Protostellar and cometary detections of organohalogens
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2017
Organohalogens, a class of molecules that contain at least one halogen atom bonded to carbon, are abundant on the Earth where they are mainly produced through industrial and biological processes(1). Consequently, they have been proposed as biomarkers in the search for life on exoplanets(2). Simple halogen hydrides have been detected in interstellar sources and in comets, but the presence and possible incorporation of more complex halogen-containing molecules such as organohalogens into planet-forming regions is uncertain(3,4). Here we report the interstellar detection of two isotopologues of the organohalogen CH3Cl and put some constraints on CH3F in the gas surrounding the low-mass protostar IRAS 16293-2422, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). We also find CH3Cl in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G) by using the Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument. The detections reveal an efficient pre-planetary formation pathway of organohalogens. Cometary impacts may deliver these species to young planets and should thus be included as a potential abiotical production source when interpreting future organohalogen detections in atmospheres of rocky planets.
Författare
E. C. Fayolle
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
K. I. Öberg
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
J. K. Jorgensen
Köpenhamns universitet
Kathrin Altwegg
Universität Bern
Köpenhamns universitet
Hannah Calcutt
Köpenhamns universitet
Holger S.P. Muller
Universität zu Köln
M. Rubin
Universität Bern
M. H. D. van der Wiel
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Per Bjerkeli
Galaktisk astrofysik
T. L. Bourke
Jodrell Bank Observatory
A. Coutens
University College London (UCL)
E. F. van Dishoeck
Universiteit Leiden
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
M. N. Drozdovskaya
Universität Bern
R. T. Garrod
University of Virginia
N. F. W. Ligterink
Universiteit Leiden
Magnus V. Persson
Galaktisk astrofysik
S. F. Wampfler
Universität Bern
Hans Balsiger
Universität Bern
Jean Jacques Berthelier
Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS)
Johan De-Keyser
Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB)
Björn Fiethe
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Stephen A Fuselier
Southwest Research Institute
Sébastien Gasc
Universität Bern
Tamás Gombosi
University of Michigan
Thierry Sémon
Universität Bern
Chiayu Tzou
Universität Bern
Nature Astronomy
23973366 (eISSN)
Vol. 1 10 703-708Ämneskategorier
Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi
DOI
10.1038/s41550-017-0237-7