Protostellar and cometary detections of organohalogens
Journal article, 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.
Author
E. C. Fayolle
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
K. I. Öberg
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
J. K. Jorgensen
University of Copenhagen
Kathrin Altwegg
University of Bern
University of Copenhagen
Hannah Calcutt
University of Copenhagen
Holger S.P. Muller
University of Cologne
M. Rubin
University of Bern
M. H. D. van der Wiel
Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Per Bjerkeli
Galactic Astrophysics
T. L. Bourke
Jodrell Bank Observatory
A. Coutens
University College London (UCL)
E. F. van Dishoeck
Leiden University
Max Planck Society
M. N. Drozdovskaya
University of Bern
R. T. Garrod
University of Virginia
N. F. W. Ligterink
Leiden University
Magnus V. Persson
Galactic Astrophysics
S. F. Wampfler
University of Bern
Hans Balsiger
University of 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
University of Bern
Tamás Gombosi
University of Michigan
Thierry Sémon
University of Bern
Chiayu Tzou
University of Bern
Nature Astronomy
23973366 (eISSN)
Vol. 1 10 703-708Subject Categories
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
DOI
10.1038/s41550-017-0237-7