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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Astronomy & Astrophysics

Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS)

  • J. K. Jørgensen1
  • A. Coutens2
  • M. N. Drozdovskaya3,4
  • J.-E. Lee5
  • A. L. Plunkett6
  • S. Maret7
  • A. Belloche8
  • D. Harsono9
  • Z. Telkamp10
  • F. Cruz-Sáenz de Miera2
  • M. L. R. van ’t Hoff11
  • Á. Kóspál12,13,14
18 more authors
  • M. Rao10
  • J. Bergner15
  • J.-H. Jeong5
  • S. Spezzano16
  • B. A. McGuire17,6
  • P. Nazari18
  • Y.-L. Yang19
  • H.-S. Yun5,20
  • A. Andreu2
  • J. Ferrer Asensio19
  • C.-H. Kim5
  • N. F. W. Ligterink21
  • Y. Lin16
  • S.-Y. Liu22
  • M. Lützen1
  • P. Marchand2
  • C. Xue17
  • S. Zeng19
22 affiliations
  1. 1Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
  2. 2Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES
  3. 3Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos und Weltstrahlungszentrum (PMOD/WRC)
  4. 4Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences (DCBP), Universität Bern
  5. 5Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University
  6. 6National Radio Astronomy Observatory
  7. 7Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG
  8. 8Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
  9. 9Institute of Astronomy, Department of Physics, National Tsinghua University
  10. 10Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia
  11. 11Purdue University
  12. 12Konkoly Observatory, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, MTA Centre of Excellence
  13. 13Institute of Physics and Astronomy, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University
  14. 14Max-Planck-Insitut für Astronomie
  15. 15UC Berkeley, Department of Chemistry
  16. 16Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik
  17. 17Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and National Radio Astronomy Observatory
  18. 18European Southern Observatory
  19. 19Star and Planet Formation Laboratory, RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute
  20. 20Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute
  21. 21Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology
  22. 22Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica
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Abstract

Context . It remains a fundamental research question in astrochemistry to characterize the inventory of complex organic molecules formed during the early stages of star formation, which may affect the eventual chemical composition of protoplanetary disks and potentially planets. So far, only studies of individual sources or selected samples of molecular species have been conducted and the relative importance of environmental and evolutionary effects on the chemical composition remains unclear.

Aims . The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) provides the angular resolution and sensitivity to zoom in on the hot ( T > 100 K) gas surrounding embedded solar-type protostars and chart their molecular inventories with high accuracy. The ALMA Large Program Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS) aims to provide comprehensive inventories of the molecular content of a sample of protostellar sources to understand the chemical impact of their environments and evolutionary stages.

Methods . COMPASS is an unbiased spectral survey of 11 line-rich Class 0 and I protostellar sources in the spectral range from 279.0 to 311.7 GHz at 0.15–0.5″ angular resolution with ALMA, corresponding to the inner ∼100 au (radius) around the targeted sources. Through this survey, unique chemical fingerprints of each source can be established.

Results . This paper provides an overview of the COMPASS program and the adopted strategy in terms of observational setups and targeted sources. We also present a qualitative comparison of the spatial distributions of selected molecules and the relative strengths of the line fluxes of selected complex organics.

Conclusions . The qualitative comparisons suggest that chemical differences between sources may be present, for example, between the abundances of groups of oxygen- and nitrogen-bearing species, but also that such variations occur at levels smaller than an order of magnitude. Quantitative comparisons of abundances at these levels require the large bandwidth of the survey, as well as a careful analysis of the excitation and strengths of the several thousands of lines detected toward each source in the survey, as will be explored in forthcoming papers.

