Detection of CO${}_2$ ice in the planetary nebula NGC 6302

Abstract

Using JWST/MIRI observations, we report the detection of CO${}_2$ ice in the dusty torus of the planetary nebula NGC 6302, an environment generally considered hostile to fragile molecular species and ices due to intense UV irradiation. This detection accompanies cold (20-50 K) gas-phase CO${}_2$ along the same sightlines. The ice absorption profile exhibits a double-peak profile, a characteristic of pure, crystalline CO${}_2$ ice. The CO${}_2$ gas-to-ice ratio is more than an order of magnitude higher than in young stellar objects, pointing to distinct ice formation or processing mechanisms in evolved stellar environments. This discovery demonstrates that the dusty torus provides sufficient shielding to harbour ice chemistry, and that ice-mediated surface reactions must be incorporated into chemical models of planetary nebulae.