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Ice formation physics explains puzzling observations of CO in planetary birthplaces

Nature Astronomy volume 6, pages 1116–1117 (2022)Cite this article

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Surface-energy effects, such as the Kelvin effect, that regulate the formation of ice determine the observed abundance, distribution and evolution of CO in protoplanetary disks.

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Fig. 1: The amount of depletion of gas-phase CO depends on the surface-energy regulated formation of CO ice.

References

  1. Öberg, K. I., Murray-Clay, R. & Bergin, E. A. The effects of snowlines on C/O in planetary atmospheres. Astrophys. J. Lett. 743, L16 (2011). This paper reports that the abundance ratios in disks set the initial abundance ratios in planetary atmospheres.

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This is a summary of: Powell, D. et al. Depletion of gaseous CO in protoplanetary disks by surface-energy-regulated ice formation. Nat. Astron. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-022-01741-9 (2022)

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Ice formation physics explains puzzling observations of CO in planetary birthplaces. Nat Astron 6, 1116–1117 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-022-01742-8

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