Dr. Juande Santander-VelaWhen is heavy water (i.e., that formed with deuterium instead of simple hydrogen) formed in the universe? Very early into protoplanetary system formation, it seems!
«Our detection indisputably demonstrates that the water seen in this planet-forming disk must be older than the central star and formed at the earliest stages of star and planet formation,” shares Margot Leemker, lead author on this paper, and a postdoc with the Department of Physics, University of Milan, Italy. “This presents a major breakthrough in understanding the journey of water through planet formation, and how this water made its way to our Solar System, and possibly Earth, through similar processes.”»
#ALMA #AtacamaLargeMillimeterSubmillimeterArray #AtacamaLargeMillimeterArray #PlanetFormation #PlanetSystemFormation #GalacticWater #GalacticHeavyWater #HeavyWater #D2O
First-ever Detection of “Heavy Water” in a Planet-forming Disk | ALMA Observatory
New ALMA data traces water found in comets, and planet formation, back to the dawn of the cosmos Highlights: Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have made a first-ever detection of doubly deuterated water (D₂O, or “heavy water”) in a planet-forming disk around V883 Ori, a young star. This means that the water...