{nu}9 fundamental band of ethane

It is the strongest band of ethane in a terrestrial window in the thermal infrared and is commonly used to determine ethane's abundance in the atmospheres of the Jovian planets and comets and to determine their temperature. Precise and accurate absolute intensities of this band are crucial for correct interpretation of recent Cassini observations of ethane spectra in the atmospheres of Saturn and Titan, as well as of Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) observations in the terrestrial atmosphere.

Using a spectrum of the {nu}9 band of ethane recorded at 278K at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, we show that the line parameters available in the HITRAN and GEISA databases do not allow reproduction of the experimental data to within their accuracy.