The Nitrogen Carrier in Inner Protoplanetary Disks

The dominant reservoirs of elemental nitrogen in protoplanetary disks have not yet been observationally identified. Likely candidates are HCN, NH3, and N2. The relative abundances of these carriers determine the composition of planetesimals as a function of disk radius due to strong differences in t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2019-03, Vol.874 (1), p.92
Main Authors: Pontoppidan, Klaus M., Salyk, Colette, Banzatti, Andrea, Blake, Geoffrey A., Walsh, Catherine, Lacy, John H., Richter, Matthew J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abundance
Ammonia
Astrophysics
Chemical evolution
Extrasolar planets
ISM: molecules
Nitrogen
Organic chemistry
Planet formation
Planetary composition
planets and satellites: composition
planets and satellites: formation
Protoplanetary disks
Protoplanets
Protostars
Radiative transfer
Spectroscopy
Spectrum analysis
Star formation
Stellar envelopes
Two dimensional models
Volatility
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Summary:The dominant reservoirs of elemental nitrogen in protoplanetary disks have not yet been observationally identified. Likely candidates are HCN, NH3, and N2. The relative abundances of these carriers determine the composition of planetesimals as a function of disk radius due to strong differences in their volatility. A significant sequestration of nitrogen in carriers less volatile than N2 is likely required to deliver even small amounts of nitrogen to the Earth and potentially habitable exoplanets. While HCN has been detected in small amounts in inner disks (
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.3847/1538-4357/ab05d8