# Organic molecules in the protoplanetary disk of DG Tau revealed by ALMA

## TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution ALMA observations to map the distribution of formaldehyde and methanol in the protoplanetary disk of DG Tau, revealing chemical processes and potential disk substructures relevant to planet formation.

## Contribution

First detailed ALMA mapping of organic molecules in DG Tau's disk, linking H2CO distribution to disk chemistry and dust properties, with non-detection of methanol.

## Key findings

- H2CO forms a ring beyond 40 au, peaking at 62 au.
- Methanol is not detected, with upper limits on its abundance.
- H2CO abundance is enhanced in the outer disk due to grain surface formation.

## Abstract

Planets form in protoplanetary disks and inherit their chemical compositions. It is thus crucial to map the distribution and investigate the formation of simple organics, such as formaldehyde and methanol, in protoplanetary disks. We analyze ALMA observations of the nearby disk-jet system around the T Tauri star DG Tau in the o-H$_2$CO $3_{1,2}-2_{1,1}$ and CH$_3$OH $3_{-2,2}-4_{-1,4}$ E, $5_{0,5}-4_{0,4}$ A transitions at an unprecedented resolution of $\sim0.15"$, i.e., $\sim18$ au at a distance of 121 pc. The H$_2$CO emission originates from a rotating ring extending from $\sim40$ au with a peak at $\sim62$ au, i.e., at the edge of the 1.3mm dust continuum. CH$_3$OH emission is not detected down to an r.m.s. of 3 mJy/beam in the 0.162 km/s channel. Assuming an ortho-to-para ratio of 1.8-2.8 the ring- and disk-height-averaged H$_2$CO column density is $\sim0.3-4\times10^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$, while that of CH$_3$OH is $<0.04-0.7\times10^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$. In the inner $40$ au no o-H$_2$CO emission is detected with an upper limit on its beam-averaged column density of $\sim0.5-6\times10^{13}$ cm$^{-2}$. The H$_2$CO ring in the disk of DG Tau is located beyond the CO iceline (R$_{\rm CO}\sim30$ au). This suggests that the H$_2$CO abundance is enhanced in the outer disk due to formation on grain surfaces by the hydrogenation of CO ice. The emission peak at the edge of the mm dust continuum may be due to enhanced desorption of H$_2$CO in the gas phase caused by increased UV penetration and/or temperature inversion. The CH$_3$OH/H$_2$CO abundance ratio is $<1$, in agreement with disk chemistry models. The inner edge of the H$_2$CO ring coincides with the radius where the polarization of the dust continuum changes orientation, hinting at a tight link between the H$_2$CO chemistry and the dust properties in the outer disk and at the possible presence of substructures in the dust distribution.