Formation of the methyl cation by photochemistry in a protoplanetary disk
Journal article, 2023

Forty years ago, it was proposed that gas-phase organic chemistry in the interstellar medium can be initiated by the methyl cation CH3+ (refs. 1–3), but so far it has not been observed outside the Solar System 4,5. Alternative routes involving processes on grain surfaces have been invoked 6,7. Here we report James Webb Space Telescope observations of CH3+ in a protoplanetary disk in the Orion star-forming region. We find that gas-phase organic chemistry is activated by ultraviolet irradiation.

Author

O. Berné

Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)

Marie Aline Martin-Drumel

University Paris-Saclay

Ilane Schroetter

Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)

J.R. Goicoechea

CSIC - Instituto de Fisica Fundamental (IFF)

Ugo Jacovella

University Paris-Saclay

Bérenger Gans

University Paris-Saclay

E. Dartois

University Paris-Saclay

Laurent H. Coudert

University Paris-Saclay

E. A. Bergin

University of Michigan

Felipe Alarcon

University of Michigan

Jan Cami

SETI Institute

Western University

Evelyne Roueff

Paris Observatory

John H Black

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics

Oskar Asvany

University of Cologne

Emilie Habart

Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

Els Peeters

Western University

SETI Institute

Amelie Canin

Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)

Boris Trahin

Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

C. Joblin

Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)

S. Schlemmer

University of Cologne

S. Thorwirth

University of Cologne

Jose Cernicharo

CSIC - Instituto de Fisica Fundamental (IFF)

M. Gerin

Paris Observatory

A.G.G.M. Tielens

University of Maryland

Leiden University

Marion Zannese

Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

Alain Abergel

Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

J. Bernard-Salas

Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur

Innovative Common Laboratory For Space Spectroscopy (INCLASS)

Christiaan Boersma

NASA Ames Research Center

E. Bron

Paris Observatory

Ryan Chown

Western University

S. Cuadrado

CSIC - Instituto de Fisica Fundamental (IFF)

D. Dicken

Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

Meriem Elyajouri

Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

A. Fuente

Spanish National Observatory (OAN)

K. Gordon

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Lina Issa

Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)

Olga Kannavou

Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

Baria Khan

Western University

Ozan Lacinbala

KU Leuven

David Languignon

Paris Observatory

R. Le Gal

Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM)

Grenoble Alpes University

Alexandros Maragkoudakis

NASA Ames Research Center

Raphael Meshaka

Paris Observatory

Yoko Okada

University of Cologne

Takashi Onaka

Faculty of Science and Engineering

University of Tokyo

Sofia Pasquini

Western University

Marc W. Pound

University of Maryland

Massimo Robberto

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

M. Rollig

Physikalischer Verein

Goethe University Frankfurt

Bethany Schefter

Western University

Thiébaut-Antoine Schirmer

Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics

Ameek Sidhu

Western University

Benoît Tabone

Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale

Dries Van De Putte

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

S. Vicente

Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA)

M.G. Wolfire

University of Maryland

Nature

0028-0836 (ISSN) 1476-4687 (eISSN)

Vol. 621 7977 56-59

Subject Categories

Physical Chemistry

Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology

Theoretical Chemistry

DOI

10.1038/s41586-023-06307-x

PubMed

37364766

More information

Latest update

3/7/2024 9