Article, 2024

Spectroscopic sizing of interstellar icy grains with JWST

Nature Astronomy, ISSN 2397-3366, Volume 8, 3, Pages 359-367, 10.1038/s41550-023-02155-x

Contributors

Dartois, Emmanuel 0000-0003-1197-7143 (Corresponding author) [1] Noble, Jennifer Anna 0000-0003-4985-8254 [2] Caselli, Paola 0000-0003-1481-7911 [3] Fraser, Helen Jane 0000-0003-0972-1595 [4] Jiménez-Serra, Izaskun 0000-0003-4493-8714 [5] Maté, Belén 0000-0002-5478-8644 [6] Mcclure, Melissa K 0000-0003-1878-327X [7] Melnick, Gary J [8] Pendleton, Yvonne J 0000-0001-8102-2903 [9] Shimonishi, Takashi [10] Smith, Z. L. [4] Sturm, J A [7] Taillard, A 0009-0006-9236-7978 [11] Wakelam, Valentine 0000-0001-9676-2605 [11] Boogert, A C Adwin 0000-0001-9344-0096 [12] Drozdovskaya, Maria Nikolayevna 0000-0001-7479-4948 [13] Erkal, J [12] Harsono, Daniel 0000-0001-6307-4195 [14] Herrero, Víctor J 0000-0002-7456-4832 [6] Ioppolo, Sergio 0000-0002-2271-1781 [15] Linnartz, Harold 0000-0002-8322-3538 [7] Mcguire, Brett A 0000-0003-1254-4817 [16] [17] Perotti, Giulia 0000-0002-8545-6175 [18] Qasim, Danna [19] Rocha, Will Robson Monteiro 0000-0001-6144-4113 [7]

Affiliations

  1. [1] Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d'Orsay
    2. [NORA names: France; Europe, EU; OECD];
  2. [2] Physics of Ionic and Molecular Interactions
    3. [NORA names: France; Europe, EU; OECD];
  3. [3] Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
    4. [NORA names: Germany; Europe, EU; OECD];
  4. [4] The Open University
    5. [NORA names: United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD];
  5. [5] Centro de Astrobiología
    6. [NORA names: Spain; Europe, EU; OECD];

Abstract

Clouds of gas and dust in the Galaxy are nurseries in which stars and planetary systems are born. During their journey from the diffuse interstellar medium to the protoplanetary disks, molecular solids accumulate on cold dust grains by accretion and surface chemistry. These so-called icy grains will continuously evolve, notably by collision and aggregation processes, modifying their sizes. Our ‘Ice Age’ James Webb Space Telescope observations of the dense Chamaeleon I cloud reveal that this growth starts early, before the protostellar phase, substantially modifying the ice band profiles in the spectra. Spectral analysis confirms that the grains reach micrometre sizes, implying myriad changes in local microphysics, including mass transfer from small to large grains, reduction in the grain surface available for chemistry and modification of the penetration and propagation of radiation fields. Deformation of the observed profiles complicates the determination of chemical abundance. Observing the extensive icy grain growth in dense clouds quantitatively constrains the grain size evolution before star and planet formation.

Keywords

Chamaeleon I cloud, I cloud, JWST, James Webb Space Telescope observations, Space Telescope observations, Telescope observations, abundance, accretion, aggregation, aggregation process, analysis, band profiles, changes, chemical abundances, chemistry, cloud, cloud of gas, cold dust grains, collision, deformation, dense clouds, determination, determination of chemical abundances, diffuse interstellar medium, disk, dust, dust grains, evolution, field, formation, galaxies, gas, grain, grain growth, grain size evolution, grain surfaces, growth, ice, icy grains, interstellar icy grains, interstellar medium, journey, mass transfer, medium, micrometric size, microphysics, modification, molecular solids, myriad changes, nursery, observations, observed profiles, penetration, phase, planet, planet formation, planetary systems, process, profile, propagation, protoplanetary disks, protostellar phase, radiation field, reduction, size, size evolution, solids, spectra, spectral analysis, stars, surface, surface chemistry, system, transfer

Funders

  • Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers
  • European Research Council
  • Ministry of Education
  • Danish National Research Foundation
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Dutch Research Council
  • Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness
  • Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission
  • Swiss National Science Foundation
  • European Commission

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