Ushering in sub-arcsecond angular resolution observatories in the far-infrared: The case for a double-Fourier interferometer
Abstract
A far-infrared (far-IR) interferometer from a space-based platform would bring about a transformational improvement in the spatial detail of astronomical observations that are inaccessible from ground-based observatories. This orders-of-magnitude improvement would significantly advance studies of newly formed and mature exoplanetary systems and their potential for supporting life, the earliest stages of star formation, and the evolution of galaxies up to the peak of the Universe's star formation activity and beyond. In this work, we discuss the potential for such an instrument and the science it enables in complement to current long-term plans of the global astronomical community and in preparation for the next generation of observatories. We also outline notable far-IR mission concepts, pathfinder instruments, and technology development platforms that have been studied and developed throughout the past few decades and briefly discuss key enabling technologies.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{benson2026ushering,
title = {{Ushering in sub-arcsecond angular resolution observatories in the far-infrared: The case for a double-Fourier interferometer}},
author = {C. S. Benson and M. Bonato and T. A. Davis and T. Essinger-Hileman and D. Farrah and W. Grainger and D. Leisawitz and H. Matsuo and B. Matthews and P. Pokorny and S. E. Ragan and B. V. Ricketti and G. Savini and J. P. Scott and L. D. Spencer and C. M. Urry and D. Wilner},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.18467},
eprint = {2610.18467},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.18467},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Ushering in sub-arcsecond angular resolution observatories in the far-infrared: The case for a double-Fourier interferometer
AU - C. S. Benson
AU - M. Bonato
AU - T. A. Davis
AU - T. Essinger-Hileman
AU - D. Farrah
AU - W. Grainger
AU - D. Leisawitz
AU - H. Matsuo
AU - B. Matthews
AU - P. Pokorny
AU - S. E. Ragan
AU - B. V. Ricketti
AU - G. Savini
AU - J. P. Scott
AU - L. D. Spencer
AU - C. M. Urry
AU - D. Wilner
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.18467
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.18467
AB - A far-infrared (far-IR) interferometer from a space-based platform would bring about a transformational improvement in the spatial detail of astronomical observations that are inaccessible from ground-based observatories. This orders-of-magnitude improvement would significantly advance studies of newly formed and mature exoplanetary systems and their potential for supporting life, the earliest stages of star formation, and the evolution of galaxies up to the peak of the Universe's star formation activity and beyond. In this work, we discuss the potential for such an instrument and the science it enables in complement to current long-term plans of the global astronomical community and in preparation for the next generation of observatories. We also outline notable far-IR mission concepts, pathfinder instruments, and technology development platforms that have been studied and developed throughout the past few decades and briefly discuss key enabling technologies.
ER -