The SPHEREx Ices Investigation: An Overview
May 2026 • 2026ApJ..1002...33M
Abstract • SPHEREx is a NASA mission designed to perform an all-sky spectroscopic survey in the 0.75─5 μm wavelength range. Its primary science objectives are to investigate: (1) inflationary cosmology; (2) the history of galaxy formation; and (3) the abundance of molecular ices—critical for prebiotic chemistry—found on the surfaces of interstellar dust grains within planet-forming regions. This paper focuses on the third theme, the SPHEREx Ices Investigation, for which SPHEREx is conducting a spectroscopic survey of nearly 10 million preselected sources throughout the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds, to characterize their ice absorption features. By selecting targets based on infrared color, spatial isolation, and brightness, the Ices Investigation secures high-signal-to-noise-ratio spectra across a broad range of astrophysical environments that are relatively free of spectral contamination. Rather than attempting to decompose each spectrum into its individual ice components, the Ices Investigation prioritizes accurate measurements of the integrated optical depths of key molecular ice absorption features. This approach enables statistically powerful correlation studies between ice abundances and environmental parameters—including extinction, temperature, gas composition, radiation field strength, cosmic-ray flux, and star formation activity. The data pipeline developed for this purpose incorporates machine learning for continuum estimation, drawing on both SPHEREx and ancillary data sets. Ultimately, the expansive spectral archive produced by SPHEREx, combined with targeted follow-up from facilities like JWST, will transform our understanding of Galactic ice formation, evolution, abundance, and their inheritance into planetary systems and prebiotic inventories.
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