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Abstract The radial transport, or drift, of dust has taken a critical role in giant planet formation theory. However, it has been challenging to identify dust drift pileups in the hard-to-observe inner disk. We find that the IM Lup disk shows evidence that it has been shaped by an episode of dust drift. Using radiative transfer and dust dynamical modeling we study the radial and vertical dust distribution. We find that high dust drift rates exceeding 110M_⊕Myr⁻¹are necessary to explain both the dust and CO observations. Furthermore, the bulk of the large dust present in the inner 20 au needs to be vertically extended, implying high turbulence (α_z≳ 10⁻³) and small grains (0.2–1 mm). We suggest that this increased level of particle stirring is consistent with the inner dust-rich disk undergoing turbulence triggered by the vertical shear instability. The conditions in the IM Lup disk imply that giant planet formation through pebble accretion is only effective outside of 20 au. If such an early, high-turbulence inner region is a natural consequence of high dust drift rates, then this has major implications for understanding the formation regions of giant planets including Jupiter and Saturn. 

Abstract The chemical composition of the inner region of protoplanetary disks can trace the composition of planetary-building material. The exact elemental composition of the inner disk has not yet been measured and tensions between models and observations still exist. Recent advancements have shown UV shielding to be able to increase the emission of organics. Here, we expand on these models and investigate how UV shielding may impact chemical composition in the inner 5 au. In this work, we use the model from Bosman et al. and expand it with a larger chemical network. We focus on the chemical abundances in the upper disk atmosphere where the effects of water UV shielding are most prominent and molecular lines originate. We find rich carbon and nitrogen chemistry with enhanced abundances of C 2 H 2 , CH 4 , HCN, CH 3 CN, and NH 3 by >3 orders of magnitude. This is caused by the self-shielding of H 2 O, which locks oxygen in water. This subsequently results in a suppression of oxygen-containing species like CO and CO 2 . The increase in C 2 H 2 seen in the model with the inclusion of water UV shielding allows us to explain the observed C 2 H 2 abundance without resorting to elevated C/O ratios as water UV shielding induced an effectively oxygen-poor environment in oxygen-rich gas. Thus, water UV shielding is important for reproducing the observed abundances of hydrocarbons and nitriles. From our model result, species like CH 4 , NH 3 , and NO are expected to be observable with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). 

Abstract Carbon dioxide is an important tracer of the chemistry and physics in the terrestrial planet-forming zone. Using a thermochemical model that has been tested against the mid-infrared water emission, we reinterpret the CO 2 emission as observed with Spitzer. We find that both water UV-shielding and extra chemical heating significantly reduce the total CO 2 column in the emitting layer. Water UV-shielding is the more efficient effect, reducing the CO 2 column by ∼2 orders of magnitude. These lower CO 2 abundances lead to CO 2 -to-H 2 O flux ratios that are closer to the observed values, but CO 2 emission is still too bright, especially in relative terms. Invoking the depletion of elemental oxygen outside of the water midplane ice line more strongly impacts the CO 2 emission than it does the H 2 O emission, bringing the CO 2 -to-H 2 O emission in line with the observed values. We conclude that the CO 2 emission observed with Spitzer-IRS is coming from a thin layer in the photosphere of the disk, similar to the strong water lines. Below this layer, we expect CO 2 not to be present except when replenished by a physical process. This would be visible in the 13 CO 2 spectrum as well as certain 12 CO 2 features that can be observed by JWST-MIRI. 

Abstract An understanding of abundance and distribution of water vapor in the innermost region of protoplanetary disks is key to understanding the origin of habitable worlds and planetary systems. Past observations have shown H 2 O to be abundant and a major carrier of elemental oxygen in disk surface layers that lie within the inner few astronomical units of the disk. The combination of high abundance and strong radiative transitions leads to emission lines that are optically thick across the infrared spectral range. Its rarer isotopologue H 2 18 O traces deeper into this layer and will trace the full content of the planet-forming zone. In this work, we explore the relative distribution of H 2 16 O and H 2 18 O within a model that includes water self-shielding from the destructive effects of ultraviolet radiation. In this Letter we show that there is an enhancement in the relative H 2 18 O abundance high up in the warm molecular layer within 0.1–10 au due to self-shielding of CO, C 18 O, and H 2 O. Most transitions of H 2 18 O that can be observed with JWST will partially emit from this layer, making it essential to take into account how H 2 O self-shielding may effect the H 2 O to H 2 18 O ratio. Additionally, this reservoir of H 2 18 O -enriched gas in combination with the vertical “cold finger” effect might provide a natural mechanism to account for oxygen isotopic anomalies found in meteoritic material in the solar system. 

Abstract Mid-infrared spectroscopy is one of the few ways to observe the composition of the terrestrial planet-forming zone, the inner few astronomical units, of protoplanetary disks. The species currently detected in the disk atmosphere, for example, CO, CO 2 , H 2 O, and C 2 H 2 , are theoretically enough to constrain the C/O ratio on the disk surface. However, thermochemical models have difficulties in reproducing the full array of detected species in the mid-infrared simultaneously. In an effort to get closer to the observed spectra, we have included water UV-shielding as well as more efficient chemical heating into the thermochemical code Dust and Lines. We find that both are required to match the observed emission spectrum. Efficient chemical heating, in addition to traditional heating from UV photons, is necessary to elevate the temperature of the water-emitting layer to match the observed excitation temperature of water. We find that water UV-shielding stops UV photons from reaching deep into the disk, cooling down the lower layers with a higher column. These two effects create a hot emitting layer of water with a column of 1–10 × 10 18 cm −2 . This is only 1%–10% of the water column above the dust τ = 1 surface at mid-infrared wavelengths in the models and represents <1% of the total water column.