Versions

Related

  1. Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS). VIII. First interstellar detection of fully deuterated methyl cyanide
    A. Belloche, J. K. Jorgensen, M. N. Drozdovskaya +12
    Astronomy & AstrophysicsPeer-reviewedPublisher termsSolar & stellar physicsCrossref
  2. Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS) VII. First interstellar detection of fully deuterated methanol
    A. Belloche, S. Spezzano, A. Coutens +12
    arXivPreprintarXiv licenceFull textGalaxiesarXiv
  3. Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS) VIII. First interstellar detection of fully deuterated methyl cyanide
    A. Belloche, J. K. Jørgensen, M. N. Drozdovskaya +12
    arXivPreprintarXiv licenceFull textGalaxiesarXiv
  4. Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS) V. Tracing cavity walls and shocked knots with nonthermally desorbed CH3OH in BHR71-IRS1
    H. -S. Yun, J. -E. Lee, J. K. Jørgensen +16
    arXivPreprintCC BY-NC-SA 4.0Full textGalaxiesarXiv

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{jorgensen2026complex,
  title = {{Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS)}},
  author = {J. K. Jørgensen and A. Coutens and M. N. Drozdovskaya and J.-E. Lee and A. L. Plunkett and S. Maret and A. Belloche and D. Harsono and Z. Telkamp and F. Cruz-Sáenz de Miera and M. L. R. van ’t Hoff and Á. Kóspál and M. Rao and J. Bergner and J.-H. Jeong and S. Spezzano and B. A. McGuire and P. Nazari and Y.-L. Yang and H.-S. Yun and A. Andreu and J. Ferrer Asensio and C.-H. Kim and N. F. W. Ligterink and Y. Lin and S.-Y. Liu and M. Lützen and P. Marchand and C. Xue and S. Zeng},
  journal = {Astronomy \& Astrophysics},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1051/0004-6361/202558725},
  url = {https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202558725},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS)
AU  - J. K. Jørgensen
AU  - A. Coutens
AU  - M. N. Drozdovskaya
AU  - J.-E. Lee
AU  - A. L. Plunkett
AU  - S. Maret
AU  - A. Belloche
AU  - D. Harsono
AU  - Z. Telkamp
AU  - F. Cruz-Sáenz de Miera
AU  - M. L. R. van ’t Hoff
AU  - Á. Kóspál
AU  - M. Rao
AU  - J. Bergner
AU  - J.-H. Jeong
AU  - S. Spezzano
AU  - B. A. McGuire
AU  - P. Nazari
AU  - Y.-L. Yang
AU  - H.-S. Yun
AU  - A. Andreu
AU  - J. Ferrer Asensio
AU  - C.-H. Kim
AU  - N. F. W. Ligterink
AU  - Y. Lin
AU  - S.-Y. Liu
AU  - M. Lützen
AU  - P. Marchand
AU  - C. Xue
AU  - S. Zeng
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Astronomy & Astrophysics
DO  - 10.1051/0004-6361/202558725
UR  - https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202558725
AB  - Context . It remains a fundamental research question in astrochemistry to characterize the inventory of complex organic molecules formed during the early stages of star formation, which may affect the eventual chemical composition of protoplanetary disks and potentially planets. So far, only studies of individual sources or selected samples of molecular species have been conducted and the relative importance of environmental and evolutionary effects on the chemical composition remains unclear.  Aims . The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) provides the angular resolution and sensitivity to zoom in on the hot ( T > 100 K) gas surrounding embedded solar-type protostars and chart their molecular inventories with high accuracy. The ALMA Large Program Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS) aims to provide comprehensive inventories of the molecular content of a sample of protostellar sources to understand the chemical impact of their environments and evolutionary stages.  Methods . COMPASS is an unbiased spectral survey of 11 line-rich Class 0 and I protostellar sources in the spectral range from 279.0 to 311.7 GHz at 0.15–0.5″ angular resolution with ALMA, corresponding to the inner ∼100 au (radius) around the targeted sources. Through this survey, unique chemical fingerprints of each source can be established.  Results . This paper provides an overview of the COMPASS program and the adopted strategy in terms of observational setups and targeted sources. We also present a qualitative comparison of the spatial distributions of selected molecules and the relative strengths of the line fluxes of selected complex organics.  Conclusions . The qualitative comparisons suggest that chemical differences between sources may be present, for example, between the abundances of groups of oxygen- and nitrogen-bearing species, but also that such variations occur at levels smaller than an order of magnitude. Quantitative comparisons of abundances at these levels require the large bandwidth of the survey, as well as a careful analysis of the excitation and strengths of the several thousands of lines detected toward each source in the survey, as will be explored in forthcoming papers.
SN  - 0004-6361
SN  - 1432-0746
ER  -