IRAM intensity maps of 3 low-mass protostars

Dust temperature maps obtained from Herschel and Planck observations show that massive hot cores are located in warmer molecular clouds than low-mass sources, with temperature differences of about 10K. The comparison of our measured values with the predictions of the gas-grain astrochemical model GRAINOBLE shows that such a temperature difference is sufficient to explain the different deuteration observed in low- to high-mass sources.

This suggests that the physical conditions of the molecular cloud at the origin of the protostars mostly govern the present observed deuteration of methanol and, therefore, of more complex organic molecules. Finally, the methanol deuteration measured towards young solar-type protostars on Solar System scales seems to be higher by a factor of about 5 than the upper limit in methanol deuteration estimated in comet Hale-Bopp.

If this result is confirmed by subsequent observations of other comets, this would imply that an important reprocessing of the organic material likely occurred in the solar nebula during the formation of the Solar System.