Metamorphoses of carbon and oxygen in protoplanetary discs: how chemistry and radial drift transform inner disc C/O ratios

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ID: 315536
2026
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Abstract
Abstract The chemical composition of a protoplanetary disc is sensitive to its thermal structure and dust properties, and can provide insights into the disc evolution. Recent observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveal correlations of the inner disc compositions with disc size, accretion rate and stellar mass, explained by the key role of dust radial drift in redistributing primordial volatiles. We explore how chemical reactions change the composition of ices carried with pebbles and how they affect the inner disc C/O ratios in a disc around a solar mass star. We consider different drift efficiencies set by dust fragmentation velocity and include dust traps at different locations. We vary the incident cosmic ray ionisation rate ζ and the efficiency of cosmic ray dissociation of ices, and consider the effect of carbon grain destruction. We find that methane depletion within <1 Myr prevents the delivery of carbon-rich gas to the inner disc and yields C/O ≲ 1 for ζ ≥ 10−17 s−1. Dust traps collect water and carbon-rich ices formed via methane destruction, further lowering the inner disc metallicity and C/O ratio. Cosmic-ray driven photodissociation of ices can convert water to O2 and carbon-bearing molecules to CO, allowing ices to escape the trap if ≳ 10% of the dissociated products can participate in surface reactions. We discuss the observational implications and conclude that cosmic rays and their effect on ices are the key factors that determine the impact of chemistry on the inner disc composition.
Reference Key
openalex_W7163201878 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Tamara Molyarova, R A Booth, C. A. Walsh
Journal monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/mnras/stag1016
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag1016
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