ALMA finds deuterated methanol around one of 11 young protostars

The COMPASS project used ALMA to survey complex organic molecules around 11 low-mass protostars. Deuterated methanol was detected only in the disk of IRAS 4A2, about 1,000 light-years away, while methanol masers appeared around more than half of the stars, a first for low-mass protostars.

• ALMA surveyed disk chemistry around 11 low-mass protostars in the COMPASS project
• Deuterated methanol was found only toward IRAS 4A2, 1,000 light-years away in Perseus
• Methanol masers were detected around more than half of the 11 protostars
• Results appear in seven papers in the October 2026 issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics