The Key to Unlocking Exoplanet Biosignatures: a UK-led IR Spectrograph for the Habitable Worlds Observatory Coronagraph
By: Beth Biller, Pierre Maxted, Mark Wyatt, Leigh Fletcher, Patrick G. J. Irwin, Ann-Marie Madigan, James Wheatley, Jessica Spake, Graham Smith, Catherine L. A. Smith, Nikku Madhusudhan, Hannah Wakeford, Giovanna Tinetti, Enzo Rigby, Thomas S. Louden, Oliver Herbort
Published: 2026-03-10
View on arXiv →#astro-ph.EP
Abstract
This paper proposes a UK-led near-infrared Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) as a crucial contribution to the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) coronagraph. It highlights the necessity of wide-wavelength spectra (0.3-1.7 μm) to detect multiple molecular atmospheric features for unambiguous signs of life on rocky exoplanets, ensuring UK leadership in this scientific endeavor.