Emission from multiple molecular isotopologues in a high-inclination protoplanetary disk

TL;DR

This study presents JWST observations of the high-inclination protoplanetary disk around MY Lup, revealing unusual molecular emission features, including rare isotopologues, and providing insights into disk chemistry and structure.

Contribution

First detection of certain isotopologues in an inner protoplanetary disk, demonstrating the potential of JWST to study isotopic fractionation in disks.

Findings

Weak water emission compared to similar disks

Detection of C$^{18}$O$^{16}$O and H$^{13}$CN isotopologues

Cold molecular gas temperatures in the disk

Abstract

We present a MIRI-MRS spectrum of the high-inclination protoplanetary disk around the solar-mass (K0) star MY Lup, obtained as part of the JWST Disk Infrared Spectral Chemistry Survey (JDISCS). The spectrum shows an unusually weak water emission spectrum for a disk around a star of its spectral type, but strong emission from CO$_2$, HCN, and isotopologues of both molecules. This includes the first ever detection of C$^{18}$O$^{16}$O and H$^{13}$CN in an inner disk, as well as tentative detections of C$^{17}$O$^{16}$O and HC$^{15}$N. Slab modeling provides molecular temperatures, column densities and emitting areas of the detected molecules. The emitting molecular gas is cold compared to that of other observed protoplanetary disk spectra. We estimate the isotopologue ratios of CO$_2$ and HCN, albeit with significant uncertainty. We suggest that the unusual spectrum of MY Lup arises from a combination of inner disk clearing, which removes emission from warm water, and its nearly edge-on inclination, which enhances line-of-sight column densities, although unusual chemistry may also be required. MY Lup's spectrum highlights the potential to detect and measure trace isotopologues to study isotopic fractionation in protoplanetary disks; observations at higher spectral resolving power is needed to constrain the isotopologue ratios to greater precision.