Cosmic Rays and the Origin of Volatiles in Protoplanetary Disks

摘要

The origin of water and other volatiles in protoplanetary disks can be either interstellar or due to chemical processing during the protoplanetary disk phase. Depending on the strength of the ionization field present during this stage, an active chemical evolution in the protoplanetary disk midplane can lead to formation of complex volatiles on timescales shorter than the disk dissipation timescale. For this reason, we investigate the effects of cosmic rays and the usually neglected cosmic ray induced UV ionization field in time dependent chemical models of protoplanetary disks. These results are benchmarked against our current knowledge of the chemical composition of cometary ices. We conclude that water and other, more complex volatiles can be preserved in the ice mantles of dust grains. This ice mantle growth can also have a significant impact on the dust opacity and hence on the temperature profile of the disk midplane. This effect will be observable in the near future with ALMA.