Heavy water ice found in planet-forming disk ⚡ экспресс
Analyzing observations of the edge-on protoplanetary disk 132-1832 in the Orion Nebula cluster with the NIRSpec spectrograph on the JWST and the ENIIGMA fitting tool, supplemented by unique laboratory data, has led to the first detection of HDO ice. The estimated upper limit of the HDO/H₂O ratio in this disk significantly exceeds values found for chondrites, comets, and embedded young stellar objects. Alongside HDO, the disk also contains ices of H₂O, CO₂, ¹³CO₂, CO, OCN⁻, and OCS, which have previously been detected in other disks. The detection of HDO points to efficient ice processing in the disk and matches laboratory experiments on deuterated ices. This result sheds light on the chemical continuity from the interstellar medium to planetary systems.
The James Webb Space Telescope peered into a disk of gas and dust around a young star where planets are born, and for the first time spotted ice made of heavy water. This water is not ordinary: in its molecules, regular hydrogen is replaced by deuterium, its heavier sibling. Such water is like a diary page, holding chemical clues from the past.
Now that diary page has been read, it tells the story of water that crossed the galaxy to become our planet's oceans.
🎯 Every liter of seawater hides a few drops of heavy water. It tastes slightly sweet but is harmless.