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Effect of updated CH3OD partition function on published abundances and ratios

Establish the quantitative impact of adopting the updated spectroscopy and partition function of CH3OD (Ilyushin 2024) on previously reported CH3OD column densities and derived CH2DOH/CH3OD ratios across the literature by performing a systematic reanalysis.

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Background

Historically, CH3OD column densities were often estimated using approximations (asymmetric rotor) or by proxy partition functions (e.g., CH318OH), which can bias abundances.

Recent precise spectroscopy and partition functions for CH3OD suggest corrections may be needed, but the overall impact on the literature remains to be quantified.

References

How much the newly calculated partition function affects all tabulated values of CH$_3$OD that have been gathered from the literature (Table \ref{tab:DHreferences}) is unclear, but a full re-analysis is beyond the scope of this work.

— First Detection of CH3OD in Prestellar Cores (2511.03581 - Kulterer et al., 5 Nov 2025) in Section 5.3 (CH2DOH/CH3OD Ratio)