MODHIS (Multiple-Objective Diffraction-limited High-resolution Infrared Spectrograph) is one of three first light instruments for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). MODHIS will offer high-resolution (R>100,000), single-shot spectra between 0.95 – 2.4 μm. The instrument will utilize correction from the Narrow-Field InfraRed Adaptive Optics System (NFIRAOS) to deliver a diffraction limited beam to the compact spectrograph via single-mode fibers. The instrument is baselined for single-object mode, with a goal of multi-object capabilities (up to four separate objects at a time).
MODHIS is designed to maximize the exoplanet science that can be performed with TMT. MODHIS will perform both direct and transit spectroscopy, probing reflected light planets down into the terrestrial regime. MODHIS will have the potential to detect biosignatures on the most optimal, nearby, Earth-like planets. MODHIS will also have precision radial velocity capabilities, enabling mass measurements for planets below 1 Mearth. MODHIS will also enable discovery in a multitude of scientific regimes by exploring, for example, stellar abundances and kinematics, the properties of circumstellar disks, nearby active galactic nuclei, and lensed quasar systems.