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
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 v₂ and v₄ bands near 1400 cm⁻¹ or ~7.2 µm. 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.

Contributor(s): H. S. P. Müller; 09, 2023