Planetary Systems from Interstellar Ingredients

Objective

Every year, more and more different types of complex organic molecules are discovered in infant star-forming regions. In my series of works, I demonstrated that the molecules found towards Sun-like protostars are qualitatively related to those found in comets in our Solar System. The outstanding challenge is that we do not know if these molecules have been inherited, or destroyed and reformed. However, the journey of material from prestellar cores and protostars to protoplanetary disks and planetary building blocks is of key importance for our understanding of the composition of (exo)planets and their atmospheres, and the origin of life. In my ERC project, I aim to quantify to what extent the chemical complexity of planet-forming material is preset in the natal environment of a planetary system. I plan on quantitatively comparing the complete (gas and ice) complex organic natal inventory to that in planet-forming material, based on cohesive unprecedented observational campaigns. I will combine radio (ALMA and single-dish) observations of gases in prestellar cores and protostars with infrared (JWST) data on ices in the same regions to obtain these complete natal inventories. I will quantify the composition of planet-forming material through the only two possible ways: direct studies of disk ices with JWST and remote sensing of comets. Thereafter, I aim to robustly understand the differences in terms of precise physicochemical processes at hand. To achieve that, I will develop a state-of-the-art physicochemical model including evolution of a core into a protostar and a disk, and a novel chemical network with complex organic chemistry and multi-isotopolog fractionation. My project ΨI will make a major contribution to our understanding of complex organic chemistry under interstellar physical conditions. It will also make a step forward in the frontier science of investigating if interstellar molecules played a role, if any, in the emergence of life on the early Earth.