The implementation of the HWO optics system presents several challenging aspects, as it must work under unprecedented requirements. In addition to achieving the exquisite angular resolution, one must address the problem of the mirror mass (with an areal density mass goal of approximately 10 kg/cm^2), a wide range of operational thermal conditions, and a broad reflection wavelength band. In the...
WaveFront sensing and control is considered an enabling technology for the the next generation space telescopes such as the HWO. We investigated the possible contributions of ground based Adaptive Optics for space telescopes and in particular the pyramid WaveFront Sensor and the concept of a contactless active primary mirror.
The PWFS, largely adopted on ground, is a pupil-conjugated sensor...
In March 2024, a group of European researchers working on high-contrast imaging (HCI) for exoplanet research organized the first “R&D for Space-Based HCI in Europe” workshop at the Paris Observatory. A second edition was held in May 2025 in Heidelberg. Acknowledging Europe’s long-standing contributions to HCI, the main goal of the workshop was to foster collaboration and provide an overview of...
In this talk we will present how Machine Learning and AI-Assisted algorithms, based on fully Bayesian methods, may help to define the observational strategies of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) mission by maximizing the scientific returns while making the best possible use of the available observing time.
We will focus on the proposed fully-bayesian approach for radial-velocity...
The study of exoplanetary atmospheres traditionally relies on forward models to analytically compute an exoplanet's spectrum by fine-tuning numerous chemical and physical parameters. However, the high dimensionality of the parameter space often results in significant computational overhead. In this work, we introduce a novel approach to atmospheric retrieval, leveraging machine learning...
We present the development and expected performance of an innovative photon-counting detector for far-ultraviolet, designed to overcome the dynamic range and lifetime limitations of traditional Microchannel Plate (MCP) based systems. The detector pairs new-generation MCPs, with ALD passivation, with custom readout electronics designed to maximize their potential.
