===== On the Detection of Methylium in Space =====

O. Berné, M.-A. Martin-Drumel, I. Schroetter, J. R. Goicoechea, U. Jacovella, B. Gans, E. Dartois, L. H. Coudert, E. Bergin, F. Alarcon, J. Cami, E. Roueff, J. H. Black, O. Asvany, E. Habart, E. Peeters, A. Canin, B. Trahin, C. Joblin, S. Schlemmer, S. Thorwirth, J. Cernicharo, M. Gerin, A. Tielens, M. Zannese, A. Abergel, J. Bernard-Salas, C. Boersma, E. Bron, R. Chown, S. Cuadrado, D. Dicken, M. Elyajouri, A. Fuente, K. D. Gordon, L. Issa, O. Kannavou, B. Khan, O. Lacinbala, D. Languignon, R. Le Gal, A. Maragkoudakis, R Meshaka, Y. Okada, T. Onaka, S. Pasquini, M. W. Pound, M. Robberto, M. Röllig, B. Schefter, T. Schirmer, A. Sidhu, B. Tabone, D. van de Putte, S. Vicente, and M. G. Wolfire\\
observed the\\
**[[https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06307-x|Formation of the Methyl Cation by Photochemistry in a Protoplanetary Disk]]**\\
//Nature// **621**, 56–59 (2023).\\
The cation was detected with the James Webb Space Telescope toward the protoplanetary disc d203-506 in the Orion Bar, which, in turn, is part of the Orion Nebula. The molecule was identified by its heavily mutually perturbed //v//<sub>2</sub> and //v//<sub>4</sub> bands near 1400 cm<sup>−1</sup> or ~7.2 //µ//m. The inferred rotational temperature is nearly 1000 K. Accurate laboratory data are not yet available for these two bands. The estimated spectroscopic parameters reproduce the spectrum reasonably well. Better parameters should be availbale soon.\\
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Contributor(s): H. S. P. Müller; 09, 2023

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