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Astronomy and AstrophysicsVolume 605, 1 September 2017, Article number L3

Seeds of Life in Space (SOLIS): II. Formamide in protostellar shocks: Evidence for gas-phase formation(Article)(Open Access)

  • Codella, C.,
  • Ceccarelli, C.,
  • Caselli, P.,
  • Balucani, N.,
  • Barone, V.,
  • Fontani, F.,
  • Lefloch, B.,
  • Podio, L.,
  • Viti, S.,
  • Feng, S.,
  • Bachiller, R.,
  • Bianchi, E.,
  • Dulieu, F.,
  • Jiménez-Serra, I.,
  • Holdship, J.,
  • Neri, R.,
  • Pineda, J.E.,
  • Pon, A.,
  • Sims, I.,
  • Spezzano, S.,
  • Vasyunin, A.I.,
  • Alves, F.,
  • Bizzocchi, L.,
  • Bottinelli, S.,
  • Caux, E.,
  • Chacón-Tanarro, A.,
  • Choudhury, R.,
  • Coutens, A.,
  • Favre, C.,
  • Hily-Blant, P.,
  • Kahane, C.,
  • Jaber Al-Edhari, A.,
  • Laas, J.,
  • López-Sepulcre, A.,
  • Ospina, J.,
  • Oya, Y.,
  • Punanova, A.,
  • Puzzarini, C.,
  • Quenard, D.,
  • Rimola, A.,
  • Sakai, N.,
  • Skouteris, D.,
  • Taquet, V.,
  • Testi, L.,
  • Theulé, P.,
  • Ugliengo, P.,
  • Vastel, C.,
  • Vazart, F.,
  • Wiesenfeld, L.,
  • Yamamoto, S.
  Save all to author list
  • aINAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, Firenze, Italy
  • bUniv. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), Grenoble, 38000, France
  • cMax-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse 1, Garching, 85748, Germany
  • dDipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, via Elce di Sotto 8, Perugia, 06123, Italy
  • eScuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, Pisa, 56126, Italy
  • fDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
  • gIGN, Observatorio Astronómico Nacional, Calle Alfonso XII, Madrid, 28004, Spain
  • hDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy
  • iLERMA, Université de Cergy-Pontoise, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, UPMC, Univ. Paris 06, Cergy Pontoise, 95000, France
  • jSchool of Physics and Astronomy Queen Mary, University of London, 327 Mile End Road, London, E1 4 NS, United Kingdom
  • kInstitut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique, Domaine Universitaire de Grenoble, 300 rue de la Piscine, Saint-Martin-d'-Hères, 38406, France
  • lDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
  • mUniversité de Rennes 1, Institut de Physique de Rennes, Rennes, France
  • nUral Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation
  • oUniversité de Toulouse, UPS-OMP, IRAP, Toulouse, France
  • pCNRS, IRAP, 9 Av. Colonel Roche, BP 44346, Toulouse Cedex 4, 31028, France
  • qUniversity of AL-Muthanna, College of Science, Physics Department, Al-Muthanna, Iraq
  • rDepartment of Physics, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
  • sDipartimento di Chimica Giacomo Ciamician, via F. Selmi, 2, Bologna, 40126, Italy
  • tDepartament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Catalonia, 08193, Spain
  • uInstitute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako-shi, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
  • vLeiden Observatory, Leiden University, 9513, Leiden, 2300 RA, Netherlands
  • wESO, Karl Schwarzchild Srt. 2, Garching bei München, 85478, Germany
  • xAix-Marseille Université, PIIM UMR-CNRS 7345, Marseille, 13397, France
  • yUniversità degli Studi di Torino, Dipartimento Chimica, via Pietro Giuria 7, Torino, 10125, Italy
  • zResearch Center for the Early Universe, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

Abstract

Context. Modern versions of the Miller-Urey experiment claim that formamide (NH2CHO) could be the starting point for the formation of metabolic and genetic macromolecules. Intriguingly, formamide is indeed observed in regions forming solar-type stars and in external galaxies. Aims. How NH2CHO is formed has been a puzzle for decades: our goal is to contribute to the hotly debated question of whether formamide is mostly formed via gas-phase or grain surface chemistry. Methods. We used the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) interferometer to image NH2CHO towards the L1157-B1 blue-shifted shock, a well-known interstellar laboratory, to study how the components of dust mantles and cores released into the gas phase triggers the formation of formamide. Results. We report the first spatially resolved image (size ~9″, ~2300 AU) of formamide emission in a shocked region around a Sun-like protostar: the line profiles are blueshifted and have a FWHM â‰5 km s-1. A column density of NNH2CHO = 8 × 1012 cm-1 and an abundance, with respect to H-nuclei, of 4 × 10-9 are derived. We show a spatial segregation of formamide with respect to other organic species. Our observations, coupled with a chemical modelling analysis, indicate that the formamide observed in L1157-B1 is formed by a gas-phase chemical process and not on grain surfaces as previously suggested. Conclusions. The Seeds of Life in Space (SOLIS) interferometric observations of formamide provide direct evidence that this potentially crucial brick of life is efficiently formed in the gas phase around Sun-like protostars. © ESO, 2017.

Author keywords

ISM: individual objects: L1157-B1ISM: jets and outflowsISM: moleculesStars: formation

Indexed keywords

Engineering controlled terms:AmidesChemical analysisFighter aircraftStarsSurface chemistry
Engineering uncontrolled termsChemical modellingIsm: individual objects: l1157-b1ISM: jets and out flowISM: moleculesMillimeter arraysSpatial segregationSpatially resolvedStars: formation
Engineering main heading:Gases

Funding details

Funding sponsor Funding number Acronym
CUP C52I13000140001
Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics
See opportunities by ICAT		ICAT
Seventh Framework Programme320620FP7
Chinese American Ophthalmological Society2015F59J3RCAOS
Science and Technology Facilities Council
See opportunities by STFC		ST/L004801,ST/M004139STFC
European Research CouncilERC
Agence Nationale de la Recherche
See opportunities by ANR		ANR
Centre National d’Etudes SpatialesCNES
Conseil National de la Recherche ScientifiqueCNRS-L

  • 1

    Acknowledgements. We are very grateful to all the IRAM staff, whose dedication allowed us to carry out the SOLIS project. We also thank the anonymous referee for useful suggestions. This work was supported by (i) the French programme “Physique et Chimie du Milieu Interstellaire” (PCMI) funded by the Conseil National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), (ii) by the Italian Ministero dell’Istruzione, Uni-versità e Ricerca through the grant Progetti Premiali 2012 − iALMA (CUP C52I13000140001), (iii) by the programme PRIN-MIUR 2015 STARS in the CAOS − Simulation Tools for Astrochemical Reactivity and Spectroscopy in the Cyberinfrastructure for Astrochemical Organic Species (2015F59J3R, MIUR Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università della Ricerca e della Scuola Normale Superiore), and (iv) by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), under reference ANR-12-JS05-0005. P.C., A.C.T., J.E.P., and A.P.u. acknowledge support from the European Research Council (ERC; project PALs 320620). A.P.o. acknowledges the financial support provided by a Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) National Fellowship. I.J.-S. and D.Q. acknowledge the financial support received from the STFC though an Ernest Rutherford Fellowship (proposal number ST/L004801) and Grant (ST/M004139).

  • ISSN: 00046361
  • CODEN: AAEJA
  • Source Type: Journal
  • Original language: English
  • DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201731249
  • Document Type: Article
  • Publisher: EDP Sciences


© Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

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