Scientists have discovered an unusually large molecule in the fog of a cat’s paw, located at a distance of about 5,500 light years from the ground. The 2-methoxyethanol molecule, consisting of 13 atoms, has become one of the largest molecules ever identified outside our solar system. About this reports in the article in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Cosmos is often perceived as emptiness, but in fact it is full of chemical processes, during which the atoms are connected and decomposed, forming stars and planets for millions of years. Understanding the processes of the formation of simple organic molecules, such as methane, ethanol, and formaldehyde, helps scientists to better imagine how stars and galaxies arise, as well as how life could begin.
To detect these basic building blocks of life, it is necessary to investigate the unique energy “barcodes” of molecules – sets of specific lengths of light waves that the molecule can absorb. These transitions between the energy levels, characteristic of each molecule, are measured in laboratories, and then astrochemists are looking for the same energy signatures in space.
Using radio telescopes to observe interstellar space, scientists can collect signals from gaseous molecules. Zakhari Fried, the author of the study and the astrochemist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, notes that the rotational transitions observed in the telescope must coincide with the measured in the laboratory.
The opening of a 2-methoxyethanol molecule was possible thanks to the use of artificial intelligence, which helped model the prevalence of various molecular species in space. The preliminary detection of metatoxy-containing species in the fog of the cat’s paw and in the double IRAS 16293 system gave researchers an idea of where to look for a new molecule.
After measuring the rotation spectrum of 2-methoxyethanol in the laboratory and data collection using the ALMA radio telescope complex in Chile, the team was able to confirm the presence of this molecule in the fog of the cat’s paw, analyzing 25 corresponding signals.
The team hopes that the results can serve as the basis for future studies to identify other, not yet discovered molecules in space. “The feasibility and effectiveness of these paths can be closely related to the physical conditions of the interstellar source,” Fried said. “Studying what other species are involved in the formation and destruction of the detected molecules, we can determine other species that can be candidates