This is an exciting time for infrared astrophysics.  Data from JWST continues to pour in.  Roman will be launched in 2027.  Numerous smaller missions have either flown or will fly within the next few years.  Looking towards the future, the astrophysics mid-decadal review is ramping up and a far-infrared flagship mission remains a possibility for the 2030 decadal survey.  In this landscape, the NASA Infrared Science and Technology Integration Group (IRSTIG) and Cosmic Origins Program Analysis Group (COPAG) are hosting a focused workshop to bring the community together and consider what exciting science is to come and what technology development will enable it.  Our specific goals include:

·       Building Community Engagement – The infrared community has historically been fragmented based on current or planned missions.  We aim to mend relationships within the community so that we can work towards future goals.  In particular, we want to include the voices of early career scientists who will be the users of future facilities.  The location of the workshop in Washington, D.C. also gives a unique opportunity for public and political outreach.

·       Identifying Future Science Drivers – Science has to drive future mission development.  We will discuss science that is being done now and science questions that can only be answered with new technological capabilities.

·       Identifying Technology Gaps – We will explore the development status of new technologies such as detectors, optics, crycoolers, etc. for current and planned facilities.  This will help identify key technology gaps that must be tackled to answer the science questions of the next decade.

·       Exploring Instrument Architectures and Capabilities – Numerous facilities are currently operating at these wavelengths or planned for the next few years.  We want to examine the current capabilities to understand where future missions might develop new capabilities.

·       Leveraging Multi-Wavelength Synergies – The infrared is only one piece of the electromagnetic spectrum.  Answering decadal level science questions requires complementary observations at other wavelengths.  We want to understand how the infrared fits into the larger picture with planned flagships like HWO and ground-based facilities like ALMA, ngVLA, and ELTs.

Workshop Outputs

Workshop participants will contribute to a community-driven white paper which will be used to guide multidisciplinary science in this area. 

JATIS Special Edition: 

Accompanying the workshop will be a special edition of the SPIE Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments and Systems (JATIS). The call for papers for this special edition can be found here.

Scientific Organizing Committee:

Jake Connors - NASA GSFC (co-chair)

Roberta Paladini - Caltech/IPAC (co-chair)

Meredith MacGregor - Johns Hopkins Univ.

Joaquin Viera - Univ. Illinois U.C.

Margaret Meixner - NASA JPL

Omid Noroozian - NASA GSFC

Ilse Cleeves - Univ. Virginia

Jonathan Williams - Univ. Hawaii

Aki Roberge - NASA GSFC

Paul Goldsmith - NASA JPL

Martin Cordiner - NASA GSFC

Chris Walker - Univ. Arizona

Mike DiPirro - NASA GSFC

Martina Wiedner - Obs. Paris

IRSTIG Local Organizing Committee:

Johannes Staguhn - Johns Hopkins / NASA GSFC

Nathan Roth - NASA GSFC 

Bill Danchi - NASA GSFC

Candice Fazar - RIT 

Jed McKinney - UT Austin

Allison Strom - Northwestern Univ.

Volker Tolls - Harvard | Smithsonian CfA