2025NatAs...9..883S

Query : 2025NatAs...9..883S

2025NatAs...9..883S - Nature Astronomy, 9, 883-894 (2025/June-0)

Cospatial ice mapping of H2O with CO2 and CO across a molecular cloud with JWST/NIRCam.

SMITH Z.L., DICKINSON H.J., FRASER H.J., McCLURE M.K., NOBLE J.A., BOOGERT A.C.A., SUN F., EGAMI E., DARTOIS E., ERKAL J., SHIMONISHI T., BECK T.L., BERGNER J.B., CASELLI P., CHARNLEY S.B., CHU L., DROZDOVSKAYA M.N., GARROD R., HARSONO D., IOPPOLO S., JIMENEZ-SERRA I., JORGENSEN J.K., MELNICK G.J., OBERG K.I., PALUMBO M.E., PENDLETON Y.J., PEROTTI G., PONTOPPIDAN K.M., QASIM D., ROCHA W.R.M., STURM J.A., TAILLARD A., URSO R.G. and VAN DISHOECK E.F.

Abstract (from CDS):

In the coldest regions of molecular clouds, carbon and oxygen are incorporated into icy dust grains. Despite its outsized role in star and planet formation, sequential formation of ice is poorly constrained. Infrared spectroscopy probes ice chemistry, but previous telescopes observed insufficient lines of sight to map a single cloud. Here we present cospatial maps of H 2 O, CO 2 and CO ice over the central region of the Chamaeleon I molecular cloud, using 44 lines of sight observed with the James Webb Space Telescope. Correlations at column densities ten times larger than previous work suggest additional CO 2 ice formation in CO ice for the densest lines of sight. This large statistical sampling within a single cloud represents a step change in ice mapping, eliminating averaging over clouds with different intrinsic chemical environments. Mapping opens the door to probing gas-grain exchanges, snow lines and chemical evolution in the densest regions and drawing conclusions on the impact of ice chemistry on wider astrophysics.


Abstract Copyright: 2025 The Author(s)

Journal keyword(s):

Simbad objects: 7

goto Full paper

goto View the references in ADS

Number of rows : 7
N Identifier Otype ICRS (J2000)
RA 		ICRS (J2000)
DEC 		Mag U Mag B Mag V Mag R Mag I Sp type #ref
1850 - 2026 		#notes
1 NAME Taurus Complex SFR 04 41.0 +25 52           ~ 4971 0
2 SSTSL2 J110621.64-772354.1 IR 11 06 21.640 -77 23 54.12           ~ 22 0
3 [PMG2001] NIR 38 IR 11 06 26.69 -77 23 18.6           ~ 29 0
4 [PCW91] Ced 110 IRS 10 Y*O 11 06 33.38 -77 23 34.6           ~ 79 1
5 NAME Cha 1 MoC 11 06 48 -77 18.0           ~ 1266 1
6 NAME Ophiuchus Molecular Cloud SFR 16 28 06 -24 32.5           ~ 3969 1
7 [PCW91] Ced 110 IRS 4A IR ~ ~           ~ 3 0

To bookmark this query, right click on this link: simbad:objects in 2025NatAs...9..883S and select 'bookmark this link' or equivalent in the popup menu