Astrochemistry associated with planet formation

TL;DR

This paper reviews the astrochemistry involved in star and planet formation, emphasizing molecular evolution, chemical-physical interactions in disks, and new methods like molecular line kinematics to understand planet origins.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of astrochemical processes in planet formation and highlights recent advances and future challenges in the field.

Findings

Molecules evolve from clouds to exoplanet atmospheres.

Gas and ice chemistry are closely linked to disk evolution.

Kinematic analysis of molecular lines can detect young planets.

Abstract

This paper provides a brief summary and overview of the astrochemistry associated with the formation of stars and planets. It is aimed at new researchers in the field to enable them to obtain a quick overview of the landscape and key literature in this rapidly evolving area. The journey of molecules from clouds to protostellar envelopes, disks and ultimately exoplanet atmospheres is described. The importance of the close relation between the chemistry of gas and ice and the physical structure and evolution of planet-forming disks, including the growth and drift of grains and the locking up of elements at dust traps, is stressed. Using elemental abundance ratios like C/O, C/N, O/H in exoplanetary atmospheres to link them to their formation sites is therefore not straightforward. Interesting clues come from meteorites and comets in our own solar system, as well as from the composition of Earth. A new frontier is the analysis of the kinematics of molecular lines to detect young planets in disks. A number of major questions to be addressed in the coming years are formulated, and challenges and opportunities are highlighted.