A major asymmetric ice trap in a planet-forming disk: III. First detection of dimethyl ether

TL;DR

This study reports the first detection of dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disk, revealing high abundances of complex organic molecules that inform our understanding of prebiotic chemistry in planet formation environments.

Contribution

It provides the first observational evidence of dimethyl ether in a protoplanetary disk and analyzes its implications for chemical evolution during planet formation.

Findings

First detection of dimethyl ether in a protoplanetary disk

High relative abundances of complex organic molecules observed

Supports thermal ice sublimation as a key process in molecule release

Abstract

The complex organic molecules (COMs) detected in star-forming regions are the precursors of the prebiotic molecules that can lead to the emergence of life. By studying COMs in more evolved protoplanetary disks we can gain a better understanding of how they are incorporated into planets. This paper presents ALMA band 7 observations of the dust and ice trap in the protoplanetary disk around Oph IRS 48. We report the first detection of dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3) in a planet-forming disk and a tentative detection of methyl formate (CH3OCHO). We determined column densities for the detected molecules and upper limits on non-detected species using the CASSIS spectral analysis tool. The inferred column densities of CH3OCH3 and CH3OCHO with respect to methanol (CH3OH) are of order unity, indicating unusually high abundances of these species compared to other environments. Alternatively, the 12CH3OH emission is optically thick and beam diluted, implying a higher CH3OH column density and a smaller emitting area than originally thought. The presence of these complex molecules can be explained by thermal ice sublimation, where the dust cavity edge is heated by irradiation and the full volatile ice content is observable in the gas phase. This work confirms the presence of oxygen-bearing molecules more complex than CH3OH in protoplanetary disks for the first time. It also shows that it is indeed possible to trace the full interstellar journey of COMs across the different evolutionary stages of star, disk, and planet formation.