H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O in the Terrestrial Planet-forming Regions of Proto
Abstract Isotopologues play an important role in solar system cosmochemistry studies, revealing details of early planet formation physics and chemistry. Oxygen isotopes, as measured in solar system materials, reveal evidence for both mass-dependent fractionation processes and a mass-independent process commonly attributed to isotope-selective photodissociation of CO in the solar nebula. The sensitivity of JWST’s MIRI-MRS enables studies of isotopologues in the terrestrial planet-forming regions around nearby young stars. We report here on a search for H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O in 22 disks from the JDISC Survey with evidence for substantial water vapor reservoirs, with the goal of measuring H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>16</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O/H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O ratios, and potentially revealing the predicted enhancement of H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O caused by isotope-selective photodissociation. We find marginal detections of H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O in six disks, and a more significant detection of H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O in the disk around WSB 52. Modeling of the detected H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O lines assuming an interstellar medium (ISM) ratio of H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>16</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O/H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O predicts H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O features consistent with observations for four of the modeled disks, but stronger H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>18</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O features than are observed in three of the modeled disks, which includes WSB 52. Therefore, these latter three disks require a higher H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>16</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> O/H <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup>
Authors
- Jenny K. Calahan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0150-0125)
- Sophie Heinzen
- Andrea Banzatti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4335-0900)
- Nicole Arulanantham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2631-5265)
- Carlos Romero-Mirza
- Ke Zhang
- Edwin A. Bergin
- Geoffrey A. Blake
- Joel Green
- Sebastiaan Krijt
- John Carr
- Klaus M. Pontoppidan
- D. Annie Dickson-Vandervelde
Institutions
- Weber State University (US)
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Vassar College (US)
- Space Telescope Science Institute (US)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- Texas State University (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- University of Exeter (GB)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté (FR)
- Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
- Community Science and Data Center (US)
- NSF NOIRLab (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Published
- 2026-02-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae3db1
- Primary Topic
- Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00