HST's Fading UV Window: Why Quasar EUV Data Now Defines the Next 20 Years of IGM Science
Preprint argues for urgent HST UV expansion on intermediate-z quasars to capture perishable EUV data before COS degrades further and HWO launches in mid-2040s; analysis highlights overlooked legacy value for IGM studies amid declining detector performance.
The arXiv preprint by Bordoloi (2026) identifies a narrowing observational window for rest-frame EUV (1-4 Ryd) spectroscopy of z=1-2 quasars using HST/COS, where these sources shift into the far-UV bandpass. This work is a preprint and lacks peer review or quantitative sample statistics, yet it correctly flags COS sensitivity decline as a perishable constraint. Related work in the Milliquas catalog (Flesch 2023) and UVQS survey (Monroe et al. 2016) shows hundreds of UV-bright AGN at these redshifts remain unobserved at the required signal-to-noise, while COS throughput has dropped ~10-15% since 2010 per instrument reports. Mainstream coverage ignores this because it lacks the flashy signals of exoplanet transits or LIGO events, yet the datasets would anchor HWO's high-z EUV interpretations for decades. The gap is methodological: without expanded orbit allocations in the 2030s, no empirical SED census exists to calibrate warm-hot CGM/IGM absorption models. Limitations include unknown exact COS lifetime and reliance on future facilities like Rubin/Euclid for new targets. Synthesizing these sources reveals a strategic legacy choice overlooked in favor of shorter-cycle missions.
HELIX: Expanding HST orbits now secures the sole low-z EUV anchor for interpreting HWO spectra of reionization-era gas, a calibration that cannot be recovered later.
Sources (3)
- [1]Primary Source(https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.28948)
- [2]Related Source(https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023yCat.1366....0F)
- [3]Related Source(https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016ApJ...832..163M)