Observations of the Onset of Complex Organic Molecule Formation in Interstellar Ices

TL;DR

This study observes the initial formation of complex organic molecules in interstellar ices by analyzing molecular compositions in dense cores, revealing significant methanol formation during the pre-stellar phase in cold environments.

Contribution

First observational evidence of CO to CH3OH ice conversion along lines of sight toward background stars, constraining early complex organic molecule formation in cold interstellar environments.

Findings

Most CO remains in gas phase, with ≤15% frozen out.

CH3OH ice is abundant, with ratios up to 0.73 relative to CO.

High CH3OH abundance suggests early formation of complex organics in pre-stellar phases.

Abstract

Isolated dense molecular cores are investigated to study the onset of complex organic molecule formation in interstellar ice. Sampling three cores with ongoing formation of low-mass stars (B59, B335, and L483) and one starless core (L694-2) we sample lines of sight to nine background stars and five young stellar objects (YSOs; A_K ~0.5 - 4.7). Spectra of these stars from 2-5 $\mu$m with NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) simultaneously display signatures from the cores of H$_2$O (3.0 $\mu$m), CH$_3$OH (C-H stretching mode, 3.53 $\mu$m) and CO (4.67 $\mu$m) ices. The CO ice is traced by nine stars in which five show a long wavelength wing due to a mixture of CO with polar ice (CO$_r$), presumably CH$_3$OH. Two of these sight lines also show independent detections of CH$_3$OH. For these we find the ratio of the CH$_3$OH:CO$_r$ is 0.55$\pm$0.06 and 0.73$\pm$0.07 from L483 and L694-2, respectively. The detections of both CO and CH$_3$OH for the first time through lines of sight toward background stars observationally constrains the conversion of CO into CH$_3$OH ice. Along the lines of sight most of the CO exists in the gas phase and $\leq$15% of the CO is frozen out. However, CH$_3$OH ice is abundant with respect to CO (~50%) and exists mainly as a CH$_3$OH-rich CO ice layer. Only a small fraction of the lines of sight contains CH$_3$OH ice, presumably that with the highest density. The high conversion of CO to CH$_3$OH can explain the abundances of CH$_3$OH ice found in later stage Class 1 low mass YSO envelopes (CH$_3$OH:CO$_r$ ~ 0.5-0.6). For high mass YSOs and one Class 0 YSO this ratio varies significantly implying local variations can affect the ice formation. The large CH$_3$OH ice abundance indicates that the formation of complex organic molecules is likely during the pre-stellar phase in cold environments without higher energy particle interactions (e.g. cosmic rays).