02191nas a2200241   4500008004100000022001400041245008000055210006900135260001200204300001400216490000700230520147500237653001801712653001901730653001301749653001301762653002901775653001401804100002501818700002501843700002401868856005701892       2024                        eng d  a1531-107400aDetectability of surface biosignatures for directly imaged rocky exoplanets0 aDetectability of surface biosignatures for directly imaged rocky  c03/2024  a283 - 2990 v243 a<p>Modeling the detection of life has never been more opportune. With next-generation space telescopes, such as the currently developing Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) concept, we will begin to characterize rocky exoplanets potentially similar to Earth. However, few realistic planetary spectra containing surface biosignatures have been paired with direct imaging telescope instrument models. Therefore, we use a HWO instrument noise model to assess the detection of surface biosignatures affiliated with oxygenic, anoxygenic, and nonphotosynthetic extremophiles. We pair the HWO telescope model to a one-dimensional radiative transfer model to estimate the required exposure times necessary for detecting each biosignature on planets with global microbial coverage and varying atmospheric water vapor concentrations. For modeled planets with 0&ndash;50% cloud coverage, we determine pigments and the red edge could be detected within 1000&thinsp;hr (100&thinsp;hr) at distances within 15 pc (11 pc). However, tighter telescope inner working angles (2.5 λ/<i>D</i>) would allow surface biosignature detection at further distances. Anoxygenic photosynthetic biosignatures could also be more easily detectable than nonphotosynthetic pigments and the photosynthetic red edge when compared against a false positive iron oxide slope. Future life detection missions should evaluate the influence of false positives on the detection of multiple surface biosignatures.</p>10aextremophiles10afalse positive10apigments10ared edge10areflectance spectroscopy10atelescope1 aBorges, Schuyler, R.1 aJones, Gabrielle, G.1 aRobinson, Tyler, D.  uhttps://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2023.0099