecules are also present in S68N. No emission from complex organics is detected toward Ser-emb 8N, which is the least luminous in the sample. We discuss whether these differences reflect an evolutionary effect or whether they are due to diff…
UV photochemistry in the surface layers of protoplanetary disks dramatically alters their composition relative to previous stages of star formation. The abundance ratio CN/HCN has long been proposed to trace the UV field in various astrophysical objects, however to date the relationship between CN, HCN, and the UV field in disks remains ambiguous. As part of the ALMA Large Program MAPS (Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales), we present observations of CN N=1-0 transitions at 0.3'' resolution towards five disk systems. All disks show bright CN emission within $\sim$50-150 au, along with…
Phosphorus is a key ingredient in terrestrial biochemistry, but is rarely observed in the molecular ISM and therefore little is known about how it is inherited during the star and planet formation sequence. We present observations of the phosphorus-bearing molecules PO and PN towards the Class I low-mass protostar B1-a using the IRAM 30m telescope, representing the second detection of phosphorus carriers in a Solar-type star forming region. The P/H abundance contained in PO and PN is ~10$^{-10}$-10$^{-9}$ depending on the assumed source size, accounting for just 0.05-0.5% of the solar phosphor…
Deuterium fractionation is dependent on various physical and chemical parameters. Thus, the formation location and thermal history of material in the solar system is often studied by measuring its D/H ratio. This requires knowledge about the deuteration processes operating during the planet formation era. We aim to study these processes by radially resolving the DCN/HCN (at 0.3" resolution) and N$_2$D$^+$/N$_2$H$^+$ (0.3 to 0.9") column density ratios toward the five protoplanetary disks observed by the Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming scales (MAPS) Large Program. DCN is detected in all f…
Over the last few years, the chemistry of molecules other than CO in the planet-forming zones of disks is starting to be explored with Spitzer and high-resolution ground-based data. However, these studies have focused only on a few simple molecules. The aim of this study is to put observational constraints on the presence of more complex organic and sulfur-bearing molecules predicted to be abundant in chemical models of disks and to simulate high resolution spectra in view of future missions. High S/N Spitzer spectra at 10-30 micron of the near edge-on disks IRS46 and GVTau are used to search …
This overview paper presents ATOMIUM, a Large Programme in Cycle 6 with the Atacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array (ALMA). The goal of ATOMIUM is to understand the dynamics and the gas phase and dust formation chemistry in the winds of evolved asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and red supergiant (RSG) stars. A more general aim is to identify chemical processes applicable to other astrophysical environments. 17 oxygen-rich AGB and RSG stars spanning a range in (circum)stellar parameters and evolutionary phases were observed in a homogeneous observing strategy allowing for an unambiguous compa…
Planets form and obtain their compositions in dust and gas-rich disks around young stars, and the outcome of this process is intimately linked to the disk chemical properties. The distributions of molecules across disks regulate the elemental compositions of planets, including C/N/O/S ratios and metallicity (O/H and C/H), as well as access to water and prebiotically relevant organics. Emission from molecules also encodes information on disk ionization levels, temperature structures, kinematics, and gas surface densities, which are all key ingredients of disk evolution and planet formation mode…
We have analyzed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) cycle 2 data of band 6 toward the G345.4938+01.4677 massive young protostellar object (G345.5+1.47 MYSO) in the IRAS 16562--3959 high-mass star-forming region with an angular resolution of $\sim 0.3"$, corresponding to $\sim 760$ au. We spatially resolve the central region which consists of three prominent molecular emission cores. A hypercompact (HC) H$_{\rm {II}}$ region (Core A) and two molecule-rich cores (Core B and Core C) are identified using the moment zero images of the H30$α$ line and a CH$_{3}$OH line, respecti…
We present optical spectra of pre-main sequence (PMS) candidates around the H$α$ region taken with the Southern African Large Telescope, SALT, in the low metallicity ($Z$) Galactic region Sh 2-284, which includes the open cluster Dolidze 25 with an atypical low metallicity of $Z$ $\sim$ 1/5 $Z_{\odot}$. It has been suggested on the basis of both theory and observations that PMS mass-accretion rates, $\dot M_{\rm{acc}}$, are a function of $Z$. We present the first sample of spectroscopic estimates of mass-accretion rates for PMS stars in any low-$Z$ star-forming region. Our data-set was enlarge…
The Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) Large Program provides a detailed, high resolution (${\sim}$10-20 au) view of molecular line emission in five protoplanetary disks at spatial scales relevant for planet formation. Here, we present a systematic analysis of chemical substructures in 18 molecular lines toward the MAPS sources: IM Lup, GM Aur, AS 209, HD 163296, and MWC 480. We identify more than 200 chemical substructures, which are found at nearly all radii where line emission is detected. A wide diversity of radial morphologies - including rings, gaps, and plateaus - is ob…
