Dimethyl ether in its ground state,<i>v</i>= 0, and lowest two torsionally excited states,<i>v</i>₁₁ = 1 and<i>v</i>₁₅ = 1, in the high-mass star-forming region G327.3-0.6

Abstract

Context. One of the big questions in astrochemistry is whether complex organic molecules are formed in the gas phase after evaporation of the icy mantles of interstellar dust grains or at intermediate temperatures within these icy mantles. Dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3) is one of these species that may form through either of these mechanisms, but it is yet unclear which is dominant.