Karin I. Oberg, Chunhua Qi, David J. Wilner, Michiel R. Hogerheijde
The distributions of deuterated molecules in protoplanetary disks are
expected to depend on the molecular formation pathways. We use observations of
spatially resolved DCN emission from the disk around TW Hya, acquired during
ALMA Science verification with a ~3" synthesized beam, together with comparable
DCO+ observations from the Submillimeter Array, to investigate differences in
the radial distributions of these species and hence differences in their
formation chemistry. In contrast to DCO+, which shows an increasing column
density with radius, DCN is better fit by a model that is centrally peaked. We
infer that DCN forms at a smaller radii and thus at higher temperatures than
DCO+. This is consistent with chemical network model predictions of DCO+
formation from H2D+ at T<30 K and DCN formation from additional pathways
involving CH2D+ at higher temperatures. We estimate a DCN/HCN abundance ratio
of ~0.017, similar to the DCO+/HCO+ abundance ratio. Deuterium fractionation
appears to be efficient at a range of temperatures in this protoplanetary disk.
These results suggest caution in interpreting the range of deuterium fractions
observed in Solar System bodies, as multiple formation pathways should be taken
into account.
View original:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1202.3992
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