Measuring the atomic composition of planetary building blocks

TL;DR

This study develops a new method to measure atomic abundances in the gas of protoplanetary disks, revealing dust retention efficiencies and elemental depletions that influence planetary composition.

Contribution

It introduces a novel technique combining spectroscopic analysis and modeling to determine atomic abundances and dust trap efficiencies in the disk around TW Hya.

Findings

Volatile elements are depleted by factors of ~100; refractory elements by up to 10^5.

Dust traps sequester 96% of the dust beyond the CO and N2 snowlines.

Inner disk regions may be dry and carbon-poor, affecting planet habitability.

Abstract

Volatile molecules are critical to terrestrial planetary habitability, yet difficult to observe directly where planets form at the midplanes of protoplanetary disks. It is unclear whether the inner 1 AU of disks are volatile-poor or if this region is resupplied with ice-rich dust from colder disk regions. Dust traps at radial pressure maxima bounding disk gaps can cut off the inner disk from such volatile reservoirs. However, the trap retention efficiency and atomic composition of trapped dust have not been measured. We present a new technique to measure the absolute atomic abundances in gas accreting onto T Tauri stars and infer the bulk atomic composition and distribution of midplane solids retained in the disk around the young star TW Hya. We identify line emission from gas-phase material inside the dust sublimation rim of TW Hya. Gaussian decomposition of the strongest H Paschen lines isolates the inner disk hydrogen emission. We measure several key elemental abundances, relative to hydrogen, using a chemical photoionization model and infer dust retention in the disk. With a 1D transport model, we determine approximate radial locations and retention efficiencies of dust traps for different elements. Volatile and refractory elements are depleted from TW Hya's hot gas by factors of ~10^2 and up to 10^5, respectively. Dust traps beyond the CO and N2 snowline cumulatively sequester 96% of the total dust, while the trap at 2 AU retains 3% of the initial dust mass. The high depletions of Si, Mg, and Ca are explained by a third trap at 0.3 AU. TW Hya has a significant volatile reservoir rich in C- and N-ices in its outer ring structure. However, the lack of C resupply may leave the terrestrial planet-forming region dry and carbon-poor. Any planets that form within the silicate dust trap at 0.3 AU may resemble Earth in terms of the degree of their volatile depletion.