Shaping the Italian contribution to HWO

Session

Exoplanet Science

10 Jul 2025, 10:40

Rome

5. Demographics of Terrestrial Planetary Systems: Now, and in the HWO Era

Dr Alessandro Sozzetti (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF))

10/07/2025, 10:40

I will provide a brief overview of our present knowledge of the demographics of planetary systems with (temperate) terrestrial, rocky planets. I will then outline how convergent multi-technique observational approaches in the coming two decades will help maximizing the scientific return of HWO's primary goal of searching for biosignatures in the atmospheres of tens of potentially habitable...

6. Synergies between Ariel and the Habitable Worlds Observatory

Giuseppina Micela (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF))

10/07/2025, 10:55

7. Sinergie tra PLATO e HWO

Giampaolo Piotto

10/07/2025, 11:10

8. Characterizing planet-host stars: the case of Ariel

Maria Tsantaki (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF))

10/07/2025, 11:25

The exoplanet characterization follows the axiom: know the star, know the planet. In order to achieve the goal of Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) for the search of other Earths, a precise and accurate knowledge of the properties of their host star is necessary. The NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program has already released a list of ~160 nearby targets identified as the most accessible to...

2. Venus and Earth as analog environments for the characterization of terrestrial exoplanets looking at HWO in the context of the AVENGERS initiative

Dr Piero D'Incecco (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF))

10/07/2025, 11:40

Several missions have been recently selected to explore Venus, that during the next decade will focus on the analysis of its atmosphere, surface and interiors. Additionally, missions have been selected to search for and characterize terrestrial exoplanets and potentially habitable worlds, with the Habitable Worlds Observatory being the next generation space telescope devoted to this type of...

52. From Planet Formation to Bio-signatures: An OPAL for the Habitable Worlds Observatory

Danai Polychroni (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF))

10/07/2025, 11:50

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is designed to directly image and characterize temperate exoplanets, searching for signs of life through UV-optical-infrared spectroscopy. During the ongoing science and technology maturation phase it is particularly important to realistically inform target characterization and selection to consolidate and optimize the mission capabilities.
The OPAL...

71. Beyond the Habitable Zone: A Multiscale Approach to Exoplanetary Biosignature Detection for HWO

Marco Marcellino (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF))

10/07/2025, 12:00

The search for promising candidates for life necessitates moving beyond the traditional Habitable Zone paradigm, employing a multiscale approach that integrates biological, chemical, and astrophysical perspectives. This presentation will demonstrate how our current understanding of extremophilic microorganisms, coupled with their environmental tolerances, can effectively characterize the...

50. Oxygenic phototrophs exposed to simulated exoplanetary conditions: possible biosignatures in different organisms

Elisabetta Liistro

10/07/2025, 12:10

Oxygenic photosynthesis generates atmospheric and surface biosignatures, ideal targets for investigating the detectability of life beyond Earth. These are linked, respectively, to the oxygen release activity of oxygenic photosynthesis and to the absorption of their photosynthetic pigments, which on Earth generate a distinctive reflectance spectrum. As prime exoplanet targets for astrobiology...

4. Decoding the atmospheres of temperate rocky planets in the 2040s

Matteo Brogi (Università degli studi di Torino)

11/07/2025, 09:55

With complementary strategies, two main space missions in the 2040s (WHO and LIFE) are being designed in order to investigate and interpret the atmospheres of temperate, rocky exoplanets - including the search for biological signatures. In this short review I will recap the main science goals, the strategy of both observatories, and the reliance on scientific milestones of the previous decade,...