H$_2$S observations in young stellar disks in Taurus

TL;DR

This study investigates sulfur chemistry, especially H$_2$S emission, in young stellar disks in Taurus, revealing new detections and potential molecular reservoirs relevant to planet formation.

Contribution

It provides new observational data on H$_2$S and other sulfur-bearing molecules in protoplanetary disks, advancing understanding of sulfur chemistry in planet-forming environments.

Findings

H$_2$S detected in 4 out of 9 sources, increasing known detections.

Tentative correlations between H$_2$S, H$_2$CO, and H$_2$O emissions.

Column densities of H$_2$S range from 2.6×10^{12} to 1.5×10^{13} cm$^{-2}$.

Abstract

Context. Studying gas chemistry in protoplanetary disks is key to understanding the process of planet formation. Sulfur chemistry in particular is poorly understood in interstellar environments, and the location of the main reservoirs remains unknown. Protoplanetary disks in Taurus are ideal targets for studying the evolution of the composition of planet forming systems. Aims. We aim to elucidate the chemical origin of sulfur-bearing molecular emission in protoplanetary disks, with a special focus on H$_2$S emission, and to identify candidate species that could become the main molecular sulfur reservoirs in protoplanetary systems. Methods. We used IRAM 30m observations of nine gas-rich young stellar objects (YSOs) in Taurus to perform a survey of sulfur-bearing and oxygen-bearing molecular species. In this paper we present our results for the CS 3-2 ($\nu_0$ = 146.969 GHz), H$_2$CO 2$_{11}$-1$_{10}$ ($\nu_0$ = 150.498 GHz), and H$_2$S 1$_{10}$-1$_{01}$ ($\nu_0$ = 168,763 GHz) emission lines. Results. We detected H$_2$S emission in four sources out of the nine observed, significantly increasing the number of detections toward YSOs. We also detected H$_2$CO and CS in six out of the nine. We identify a tentative correlation between H$_2$S 1$_{10}$-1$_{01}$ and H$_2$CO 2$_{11}$-1$_{10}$ as well as a tentative correlation between H$_2$S 1$_{10}$-1$_{01}$ and H$_2$O 8$_{18}$-7$_{07}$. By assuming local thermodynamical equilibrium, we computed column densities for the sources in the sample, with N(o-H$_2$S) values ranging between $2.6\times10^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ and $1.5\times10^{13}$ cm$^{-2}$.