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Identification of iron sulphide grains in protoplanetary disks

Nature volume 417, pages 148–150 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Sulphur is depleted in cold dense molecular clouds with embedded young stellar objects1, indicating that most of it probably resides in solid grains. Iron sulphide grains are the main sulphur species in cometary dust particles2,3, but there has been no direct evidence for FeS in astronomical sources4, which poses a considerable problem, because sulphur is a cosmically abundant element. Here we report laboratory infrared spectra of FeS grains from primitive meteorites, as well as from pyrrhotite ([Fe, Ni]1-xS) grains in interplanetary dust, which show a broad FeS feature centred at ∼23.5 micrometres. A similar broad feature is seen in the infrared spectra of young stellar objects, implying that FeS grains are an important but previously unrecognized component of circumstellar dust. The feature had previously been attributed to FeO5,6,7. The observed astronomical line strengths are generally consistent with the depletion of sulphur from the gas phase1, and with the average Galactic sulphur/silicon abundance ratio8. We conclude that the missing sulphur has been found.

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Figure 1: Infrared spectra of young stars showing a pronounced 23.5-µm feature from iron sulphide grains.
Figure 2: Infrared transmission spectra from iron oxides are compared with iron sulphide standards.
Figure 3: Infrared spectra of sulphide standards and sulphide-rich IDPs compared to ‘23.5-µm’ features in two Herbig stars showing similar peak positions, shapes, and bandwidths.

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Acknowledgements

We thank L. Miller, L. Carr and G. Williams at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory for technical assistance. Much of this work was performed while L.P.K. was a Senior Research Scientist at MVA, Inc. F.J.M. acknowledges support from an NWO Talent Grant. L.B.F.M.W., S.H., A.d.K. and J.B. acknowledge financial support from an NWO Pioneer Grant. We thank A. Li and D. Wooden for comments on the manuscript. This work was supported in part by NASA and ESA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mail Code SR, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, 77058, USA

    L. P. Keller

  2. Astronomical Institute Anton Pannekoek, Kruislaan 403, NL-1098 SJ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    S. Hony, L. B. F. M. Waters & A. de Koter

  3. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332, USA

    J. P. Bradley

  4. ESTEC/ESA, RSSD-ST, Keplerlaan 1, NL-2201 AZ, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

    F. J. Molster

  5. Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, 98195, Washington, Seattle, USA

    D. E. Brownlee

  6. Department of Physics, SUNY, 12901, Plattsburgh, New York, USA

    G. J. Flynn

  7. Astrophysical Institute and University Observatory, Jena, Germany

    T. Henning & H. Mutschke

  8. Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, Katholieke Universteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, Heverlee, B-3001, Belgium

    L. B. F. M. Waters

  9. CEA, DSM, DAPNIA, Service d'Astrophysique, CEN Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, F-91191, France

    J. Bouwman

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  1. L. P. Keller
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Correspondence to L. P. Keller.

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Keller, L., Hony, S., Bradley, J. et al. Identification of iron sulphide grains in protoplanetary disks. Nature 417, 148–150 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/417148a

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