A Covariance-Aware Framework for Spatially Resolved Exoplanet Biosignature Inference with the Solar Gravitational Lens
The SGL mission concept is a follow-on observatory designed to provide spatially resolved and correlated spectra of a single high-priority exoplanet. The central finding is that spatially resolved spectroscopy can preserve parameter information that disk-integrated spectra lose, provided the analysis accounts for regional cloud/gas/surface covariance. This capability allows testing whether atmospheric and surface features are physically coherent on the planet.