Daily #4116
- From: Joe Cooper <jcooper@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 13:49:09 +0000 (UTC)
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY REPORT # 4116
PERIOD COVERED: UT May 17, 2006 (DOY 137)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
ACS/HRC 10544
Resovled Images of LMC Microlensing Events Observed by a Telescope at
2 AU from Earth
The identity of the lens objects for most of the LMC microlensing
events seen by the MACHO Project is unknown. The most popular
explanations include a previously unknown population of old, cool
white dwarfs in the Galactic halo or in a very thick disk, or a
variation standard LMC models that would allow most events to be
caused by faint LMC stars. This uncertainty exists because it is
usually impossible to determine the lens distance from the observable
features of a microlensing event. Distance estimates can be obtained
by measuring the microlensing parallax effect with simultaneous
observations of the events from Earth and from a small {~30cm}
telescope located 1-2 AU from the Earth. Such a telescope has just
been launched: the High Resolution Instrument on the flyby spacecraft
of the Deep Impact {DI} Mission. This telescope has been placed in an
ideal orbit for LMC microlensing parallax measurements, and the
telescope will be at a distance of >1 AU from Earth when the DI prime
mission ends this August. Our group plans to take advantage of this
fortuitous circumstance and propose a "new science" extended mission
for the DI flyby spacecraft to resolve the LMC microlensing puzzle
with microlensing parallax observaions. This project is compatible
with the DI Science Teams extended mission plans to visit a 2nd comet,
and our extended mission proposal to NASA will be written in
collaboration with the Deep Impact Science team. A crucial feature of
these proposed microlensing parallax measurements is the determination
of the absolute brightness of the source stars, which can only be
resolved with HST images. The source star brightness must be measured
over the entire sensitivity range of the Deep Impact High Resolution
Instrument clear filter: 300-1000nm. We therefore request UBVriz HST
images to resolve the blending of the microlensed LMC source stars
observed by the Deep Impact 30cm telescope.
ACS/HRC 10556
Neutral Gas at Redshift z=0.5
Damped Lyman-alpha systems {DLAs} are used to track the bulk of the
neutral hydrogen gas in the Universe. Prior to HST UV spectroscopy,
they could only be studied from the ground at redshifts z>1.65.
However, HST has now permitted us to discover 41 DLAs at z<1.65 in our
previous surveys. Followup studies of these systems are providing a
wealth of information about the evolution of the neutral gas phase
component of the Universe. But one problem is that these 41
low-redshift systems are spread over a wide range of redshifts
spanning nearly 70% of the age of the Universe. Consequently, past
surveys for low-redshift DLAs have not been able to offer very good
precision in any small redshift regime. Here we propose an ACS-HRC-
PR200L spectroscopic survey in the redshift interval z=[0.37, 0.7]
which we estimate will permit us to discover another 41 DLAs. This
will not only allow us to double the number of low-redshift DLAs, but
it will also provide a relatively high-precision regime in the
low-redshift Universe that can be used to anchor evolutionary studies.
Fortunately DLAs have high absorption equivalent width, so
ACS-HRC-PR200L has high-enough resoultion to perform this proposed
MgII-selected DLA survey.
ACS/HRC/WFC 10733
CCD Hot Pixel Annealing
Hot pixel annealing will continue to be performed once every 4 weeks.
The CCD TECs will be turned off and heaters will be activated to bring
the detector temperatures to about +20C. This state will be held for
approximately 6 hours, after which the heaters are turned off, the
TECs turned on, and the CCDs returned to normal operating condition.
To assess the effectiveness of the annealing, a bias and four dark
images will be taken before and after the annealing procedure for both
WFC and HRC. The HRC darks are taken in parallel with the WFC darks.
The charge transfer efficiency {CTE} of the ACS CCD detectors declines
as damage due to on-orbit radiation exposure accumulates. This
degradation has been closely monitored at regular intervals, because
it is likely to determine the useful lifetime of the CCDs. We combine
the annealling activity with the charge transfer efficiency monitoring
and also merge into the routine dark image collection. To this end,
the CTE monitoring exposures have been moved into this proposal . All
the data for this program is acquired using internal targets {lamps}
only, so all of the exposures should be taken during Earth occultation
time {but not during SAA passages}. This program emulates the ACS
pre-flight ground calibration and post-launch SMOV testing {program
8948}, so that results from each epoch can be directly compared.
Extended Pixel Edge Response {EPER} and First Pixel Response {FPR}
data will be obtained over a range of signal levels for both the Wide
Field Channel {WFC}, and the High Resolution Channel {HRC}.
ACS/HRC/WFC 10758
ACS CCDs daily monitor
This program consists of a set of basic tests to monitor, the read
noise, the development of hot pixels and test for any source of noise
in ACS CCD detectors. The files, biases and dark will be used to
create reference files for science calibration. This programme will be
for the entire lifetime of ACS. Changes from cycle 13:- The default
gain for WFC is 2 e-/DN. As before bias frames will be collected for
both gain 1 and gain 2. Dark frames are acquired using the default
gain {2}. This program cover the period May, 31 2006- Oct, 1-2006. The
first half of the program has a different proposal number: 10729.
ACS/WFC 10596
AGNs with Intermediate-mass Black Holes: A Test of the Black
Hole-Bulge Paradigm
The recent progress in the study of central black holes in galactic
nuclei has led to a general consensus that supermassive {10^6-10^9
solar mass} black holes are closely connected with the formation and
evolutionary history of large galaxies, especially their bulge
component. Two outstanding issues, however, remain unresolved. Can
central black holes form in the absence of a bulge? And does the mass
function of central black holes extend below 10^6 solar masses?
