The future of high-resolution UV spectroscopy: Science with a UV Échelle spectrograph on the Habitable Worlds Observatory, or a dedicated mission

@misc{cia2026future,
  title = {{The future of high-resolution UV spectroscopy: Science with a UV Échelle spectrograph on the Habitable Worlds Observatory, or a dedicated mission}},
  author = {Annalisa De Cia and David Cont and Kevin Heng and Boris Gänsicke and Frank Grupp and Ralf Bender and Helena Lamprecht and Frances H. Cashman and Hsiao-Wen Chen and Valentina D'Odorico and Kevin France and Andrew Fox and Jens Hoeijmakers and Masahiro Ikoma and Wynn Jacobson-Galán and Sean D. Johnson and Mansi Kasliwal and Shingo Kameda and Varsha Kulkarni and Carlo F. Manara and Antonija Oklopčić and Cyrielle Opitom and Lidia Oskinova and Anna F. Pala and Ian U. Roederer and P. Christian Schneider and Peter Scicluna and Daniel E. Welty and Sascha Zeegers and Abel de Burgos Sierra and Miriam García and Avery Kim and Christina Konstantopoulou and Roberto Maiolino and Daniel Pauli and Tanita Ramburuth-Hurt and Philipp Richter and Andreas A. C. Sander and Tomer Shenar and Sergio Simón-Díaz and O. Grace Telford and Anna Velichko},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.09329},
  eprint = {2609.09329},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.09329},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - UNPB
TI  - The future of high-resolution UV spectroscopy: Science with a UV Échelle spectrograph on the Habitable Worlds Observatory, or a dedicated mission
AU  - Annalisa De Cia
AU  - David Cont
AU  - Kevin Heng
AU  - Boris Gänsicke
AU  - Frank Grupp
AU  - Ralf Bender
AU  - Helena Lamprecht
AU  - Frances H. Cashman
AU  - Hsiao-Wen Chen
AU  - Valentina D'Odorico
AU  - Kevin France
AU  - Andrew Fox
AU  - Jens Hoeijmakers
AU  - Masahiro Ikoma
AU  - Wynn Jacobson-Galán
AU  - Sean D. Johnson
AU  - Mansi Kasliwal
AU  - Shingo Kameda
AU  - Varsha Kulkarni
AU  - Carlo F. Manara
AU  - Antonija Oklopčić
AU  - Cyrielle Opitom
AU  - Lidia Oskinova
AU  - Anna F. Pala
AU  - Ian U. Roederer
AU  - P. Christian Schneider
AU  - Peter Scicluna
AU  - Daniel E. Welty
AU  - Sascha Zeegers
AU  - Abel de Burgos Sierra
AU  - Miriam García
AU  - Avery Kim
AU  - Christina Konstantopoulou
AU  - Roberto Maiolino
AU  - Daniel Pauli
AU  - Tanita Ramburuth-Hurt
AU  - Philipp Richter
AU  - Andreas A. C. Sander
AU  - Tomer Shenar
AU  - Sergio Simón-Díaz
AU  - O. Grace Telford
AU  - Anna Velichko
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/08
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.09329
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.09329
AB  - High-resolution UV spectroscopy serves a diversity of science cases, from small bodies to planets, stars, and galaxies, but is currently limited to the Hubble Space Telescope and bright targets. Major advances require increasing sensitivity by at least one order of magnitude. Here we present the UV science cases for PEGASUS (Planets, Earths, Galaxies, And Stars UV Spectrograph), a UV Échelle high-resolution spectrograph concept, with R = λ/δλ∼ 100 000 (full range 10 000-140 000) and covering 90--400 nm, with a foreseen extension to at least 800 nm. PEGASUS is ideally suited for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), enabling transformative science across the UV/optical wavelength ranges. PEGASUS will be unique in high sensitivity (effective area) and high spectral resolution -- an uncharted territory -- as well as robustness, thanks to the simplicity of its design. Its UV science cases include: I) Formation and evolution of planets and their habitability: properties of exoplanets and atmospheres, protoplanetary disks, Solar System bodies; II) Stellar lives and deaths at their extremes: the first stars and the origin of the elements, compact and massive stars, Supernovae; III) Gas and metals in the baryon cycle of galaxies: the interstellar, circumgalactic, and intergalactic medium and their roles in galaxy growth. These are essential for the Astro Decadal 2020 Survey, Voyage 2050, and HWO. While this paper focuses on high-impact science enabled by UV high-resolution spectroscopy, PEGASUS will extend into the optical regime and lower spectral resolution, making it a multi-purpose, widely used, workhorse spectrograph for HWO.
ER  -