Emission from Multiple Molecular Isotopologues in a High-inclination Protoplanetary Disk

Abstract

We present a MIRI-MRS spectrum of the high-inclination protoplanetary disk around the solar-mass (K0) star MY Lup, obtained as part of the JWST Disk Infrared Spectral Chemistry Survey (JDISCS). The spectrum shows an unusually weak water emission spectrum for a disk around a star of its spectral type, but strong emission from CO _2 , HCN, and isotopologues of both molecules. This includes the first ever detection of C ^18 O ^16 O and H ^13 CN in an inner disk, as well as tentative detections of C ^17 O ^16 O and HC ^15 N. Slab modeling provides the molecular temperatures, column densities, and emitting areas of the detected molecules. The emitting molecular gas is cold compared to that of other observed protoplanetary disk spectra. We estimate the isotopologue ratios of CO _2 and HCN, albeit with significant uncertainty. We suggest that the unusual spectrum of MY Lup arises from a combination of inner-disk clearing, which removes emission from warm water, and its nearly edge-on inclination, which enhances line-of-sight column densities, although unusual chemistry may also be required. MY Lup’s spectrum highlights the potential to detect and measure trace isotopologues to study isotopic fractionation in protoplanetary disks; observations at higher spectral resolving power are needed to constrain the isotopologue ratios to greater precision.

Keywords

• Protoplanetary disks
• Exoplanet formation
• Molecular spectroscopy