The size distribution of solid grains in dense clouds is a key parameter to constrain in order to understand grain growth, which influences the nature and timescale of the formation of protoplanets. A JWST study has quantified the grain size distribution by modelling the spectral absorptions arising from ice components of grains before protostellar collapse.
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Günay, B. Diagnosing grain growth in a dense cloud with JWST. Nat Astron 8, 271–272 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02177-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02177-5
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