Radio telescope in Chile detects unprecedented heavy water on 11-billion-year-old comet 3I/ATLAS

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS originates from a planetary system with chemical and thermal characteristics different from ours. Astrônomos used the ALMA radio telescope complex, located in the desert of Atacama, to analyze the composition of the celestial body during its passage. The scientific team identified the presence of deuterated water inside the object. Esta is the first time researchers have detected the isotope in a visitor from outside our star system.

The discovery provides concrete data on the formation environment of the primordial comet. The object was initially spotted in July last year and crossed our cosmic neighborhood at high speed. In December, the celestial body began its exit route towards deep space. Studying these chemical properties helps understand planet creation processes in other regions of Via Láctea.

Detecção unprecedented radio telescope isotope on Chile

The main observations took place in November, when the object reached its closest approach to Sol. The celestial body passed about 203 million kilometers from the central star. Solar heat caused the sublimation of the ice present in the comet’s structure. Esse process transformed the solid material into gas, allowing the instruments to capture signals on Chilean soil. ALMA has the technical capacity to record low-energy radio waves.

Radio telescope technology has advantages over traditional optical equipment when observing bodies close to Sol. The sensors can pass through dense clouds of gas and dust without being damaged by intense heat. Luis Eduardo Salazar Manzano, Universidade researcher from Michigan, led the study that quantified deuterium. Ordinary water has two simple hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The deuterated variant contains an extra neutron, which makes it heavier.

Condições extremes and older age than Sol

The data captured on Chile showed a deuterium concentration well above known standards. The amount of the isotope in the water of 3I/ATLAS exceeds the volume recorded in the oceans of Terra by 40 times. The number is also 30 times higher than the average found in comets formed in our neighborhood. Essa chemical difference indicates that the object emerged in an environment with extremely low temperatures.

Deuterium enrichment occurs during the formation of water in molecular clouds in interstellar space. Scientists estimate that the comet’s original environment registered temperatures below 30 Kelvin. The value is equivalent to about -243 degrees Celsius. Our stellar system’s primordial climate was considerably warmer 4.5 billion years ago. Previous Pesquisas calculate that the cosmic visitor could be up to 11 billion years old.

• The comet formed in a distinct planetary system.
• The structure contains a high concentration of semi-heavy water.
• The source environment recorded temperatures below -243 degrees Celsius.
• The age of the celestial body reaches the mark of 11 billion years.
• The object was born at the outer edges of a protoplanetary disk.

The water preserved inside the space rock formed even before its host star emerged. The celestial body consolidated from a rotating disk of gas and dust. Chemical reactions that destroy deuterium occur in warmer areas. The team concluded that the object spent most of its existence in the peripheral zones of this disk. The distance from stellar heat guaranteed the maintenance of the isotope.

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Composição chemistry reveals distant disk formation

The high level of deuterium coincides with previous measurements that showed a large volume of carbon dioxide in the comet. The combination of these two chemical characteristics reinforces the hypothesis of formation in a remote and isolated area. The outer parts of protoplanetary disks maintain the extreme cold necessary for the condensation of volatile substances in space. Rapid freezing prevents the degradation of heavy isotopes that are lost at higher temperatures. The preservation of these elements provides scientists with a map of the distribution of matter in the ancient galaxy.

The observatory’s instruments looked for signs of ordinary water during the object’s passage through our system. The sensors did not record the presence of H2O in significant volumes in the released gas cloud. Researcher Manzano explains that the substance may exist in the rocky structure, but at levels below the detection limit of the equipment used in the mission. The unique identification of deuterated water confirmed the atypical nature of the celestial body before the astronomical community. The material functions as a direct record of the glacial conditions of its birth and its trajectory through the vacuum.

Novas technologies expand search for celestial bodies

Analysis of extragalactic fragments provides information about inaccessible regions of Via Láctea. Interstellar objects transport intact matter from the exact locations where other planets formed billions of years ago. Theodore Kareta, Universidade astronomer of Villanova, likens the presence of deuterium to an unchanging chemical fingerprint. The marker reveals the state of our galaxy at a time when the concentration of heavy metals was considerably lower. Galactic evolution changes the type of material available for the creation of new star systems.

The technological advancement of terrestrial observatories should increase the detection rate of new cosmic visitors in the coming years. The Observatório Vera C. Rubin, also installed in Chilean territory, began capturing images in June with state-of-the-art equipment. The new structure will allow scientists to see whether the composition of 3I/ATLAS represents a common pattern or a rare exception. Mapping multiple celestial bodies will help trace a detailed history of planetary evolution in the known universe. Data crossing will define the structural similarities between distant worlds and the formation of Terra.