Prebiotic molecules throughout stellar lifetimes: exploring the origin of life

Current astrobiological theory supports the hypothesis that prebiotic molecules were delivered to the early Earth, thereby allowing for life to form. This project centers on the formation of the prebiotic molecule formamide (NH2CHO). This molecular species has been cited as a likely precursor to amino acids and proteins, but its formation route is currently unknown. There are currently two main formation routes under examination: in the ice mantles of dust grains or in warm gas. Through study of prebiotic molecules around young stars, I can understand how they may have ended up in comets for delivery to primordial Earth. Using sub-millimeter (ALMA) and mid-infrared (JWST) observations of young high- and low-mass stars coupled with statistical chemical models I seek to understand the formation of formamide. ALMA observations will reveal the extent and motion of each of our targeted molecular species in the gas phase, along with the abundances of each, revealing the chemical relationship between them. With early release science observations from JWST, I will detect formamide in ice for the first time and compare the ice content with the gas. In order to interpret my observations as well as validate current chemical reaction networks, I will use time-dependent chemical models to simulate gas warming around a young star and the reactions that would take place. This will allow me to understand how the physical environmental affects the formation and hardiness of chemical complexity. Alongside the projects to understand the formation of formamide, I also aim to detect two other prebiotic molecular species around young stars: methyl isocyanate (CH3NCO) and acetamide (NH2COCH3). These species have been detected on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko but have not been well studied in star-forming regions. Further detections of these species will open up the possibility of studying their formation in a similar manner to formamide.