Negligible photodesorption of methanol ice and active photon-induced desorption of its irradiation products

Context. Methanol is a common component of interstellar and circumstellar ice mantles and is often used as an evolution indicator in star-forming regions. The observations of gas-phase methanol in the interiors of dense molecular clouds at temperatures as low as 10 K suggest that non-thermal ice desorption must be active. Ice photodesorption has been proposed to explain the abundances of gas-phase molecules toward the coldest regions.