Title: An ALMA Survey of H2CO in Protoplanetary Disks
Authors: Jamila Pegues, Karin Oberg, J. Bergner et al.
First Author Institution: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Open access arXiv
closed access on ApJ
Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV. What do all of these have in common? They are complex organisms or objects which are made of organic molecules. If we want to understand the origins of such earthly things, we need to understand how and where they form within protoplanetary disks. H2CO, or formaldehyde, is one of the most abundant organic molecules in the universe, and can serve as a precursor to more complex organic molecules. Observing the location at which H2CO resides within a disk will shed insight into its formation, and thus the protoplanetary disk’s ability to form more complex molecules. Today’s paper surveys 15 protoplanetary disks looking at multiple H2CO lines. The authors seek to uncover the temperature, density, and origin of H2CO which will inform our knowledge of chemistry within disks.
https://astrobites.org/2020/08/01/formalde-hyde-and-seek/