a b s t r a c tThe high resolution absorption spectrum of methane has been recorded at liquid nitrogen temperature by direct absorption spectroscopy between 1.62 and 1.71 lm (5852-6181 cm À1 ) using a newly developed cryogenic cell and a series of distributed feedback (DFB) laser diodes. The minimum value of the measured line intensities is on the order of 3 Â 10 À26 cm/molecule The investigated spectral range corresponds to the high energy part of the tetradecad dominated by the 2m 3 band for which a theoretical treatment is not yet available. The positions and strengths at 81 K of 2187 transitions were obtained from the spectrum analysis. From the values of the line strength at liquid nitrogen and room temperatures, the low energy values of 845 transitions could be determined. The obtained results are discussed in relation with the previous work of Margolis and compared to the line list provided by the HITRAN database.
IntroductionMethane is a strong window effect gas whose increasing concentration participates to the global warming of the Earth atmosphere. Methane absorption has an even stronger impact on the radiative budget of the atmospheres of the giant outer planets and of Saturn's satellite Titan. The knowledge of the methane absorption spectrum in conditions similar to those existing on these planets is then a prerequisite for the modeling of their structure and climate. Despite important experimental and theoretical efforts [1], the highly congested absorption spectrum of methane above 6000 cm À1 is still resisting to a satisfactory interpretation. Empirical line-by-line spectroscopic parameters as included in HITRAN [2] or GEISA [3] databases are far from fulfilling the needs as for most of the transitions, rovibrational assignments or at least the energy of the transitions lower levels are not provided. Consequently, line intensities cannot be computed at different temperatures which make the available line lists of limited use in planetology.An alternative to the theoretical interpretation is an empirical determination of the lower state energy from the temperature dependence of the line intensities. Two spectra recorded at different temperatures are sufficient to deduce the low energy level of a transition from the ratio of the line strengths values. This method has been applied to methane in a few previous investigations. For instance, Pierre et al.[4] used two spectra recorded at 295 and 149 K by Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (FTS) to determine lower state quantum numbers in the region of the 3m 3 band near 9000 cm À1 , Tsukamoto et al. [5] could assign 215 transitions with respect to J 00 among the 269 transitions of the 3m 1 + m 3 that they recorded at 77 K. Of particular relevance for this study is the investigation by Margolis of the 5500-6150 cm À1 spectral region by FTS at room [6] and reduced [7] temperatures. Using spectra recorded at 180-220 K with a 0.8 m long cryogenic cell, he could derive the lower energy value, E 00 of 1600 transitions. Except for the theoretically assigned lines ...