WALTzER: Wide-band Atmospheric Laboratory for Transiting Exoplanet Research
Abstract
Understanding the origin and evolution of planetary atmospheres, and the connection between their lower and upper atmospheric layers, remains a fundamental challenge in exoplanet science. Addressing these questions requires observations spanning a broad wavelength range, from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared, together with the ability to simultaneously characterise planetary and stellar variability. The Wide-band Atmospheric Laboratory for Transiting Exoplanet Research (WALTzER) is an ESA F3 mission candidate designed to address this need through simultaneous low-resolution spectroscopy and high-precision photometry of transiting exoplanets. WALTzER covers simultaneously the near-ultraviolet (NUV: 240--325 nm) and visible (VIS: 450--820 nm) bands with two medium resolution spectrographs and the near-infrared (NIR: 900--1700 nm) range with a broadband photometer. We outline the main science drivers and present the mission concept and instrument design. WALTzER's broad, simultaneous wavelength coverage enables the detection and characterisation of the atmospheres of more than 30 gas-rich exoplanets and provides data relevant for a broad range of Solar System and Galactic astrophysics science cases. The payload consists of a 35 cm Cassegrain telescope feeding three co-aligned channels (i.e. NUV, VIS, NIR), sharing a common optical train to minimise instrumental systematics, while maximising observational efficiency.
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BibTeX
@misc{sreejith2026waltzer,
title = {{WALTzER: Wide-band Atmospheric Laboratory for Transiting Exoplanet Research}},
author = {A. G. Sreejith and L. Fossati and M. Lendl and P. E. Cubillos and C. Broeg and D. Ehrenreich and B. -O. Demory and D. Piazza and I. Argyriou and V. Bourrier and M. Braam and L. Carone and Y. Carteret and H. Chakraborty and A. Deline and O. Demangeon and C. Farret Jentink and G. Giono and Ch. Helling and T. Jeřábková and P. Kabáth and T. A. van Kempen and A. Suárez Mascareño and J. C. Morales and M. Munari and C. Opitom and R. Ottensamer and G. Parma and L. Roth and J. Skottfelt and R. -S. Taubner and A. Tanzer and T. G. Wilson and B. Edwards and G. Scandariato and V. Van Grootel and J. Venturini and A. Vorburger and S. Ambily and A. Brandeker and T. Belenguer and E. Bolmont and S. Boro Saikia and H. M. Cegla and Q. Changeat and C. Danielski and K. Fahrion and B. Flemming and K. France and E. Gillen and K. Hakim and C. Haswell and R. Helled and M. Ivchenko and J. Jacobs and K. Kislyakova and V. Korol and T. Kupfer and A. Kuzucan and J. McCormac},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.21705},
eprint = {2610.21705},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.21705},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - WALTzER: Wide-band Atmospheric Laboratory for Transiting Exoplanet Research
AU - A. G. Sreejith
AU - L. Fossati
AU - M. Lendl
AU - P. E. Cubillos
AU - C. Broeg
AU - D. Ehrenreich
AU - B. -O. Demory
AU - D. Piazza
AU - I. Argyriou
AU - V. Bourrier
AU - M. Braam
AU - L. Carone
AU - Y. Carteret
AU - H. Chakraborty
AU - A. Deline
AU - O. Demangeon
AU - C. Farret Jentink
AU - G. Giono
AU - Ch. Helling
AU - T. Jeřábková
AU - P. Kabáth
AU - T. A. van Kempen
AU - A. Suárez Mascareño
AU - J. C. Morales
AU - M. Munari
AU - C. Opitom
AU - R. Ottensamer
AU - G. Parma
AU - L. Roth
AU - J. Skottfelt
AU - R. -S. Taubner
AU - A. Tanzer
AU - T. G. Wilson
AU - B. Edwards
AU - G. Scandariato
AU - V. Van Grootel
AU - J. Venturini
AU - A. Vorburger
AU - S. Ambily
AU - A. Brandeker
AU - T. Belenguer
AU - E. Bolmont
AU - S. Boro Saikia
AU - H. M. Cegla
AU - Q. Changeat
AU - C. Danielski
AU - K. Fahrion
AU - B. Flemming
AU - K. France
AU - E. Gillen
AU - K. Hakim
AU - C. Haswell
AU - R. Helled
AU - M. Ivchenko
AU - J. Jacobs
AU - K. Kislyakova
AU - V. Korol
AU - T. Kupfer
AU - A. Kuzucan
AU - J. McCormac
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.21705
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.21705
AB - Understanding the origin and evolution of planetary atmospheres, and the connection between their lower and upper atmospheric layers, remains a fundamental challenge in exoplanet science. Addressing these questions requires observations spanning a broad wavelength range, from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared, together with the ability to simultaneously characterise planetary and stellar variability. The Wide-band Atmospheric Laboratory for Transiting Exoplanet Research (WALTzER) is an ESA F3 mission candidate designed to address this need through simultaneous low-resolution spectroscopy and high-precision photometry of transiting exoplanets. WALTzER covers simultaneously the near-ultraviolet (NUV: 240--325 nm) and visible (VIS: 450--820 nm) bands with two medium resolution spectrographs and the near-infrared (NIR: 900--1700 nm) range with a broadband photometer. We outline the main science drivers and present the mission concept and instrument design. WALTzER's broad, simultaneous wavelength coverage enables the detection and characterisation of the atmospheres of more than 30 gas-rich exoplanets and provides data relevant for a broad range of Solar System and Galactic astrophysics science cases. The payload consists of a 35 cm Cassegrain telescope feeding three co-aligned channels (i.e. NUV, VIS, NIR), sharing a common optical train to minimise instrumental systematics, while maximising observational efficiency.
ER -