EXOA4

Exoplanets are being discovered in large numbers thanks to recent and ongoing surveys using state-of-the-art instrumentation from the ground and space. In the next few years, new astronomical instruments (such as Nancy Grace Roman, PLATO, CHORUS, SAXO+, ANDES, Ariel, ELF, HWO and others) will scout ever more distant regions of our Galaxy, and they will validate new technology for the ultimate direct characterisation of temperate exoplanets. Such a change in the physical and technological horizons will allow us to overcome current observational biases in the search for alien worlds and to gain a deeper understanding of the chemical and physical properties of exoplanets and the environments that surround them. Ultimately, we will be able to unveil processes of formation and evolution of planets, together with those of their atmospheres, on a scale much larger than our Solar Neighbourhood.

The goal of this session is to bring together the instrumentation and observational communities that are underpinning the future of this field. Contributors are invited to review ongoing programmes of discovery and characterisation of both exoplanet and circumstellar discs, to update on the progress of planned instrumentation programmes, and to present innovative ideas for future instrumentation.