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Twenty new scientific articles use data collected by a multitude of satellite dishes perched in the Chilean desert to unravel the mysteries of the formation of the planets.
The Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array (ALMA) specializes in the study of what scientists call protoplanetary disks, the mess of matter that surrounds young stars and eventually come together to build planets. While scientists do a lot of work to analyze the exoplanets, the study of protoplanetary disks also offers the opportunity to see all these ingredients mix and spread.
A new series of 20 papers published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series shares the results of a research program called Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS), which uses this powerful facility to study protoplanetary disks.
Related: Meet ALMA: amazing photos from the giant radio telescope
One of the new papers maps the presence of more than a dozen organic molecules in five protoplanetary discs. Organic molecules, which contain carbon, are of particular interest to scientists trying to understand how life begins.
“These planet-forming discs are teeming with organic molecules, some of which are involved in the origins of life here on Earth,” said Karin Öberg, astronomer at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and principal investigator at MAPS. in a declaration. “It’s really exciting; the chemicals in each disc will ultimately affect the type of planets that form – and determine whether or not the planets can harbor life.”
The maps not only show that organic compounds exist in protoplanetary disks, they show that the distribution of these ingredients varies. Thus, two planets forming in different regions of the same protoplanetary disk could end up with very different inputs of these compounds.
“Our maps show that where a planet forms on a disk is very important,” Berg said. “Two planets can form around the same star and have very different organic inventories, and therefore predispositions to life.”
In addition to locating different ingredients, the research also identified compounds made with deuterium, which is a form of hydrogen twice as heavy as the most common flavor of this element. Deuterium levels vary across a disc, according to research, with far fewer atoms found closer to the star at the heart of the disc.
Scientists working on the research suite were also able to detect the very first signs of a merging planet from a disk. This is usually very difficult – the same dust and debris that makes up the disc itself also blocks the tiny baby stages of the planets.
“It’s like trying to see a fish underwater,” said Richard Teague, also an astronomer at CfA and head of a segment of the MAPS project, in the same statement. “We know they’re there, but we can’t look that far. We have to look for subtle signs on the surface of the water, like ripples and waves.”
Another segment of MAPS research focused on the precursors of massive Jupiter-like planets, in which elements like carbon and oxygen seemed to be much rarer than compounds like methane.
“Our results suggest that many gas giants can form with extremely oxygen-poor (carbon-rich) atmospheres, challenging current expectations regarding the makeup of planets,” said Arthur Bosman, astronomer at the University of Michigan. and main author of one of the articles. In another declaration.
Overall, research shows that there is much more to be learned about what surrounds young stars, how planets form, and what that means for the universe and the prospects for life in it.
“We hope to use ALMA to research the next springboards of chemical complexity in these disks,” said John Ilee, astronomer at the University of Leeds in the UK and principal investigator of a new MAPS study, in another declaration. “If we detect them, we will be even closer to understanding how the raw ingredients of life can be assembled around other stars.”
Email Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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