Finding the Sweet ALMA

Using the telescope ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array), a group of astronomers identify sugar molecules present in the gas surrounding a young star similar to the sun. This is the first time it has been found that sugar in the space around a star of this kind.

This finding demonstrates that the essential essentials for life are in the right time and place to exist on planets that form around the star.

                                                                   

Astronomers found glycolaldehyde molecules (a simple sugar [1]) in the gas surrounding a young star called IRAS 16293-2422 young binary,

which has a mass similar to the Sun Glycolaldehyde already been spotted in the interstellar space above [2] , however, this is the first time that it is located so close to a star of this type, at distances equivalent to those between Uranus from the Sun in our own solar system. The discovery shows that some of the chemicals necessary for life, in this system existed at the time of planet formation [3] .

"In the disk of gas and dust surrounding the star forming glycolaldehyde recent find, a simple sugar that is not very different from what we put in coffee," says Jes Jørgensen (Niels Bohr Institute, Denmark), author of the paper. "This molecule is one of the ingredients in the formation of ribonucleic acid (RNA), which like the DNA, which is related, is one of the key ingredients for life."

The high sensitivity of ALMA (even in the shorter wavelengths at which it operates - that represent major technical challenges) was essential for these observations, which were made with a partial set of antennas during the call scientific verification phase of the observatory [4] .

"What's really fascinating is that our findings with ALMA observations reveal that the sugar molecules are falling toward a system of stars," says Cécile Favre, team member (University of Aarhus, Denmark). "The sugar molecules are not only found in the place to find their way to a planet, but also going in the right direction."

The clouds of gas and dust collapse to form new stars are extremely cold [5] , so many of these gases become solid ice forming on the dust particles, which are then combined and originate more complex molecules. However, once a star forms in a cloud of gas and dust, it heats the inside of the rotating cloud raising its temperature. When this occurs, chemically complex molecules evaporate in gaseous form. This gas emits radiation in the form of radio waves, which can be captured using powerful radio telescopes such as ALMA.

The star IRAS 16293-2422 is located about 400 light-years or so (relatively close to Earth), which makes it an excellent object of study for astronomers investigating the chemistry and molecules that surround young stars. By leveraging the vast capabilities of a new generation of telescopes such as ALMA, astronomers now have the opportunity to study fine detail, inside clouds of gas and dust that cause planetary systems.

"It raises a big question: How complex can become these molecules before they are incorporated into new planets? This could give us an idea about how life could arise elsewhere, and ALMA observations will be vital to unravel this mystery, "says Jes Jørgensen.

The work will be published in an article in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The telescope ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership between Europe, North America and East Asia in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded in Europe by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), in North America by the National Science Foundation of USA (NSF, for its acronym in English) in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC, for its acronym in English) and the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC, for its acronym in English) and in East Asia National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS, for its acronym in English) of Japan in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan. The construction and operation of ALMA in the name of Europe are provided by ESO, on behalf of North America are the responsibility of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), which is operated by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) and on behalf of Asia This corresponds to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).

The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) is responsible for the unification of the project, so it is responsible for the overall direction and management of the construction, as well as the commissioning and operation of ALMA.

Notes

[1] "Sugar" is the common name given to a group of small carbohydrates (organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in a ratio of 1C: 2H: 1O, in part similar to the chemical structure of the water molecule H2O). The glycolaldehyde has the chemical formula C2H4O2. The sugar commonly used in foods and drinks is sucrose, which is a larger molecule than glycolaldehyde, and another example of this series of compounds.

[2] The glycolaldehyde was detected in two places in space so far: the first to the molecular gas cloud Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) near the galactic center, using the 12-m telescope of the National Science Foundation of the United. States. (NSF, for its acronym in English) on the top of Mount Kitt Peak (USA) in 2000, and with the Hubble Robert C. Byrd Green Bank (GBT) of the NSF (also in the U.S.), in 2004. The second is the G31.41 +031, an area of high density of hot molecules, using the Plateau de Bure Interferometer Institute of Millimeter Radio Astronomy (France) in 2008.

[3] Precise measurements performed in the laboratory of specific wavelengths which have the radio waves emitted by the glycolaldehyde were essential for the computer to identify the molecule in space. Glycolaldehyde addition, IRAS 16293-2422 is also known for being the home of other complex organic molecules, including ethylene glycol, methyl format and ethanol.

[4] The first scientific observations with a partial set of antennas were launched in 2011 (see eso1137). Both before and after this, a series of scientific verification observations have been performed to show that ALMA is capable of producing the required quality data. The results described here use some of this information for scientific verification.

[5] It is usually found at a temperature of about 10 degrees above absolute zero: around minus 263 degrees Celsius.

Additional information

This study was presented in an article entitled 'Detection of the simplest sugar, glycolaldehyde, in a solar-type protester with ALMA "(The discovery of soul, Soul detects the simplest sugar, glycolaldehyde, a protester similar to the sun) by Jorgensen and colleagues, which appears in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The team is computes by Jes K. Jørgensen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark), Cécile Favre (University of Aarhus, Denmark), Suzanne E. Bisschop (University of Copenhagen), Tyler L. Bourke (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, USA), F. Ewine van Dishoeck (Leiden Observatory, Holland, Max-Planck Institute fur Physik extraterrestrische, Garching, Germany) and Markus Schmalzl (Leiden Observatory).

The year 2012 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organization in Europe and the astronomical observatory in the world's most productive land. It is supported by 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. ESO carries out an ambitious program focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful astronomical observation facilities on land, enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a key role in promoting and organizing cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three facilities in Chile observation unique in the world: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the

Very Large Telescope (VLT), the most advanced optical observatory in the world and two survey telescopes: The Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA Survey Telescope for Astronomy optical and infrared), which tracks the sky at infrared wavelengths, is the largest survey telescope in the world and the VLT Survey Telescope (VST, the VLT Survey Telescope) is the largest telescope designed to track exclusively the skies in visible light. ESO is the European partner of a revolutionary astronomical telescope ALMA called, the largest astronomical project today. ESO is currently planning the construction and development of an optical telescope / infrared 40 meters. The E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope) will be "the world's biggest eye on the sky".