Discovering SO2 in JWST MIRI MRS spectra of protoplanetary disks

Smeman, Thomas (2024) Discovering SO2 in JWST MIRI MRS spectra of protoplanetary disks. Bachelor's Thesis, Astronomy.

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Abstract

The sulfur depletion problem describes the fact that only 1% of the theoretical total sulfur abundance in protoplanetary disks is observed. Using JWST MIRI MRS observations of protoplanetary disks, SO2 could be used as a tracer for the total sulfur abundance. Using local thermal equilibrium slab models made with ProDiMoPy and an observed debris disk as a template for a typical noise profile, a cross-correlation method is developed to observe SO2 in various scenarios. The technique retrieves SO2 from mock spectra consisting of the aforementioned debris disk, with an SO2 spectrum added in at various signal-to-noise ratios. The estimates have high precision in both temperature and column density, but lose accuracy when adding other species to the simulated spectra. By comparing the spectrum with a slab model spectrum of the best estimate of column density and temperature for a given emitting radius, visual confirmation of SO2 detection can be obtained. The method was applied to GWLup, but no SO2 could be detected, meaning any SO2 emission will be below a signal-to-noise ratio of 2. There are few possibilities for temperature and column density combinations that achieve this value, with a requirement of a large emitting area, meaning there are no likely scenarios for GWLup to contain SO2 detectable with this method. Obtaining the signal strength with a high column density would require a value around 1017 cm−2, which is unlikely based on previous estimates in literature.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Kamp, I.E.E.
Degree programme:	Astronomy
Thesis type:	Bachelor's Thesis
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	10 Dec 2024 07:53
Last Modified:	10 Dec 2024 07:53
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/34485

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