Indian Astronomers spot complex hydrocarbons in young stellar disk
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics have spotted complex hydrocarbons in the debris disk surrounding a newborn star. The observations were possible because of a serendipitous collapse of the circumstellar inner wall.
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics have reported the discovery of Poly Atomic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the debris disk surrounding a newborn star. The star, designated as T Chamaeleontis (T. Cha) is at a distance of 350 lightyears from the Earth in the small southern constellation of Chamaeleon. PAHs are flat molecules shaped like honeycomb, made up of carbon and hydrogen. These are believed to be the earliest precursor to the complex biochemistry as seen on Earth.
PAHs are frequently discovered in stellar nurseries, vast clouds of gas and dust within which new stars are born. Discovering PAHs in the debris disk surrounding newborn stars is challenging because the gas and dust absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the host star. The discovery was made using archival data from the James Webb Space Telescope, that is data not captured specifically for the study. The data was collected in 2022, when the collapse in the inner wall of the circumstellar disk allowed for ultraviolet radiation to leak through.
Astronomers to track evolution of PAHs over time
A paper describing the research has been published in The Astronomical Journal. The discovery of PAHs around a low-mass star is challenging. One of the study authors, Arun Roy explains, "JWST’s MIRI has now revealed them clearly in T Cha and this is one of the lowest mass stars with PAH detection in their circumstellar disk. This sudden illumination excited the PAHs in the disk, making them glow strongly in JWST’s detectors. It was like a curtain lifting, revealing chemistry that had been hidden for year. With JWST still in its prime, we can now revisit the disk of T Cha at multiple times, measuring how PAHs evolve with disk in time."