Planets form and obtain their compositions in disks around young stars, and the outcome of this process is intimately linked to the disk chemistry and structure.

‘Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales’ (MAPS) is an ALMA Large Program (2018.1.01055.L) designed to expand our understanding of the chemistry of planet formation by exploring protoplanetary disk chemical structures down to 10 au scales.

Together these observations provide constraints on a range of disk properties related to planet formation. In particular, MAPS was designed to answer the following key questions…

• How are dust and chemical substructures linked?
• Where do molecules reside vertically in the disks?
• What are the main organic reservoirs, C/N/O/S, and D/H ratios in the planet-forming disk regions?
• How can we probe ionization and dynamic disk processes?

You can find out more about the MAPS results at the dedicated project website.