Infrared spectra of methane-containing ice mixtures for JWST data analyses

Abstract

Context. Solid methane (CH$_4$) is an important molecule in interstellar and planetary environments, serving as a precursor to complex organic compounds, and it is a potential biosignature in exoplanetary studies. Despite its significance, laboratory data on the low temperature phase of methane below 10 K remain limited. Aims. We obtained spectra of methane in binary mixtures at 10 K and compared them to the spectra obtained at 6.7 K. These temperatures correspond to phases II and II* of pure methane and are representative of dark molecular clouds and protostars in early stages. We also tested whether the data we obtained can be applied to interpret JWST data. Methods. Laboratory reference spectra were obtained with the ISEAge setup via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in transmission mode. A weighted $\chi^2$ minimization was used for the fitting. Results. We present infrared spectra with corresponding band strengths of pure methane and binary mixtures with methane: CH$_4$:H$_2$O, CH$_4$:CO$_2$, CH$_4$:CH$_3$OH, and CH$_4$:NH$_3$ at 6.7 K and 10 K. They show an increase of 20% in mixtures compared to the commonly used 10 K band strength value of pure methane. We also tested whether the spectra can be used on open JWST data by probing the spatial distribution of methane in B335. We also present additional experiments concerning the phase transition of methane between phase II* and phase II. Conclusions. Our results reveal distinct spectral features for methane in non-H$_2$O environments that enable a more accurate interpretation of JWST observations. The dataset of spectra is publicly available on Zenodo and can be used for fitting JWST data.