Oceans of water vapor in a disk from which planets can form

Inside disc A team of researchers has discovered a star surrounding a young star, exactly in the area where planets may be forming Steama key element for life on our planet.

The scientific community also assumes that this molecule plays a relevant role in planet formation. However, until now it has not been possible to map how it is distributed in a stable, cold disk (the type that provides the most favorable conditions for planet formation). us). the stars).

“I never thought we could image oceans of water vapor in the same region where a planet is likely to form,” he says. Stefano Facchinian astronomer from the University of Milan, Italy, who led this study published in the journal Natural astronomy.

I never thought we could image oceans of water vapor in the same region where a planet is likely to form.

Stefano Facchini (University of Milan)

In the young woman’s inner pane Star HL Taurisimilar to the sun and localized 450 light years away of Earth (in the constellation Taurus), observations have revealed the presence of at least three times more water than in all oceans from Earth.

“It is really impressive that we can not only detect water vapor at this distance of 450 light-years from us, but also take detailed images and resolve them spatially,” adds the co-author. Leonardo TestiAstronomer at the University of Bologna (Italy).

Observations with ALMA

The observations were “spatially resolved”. Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)whose partner is the European Southern Observatory (ESO), has made it possible to determine the distribution of water in different regions of the disk.

The astronomical community knows that there is a gap in HL Tauri’s disk and a significant amount of water has been discovered there. This radial gaps They are observed in disks rich in gas and dust young bodies similar to planets as they accumulate material and grow.

“Our recent images show a significant amount of water vapor at various distances from the star, including a gap where a planet could currently be forming,” says Facchini. This suggests that this water vapor could influence the chemical composition of the planets forming in these regions.

Observing water with a ground-based telescope is not an easy task because the abundant water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere interferes with astronomical signals. But SOUL is a series of telescopes located in Chile’s Atacama Desert at about 5000 meters altitude, built precisely in a high and dry environment to minimize this degradation exceptional viewing conditions.

“So far it is the only system capable of spatially resolving water in a cold planetary disk,” says co-author Wouter VlemmingsProfessor at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

“It’s really exciting to see how water molecules are released from frozen dust particles,” he explains. Elizabeth Humphreysan ESO astronomer who was also involved in the study.

It is exciting to see first hand how water molecules are released from frozen dust particles.

Elizabeth Humphreys (ESO)

The Dust grains which form a disk are the seeds of planet formation. These collide and group together to form ever larger bodies that orbit the star. The astronomical community believes that where the temperature is low enough that water freezes and forms dust particles Objects come together more efficient (an ideal environment for planet formation).

“Our results show how the presence of water can influence the evolution of a planetary system, just as it did in our own aolar system about 4.5 billion years ago,” says Facchini.

Future observations

With the updates made in ALMA and the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) With the help of ESO, which will become operational later this decade, we will learn in much more detail both the process of planet formation and the role that water plays in it.

In particular, METISthe mid-infrared spectrograph and imager for ELT, will offer the astronomical community unprecedented insights into the inner regions of the forming planetary disks where planets like ours are formed.