Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contain ≲20% of the carbon in the interstellar medium. They are potentially produced in circumstellar environments (at temperatures ≳1000 kelvin), by reactions within cold (~10 kelvin) interstellar clouds, or by processing of carbon-rich dust grains. We report isotopic properties of PAHs extracted from samples of the asteroid Ryugu and the meteorite Murchison. The doubly-13C substituted compositions (D2×13C values) of the PAHs naphthalene, fluoranthene, and pyrene are 9 to 51% higher than values expected for a stochastic distribution of isotopes. The D2×13C values are higher than expected if the PAHs formed in a circumstellar environment, but consistent with formation in the interstellar medium. By contrast, the PAHs phenanthrene and anthracene in Ryugu samples have D2×13C values consistent with formation by higher-temperature reactions.
| Originalsprache | Englisch |
|---|---|
| Seiten (von - bis) | 1411-1416 |
| Seitenumfang | 6 |
| Fachzeitschrift | Science |
| Jahrgang | 382 |
| Ausgabenummer | 6677 |
| DOIs | |
| Publikationsstatus | Veröffentlicht - 1 Dez. 2023 |