Sequestration of noble gases by H3+ in protoplanetary disks and outer solar system composition

TL;DR

This study investigates how H3+ ions can efficiently trap noble gases like argon, krypton, and xenon in protoplanetary disks, potentially explaining their observed deficiencies in solar system bodies.

Contribution

It demonstrates that H3+ forms highly stable complexes with noble gases, suggesting a new mechanism for noble gas sequestration during planet formation.

Findings

H3+ complexes with noble gases are highly stable with high binding energies.

H3+ abundance may be sufficient for krypton and xenon trapping in the solar nebula.

This process could explain noble gas deficiencies observed in Titan and comets.

Abstract

We study the efficiency of the noble gases sequestration by the ion H3+ in the form of XH3+ complexes (with X = argon, krypton or xenon) in gas phase conditions similar to those encountered during the cooling of protoplanetary disks, at the epoch of icy planetesimals formation. We show that XH3+ complexes form very stable structures in the gas phase and that their binding energies are much higher than those involved in the structures of X-H2O hydrates or pure X-X condensates. This implies that, in presence of H3+ ions, argon, krypton or xenon are likely to remain sequestrated in the form of XH3+ complexes embedded in the gas phase rather than forming ices during the cooling of protoplanetary disks. The amount of the deficiency depends on how much H3+ is available and efficient in capturing noble gases. In the dense gas of the mid-plane of solar nebula, H3+ is formed by the ionization of H2 from energetic particles, as those in cosmic rays or those ejected by the young Sun. Even using the largest estimate of the cosmic rays ionization rate, we compute that the H3+ abundance is two and three orders of magnitude lower than the xenon and krypton abundance, respectively. Estimating the ionization induced by the young Sun, on the other hand, is very uncertain but leaves the possibility to have enough H3+ to make krypton and xenon trapping efficent. Finally, additional source of H3+ formation may be provided by the presence of a nearby supernova, as discussed in the literature. Recent solar system observations show a deficiency of Ar, and, even more, of Kr and Xe in Titan and in comets. In this article, we consider the possibility that this deficiency is caused by the afore-mentioned process, namely trapping of those noble gases by H3+ ions in the solar nebula.