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 …
The elemental composition of the gas and dust in a protoplanetary disk influences the compositions of the planets that form in it. We use the Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) data to constrain the elemental composition of the gas at the locations of potentially forming planets. The elemental abundances are inferred by comparing source-specific gas-grain thermochemical models, with variable C/O ratios and small-grain abundances, from the DALI code with CO and C2H column densities derived from the high-resolution observations of the disks of AS 209, HD 163296, and MWC 480. Ele…
A more fine-tuned method for probing planet-forming regions, such as protoplanetary discs, could be rovibrational molecular spectroscopy observation of particular premineral molecules instead of more common but ultimately less related volatile organic compounds. Planets are created when grains aggregate, but how molecules form grains is an ongoing topic of discussion in astrophysics and planetary science. Using the spectroscopic data of molecules specifically involved in mineral formation could help to map regions where planet formation is believed to be occurring in order to examine the inter…
Gas mass remains one of the most difficult protoplanetary disk properties to constrain. With much of the protoplanetary disk too cold for the main gas constituent, H2, to emit, alternative tracers such as dust, CO, or the H2 isotopolog HD are used. However, relying on disk mass measurements from any single tracer requires assumptions about the tracer's abundance relative to \hh\ and the disk temperature structure. Using new Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations from the Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) ALMA Large Program as well as archival ALMA ob…
Here we present high resolution (15-24 au) observations of CO isotopologue lines from the Molecules with ALMA on Planet-forming Scales (MAPS) ALMA Large Program. Our analysis employs $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O ($J$=2-1), (1-0), and C$^{17}$O (1-0) line observations of five protoplanetary disks. We retrieve CO gas density distributions, using three independent methods: (1) a thermo-chemical modeling framework based on the CO data, the broadband spectral energy distribution, and the mm-continuum emission; (2) an empirical temperature distribution based on optically thick CO lines; and (3) a direct …
The chemistry of phosphorus in star- and planet-forming regions is poorly understood, despite the central role of phosphorus in terrestrial biochemistry. We present ALMA Band 3 and 4 observations of PO and PN towards the Class I protostar B1-a, representing the first spatially resolved observations of phosphorus carriers towards a Solar-type star forming region. The phosphorus molecules emit from two distinct clumps, which coincide with regions where the protostellar outflow (traced by SiO) interacts with a filament of dense gas (traced by CCS). Thus, the gas-phase phosphorus seems to originat…
We explore the dynamical structure of the protoplanetary disks surrounding HD 163296 and MWC 480 as part of the Molecules with ALMA at Planet Forming Scales (MAPS) large program. Using the $J = 2-1$ transitions of $^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO and C$^{18}$O imaged at spatial resolutions of $\sim 0.^{\prime \prime}15$ and with a channel spacing of $200$ ${\rm m\,s^{-1}}$, we find perturbations from Keplerian rotation in the projected velocity fields of both disks ($\lesssim\!5\%$ of the local Keplerian velocity), suggestive of large-scale (10s of au in size), coherent flows. By accounting for the azimut…
Simple molecules like H2CO and CH3OH in protoplanetary disks are the starting point for the production of more complex organic molecules. So far, the observed chemical complexity in disks has been limited due to freeze out of molecules onto grains in the bulk of the cold outer disk. Complex molecules can be studied more directly in transitional disks with large inner holes, as these have a higher potential of detection, through UV heating of the outer disk and the directly exposed midplane at the wall. We use Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 9 (~680 GHz) line data of th…
(Abridged) Near- to mid-IR observations of protoplanetary disks show that the inner regions (<10AU) are rich in small organic volatiles (e.g., C2H2 and HCN). Trends in the data suggest that disks around cooler stars (~3000K) are potentially more carbon- and molecule-rich than their hotter counterparts. Our aims are to explore the composition of the planet-forming region of disks around stars from M dwarf to Herbig Ae and compare with the observed trends. Models of the disk physical structure are coupled with a gas-grain chemical network to map the abundances in the planet-forming zone. N2 self…
Understanding the temperature structure of protoplanetary disks is key to interpreting observations, predicting the physical and chemical evolution of the disk, and modeling planet formation processes. In this study, we constrain the two-dimensional thermal structure of the disk around Herbig Ae star HD 163296. Using the thermo-chemical code RAC2D, we derive a thermal structure that reproduces spatially resolved ALMA observations (~0.12 arcsec (13 au) - 0.25 arcsec (26 au)) of CO J = 2-1, 13CO J = 1-0, 2-1, C18O J = 1-0, 2-1, and C17O J = 1-0, the HD J = 1-0 flux upper limit, the spectral ener…
