Ground-breaking exoplanet science with the ANDES spectrograph at the ELT

Abstract In the past decade the study of exoplanet atmospheres at high-spectral resolution, via transmission/emission spectroscopy and cross-correlation techniques for atomic/molecular mapping, has become a powerful and consolidated methodology. The current limitation is the signal-to-noise ratio that one can obtain during a planetary transit, which is in turn ultimately limited by telescope size. This limitation will be overcome by ANDES, an optical and near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph for the Extremely Large Telescope, which is currently in Phase B development. ANDES will be a powerful transformational instrument for exoplanet science. It will enable the study of giant planet atmospheres, allowing not only an exquisite determination of atmospheric composition, but also the study of isotopic compositions, dynamics and weather patterns, mapping the planetary atmospheres and probing atmospheric formation and evolution models. The unprecedented angular resolution of ANDES, will also allow us to explore the initial conditions in which planets form in proto-planetary disks. The main science case of ANDES, however, is the study of small, rocky exoplanet atmospheres, including the potential for biomarker detections, and the ability to reach this science case is driving its instrumental design. Here we discuss our simulations and the observing strategies to achieve this specific science goal. Since ANDES will be operational at the same time as NASA’s JWST and ESA’s ARIEL missions, it will provide enormous synergies in the characterization of planetary atmospheres at high and low spectral resolution. Moreover, ANDES will be able to probe for the first time the atmospheres of several giant and small planets in reflected light. In particular, we show how ANDES will be able to unlock the reflected light atmospheric signal of a golden sample of nearby non-transiting habitable zone earth-sized planets within a few tenths of nights, a scientific objective that no other currently approved astronomical facility will be able to reach.

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Publication Details

Journal
Experimental Astronomy
Published
2025-05-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-025-10000-4
Citations
17
Primary Topic
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
19.63

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article

Ground-breaking exoplanet science with the ANDES spectrograph at the ELT

A. S. Bonomo, N. Sanna, Simon Albrecht, René Doyon et al.
17 citations
Experimental Astronomy
Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
19.63
article

Ground-breaking exoplanet science with the ANDES spectrograph at the ELT

A. S. Bonomo, N. Sanna, Simon Albrecht, René Doyon, Ravit Helled, L. Origlia, H. J. Hoeijmakers, Susana C. Barros, Lorenzo Pino, R. Maiolino, B. Nisini, Ε. Πάλλη, Pedro Machado, A. G. M. Pietrow, Enrico Pinna, M. R. Zapatero Osorio, I. Boisse, André Beaudoin, C. Mordasini, Laura Kreidberg, C. López, Matteo Brogi, J. Maldonado, A. Suárez Mascareño, H. Parviainen, L. Nortmann, B. L. Canto Martins, K. Biazzo, Adriano Miceli, Jayne Birkby, Robin Deborde, Martin Turbet, Lars A. Buchhave, P. Di Marcantonio, Jesse Weder, S. Reffert, Katja Poppenhaeger, Anne-Laure Cheffot, Alessio Zanutta, A. Marconi, Florian Debras, S. Antoniucci, A. Niedzielski, C. Lovis, A. Chiavassa, G. Chauvin, Björn Benneke, M. Zechmeister, N. C. Santos, Céline Péroux, P. Giacobbe, F. Borsa, P. Mollière, P. Rousselot, J. I. Gónzalez Hernández, W. Brandner, E. Lellouch, A. Brandeker, Emily Rauscher, Émeline Bolmont, A. Simonnin, Mamadou N’Diaye
article en
17 citations

Abstract

Abstract In the past decade the study of exoplanet atmospheres at high-spectral resolution, via transmission/emission spectroscopy and cross-correlation techniques for atomic/molecular mapping, has become a powerful and consolidated methodology. The current limitation is the signal-to-noise ratio that one can obtain during a planetary transit, which is in turn ultimately limited by telescope size. This limitation will be overcome by ANDES, an optical and near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph for the Extremely Large Telescope, which is currently in Phase B development. ANDES will be a powerful transformational instrument for exoplanet science. It will enable the study of giant planet atmospheres, allowing not only an exquisite determination of atmospheric composition, but also the study of isotopic compositions, dynamics and weather patterns, mapping the planetary atmospheres and probing atmospheric formation and evolution models. The unprecedented angular resolution of ANDES, will also allow us to explore the initial conditions in which planets form in proto-planetary disks. The main science case of ANDES, however, is the study of small, rocky exoplanet atmospheres, including the potential for biomarker detections, and the ability to reach this science case is driving its instrumental design. Here we discuss our simulations and the observing strategies to achieve this specific science goal. Since ANDES will be operational at the same time as NASA’s JWST and ESA’s ARIEL missions, it will provide enormous synergies in the characterization of planetary atmospheres at high and low spectral resolution. Moreover, ANDES will be able to probe for the first time the atmospheres of several giant and small planets in reflected light. In particular, we show how ANDES will be able to unlock the reflected light atmospheric signal of a golden sample of nearby non-transiting habitable zone earth-sized planets within a few tenths of nights, a scientific objective that no other currently approved astronomical facility will be able to reach.

Experimental AstronomyVol. 59(3)
University of Geneva (CH), University of Bern (CH), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), European Southern Observatory (DE), University of Lisbon (PT), École Polytechnique (FR), Université de Bordeaux (FR), Universidad de La Laguna (ES), Stockholm University (SE), University of Potsdam (DE), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR), Universidade do Porto (PT), Lund University (SE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR), ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (CH), Université Côte d'Azur (FR), University of Zurich (CH), Aarhus University (DK), Université Paris Cité (FR), Aix-Marseille Université (FR), University of Cambridge (GB), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), University of Michigan (US), Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (DE), Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory (IT), Observatoire de Paris (FR), Astronomical Observatory of Rome (IT), Trieste Astronomical Observatory (IT), Brera Astronomical Observatory (IT), École Normale Supérieure - PSL (FR), Nicolaus Copernicus University (PL), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (BR), Sorbonne Université (FR), University of Oxford (GB), Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica di Bologna (IT), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (FR), HES-SO Genève (CH), Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (PT), Bridge University (SS), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (FR), Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino (IT), Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (DE), Institut UTINAM (FR), Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique (FR), Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur (FR), Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo (IT), Centro de Astrobiología (ES), Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (ES), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Firenze (IT), AlbaNova (SE), Centre Alpien de Phytogéographie (CH), Montreal Clinical Research Institute (CA), University of Florence (IT), University of Turin (IT), University of Göttingen (DE), National Institute for Astrophysics (IT), Technical University of Denmark (DK)
Universidad de La Laguna, European Commission, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Junta de Andalucía, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
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Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
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