Intermediate-mass black holes {10^4-10^6 solar masses}, if they exist,
may offer important clues to the nature of the seeds of supermassive
black holes. In a first systematic search using the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey, we have recently discovered 19 Type 1 AGNs with candidate
intermediate-mass black holes that reside in low-luminosity,
presumably late-type host galaxies. Follow-up observations with Keck
indicate that these objects obey the low-mass extension of the
well-known correlation between black hole mass and bulge stellar
velocity dispersion. However, very little is known about the host
galaxies themselves, including the crucial question of whether they
have bulges or not. We propose to obtain ACS/WFC images of this unique
sample of AGNs in order to investigate the detailed structural
properties of the host galaxies. We are particularly keen to determine
whether the hosts contain bulges, and if so, where they lie on the
fundamental plane of spheroids compared to the bulges of supermassive
black holes. We will also be able to measure an accurate optical
luminosity for the AGN, which is an essential ingredient to improve
the current mass estimates.
ACS/WFC 10775
An ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters
We propose to conduct an ACS/WFC imaging survey of Galactic globular
clusters. We will construct the most extensive and deepest set of
photometry and astrometry to-date for these systems reaching a main
sequence mass of ~0.2 solar mass with S/N >= 10. We will combine these
data with archival WFPC2 and STIS images to determine proper motions
for the stars in our fields. The resultant cleaned cluster CMDs will
allow us to study a variety of scientific questions. These include
[but are not limited to] 1} the determination of cluster ages and
distances 2} the construction of main sequence mass functions and the
issue of mass segregation 3} the internal motions and dynamical
evolution of globular clusters, and 4} absolute cluster motions,
orbits, and the Milky Way gravitational potential. We anticipate that
the unique resource provided by the proposed treasury archive will
play a central role in the field of globular cluster studies for
decades, with a stature comparable to that of the Hubble Deep Field
for high redshift studies.
FGS 10612
Binary Stars in Cyg OB2: Relics of Massive Star Formation in a
Super-Star Cluster
We propose to make a high angular resolution SNAP survey of the
massive stars in the nearby, super-star cluster Cyg OB2. We will use
FGS1r TRANS mode observations to search for astrometric companions in
the separation range of 0.01 to 1.00 arcsec and in the magnitude
difference range smaller than 4 magnitudes. The observations will test
the idea that the formation of very massive stars involves mergers and
the presence of nearby companions. Discovery of companions to massive
stars in this relatively nearby complex will provide guidance in the
interpretation of apparently supermassive stars in distant locations.
The search for companions will also be important for verification of
fundamental parameters derived from spectroscopy, adjustments to main
sequence fitting and distance estimations, determining third light
contributions of eclipsing binaries, identifying wide colliding wind
binaries, studying the relationship between orbital and spin angular
momentum, and discovering binaries amenable to future mass
determinations. The massive star environment in Cyg OB2 may be similar
to the kinds found in the earliest epoch of star formation, so that a
study of the role of binaries in Cyg OB2 will help us understand the
formation processes of the first stars in the Universe.
NIC1 10725
Photometric Stability
This NICMOS calibration proposal carries out photometric monitoring
observations during Cycle 14. The format of the program is similar to
that of the Cycle 12 program 9995 and Cycle 13 program 10381, but a
few modifications were made. Provisions had to be made to adopt to 2-
gyro mode {G191B2B was added as extra target to provide target
visibility through most of the year}. Where before 4 or 7 dithers were
made in a filter before we moved to the next filter, now we observe
all filters at one position before moving to the next dither position.
While the previous method was chosen to minimize the effect of
persistence, we now realize that persistence is connected to charge
trapping and by moving through the filter such that the count rate
increases, we reach equilibrium more quickly between charge being
trapped and released. We have also increased exposure times where
possible to reduce the charge trapping non-linearity effects.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8793
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 4
A new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of
NICMOS. Dark frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA
contour 23, and every time a NICMOS exposure is scheduled within 50
minutes of coming out of the SAA. The darks will be obtained in
parallel in all three NICMOS Cameras. The POST-SAA darks will be
non-standard reference files available to users with a USEAFTER
date/time mark. The keyword 'USEAFTER=date/time' will also be added to
the header of each POST-SAA DARK frame. The keyword must be populated
with the time, in addition to the date, because HST crosses the SAA ~8
times per day so each POST-SAA DARK will need to have the appropriate
time specified, for users to identify the ones they need. Both the raw
and processed images will be archived as POST-SAA DARKSs. Generally we
expect that all NICMOS science/calibration observations started within
50 minutes of leaving an SAA will need such maps to remove the CR
persistence from the science images. Each observation will need its
own CRMAP, as different SAA passages leave different imprints on the
NICMOS detectors.
NIC2 10519
Testing the Stellar Coalescence and Accretion Disk Theories of Massive
Star Formation with NICMOS
The importance of massive stars cannot be underestimated - they
produce most of the heavy elements in the universe and dominate the
evolution of the interstellar medium in their vicinity. In spite of
their significance, our understanding of their formation is meager.
Both accretion through disks, analogous to the process of low-mass
star formation, and coalescence of low-mass stars through collisions
in the dense cores of stellar clusters have been suggested. Possibly
both mechanisms occur. High spatial resolution polarization
measurements of the closest massive young stellar objects {YSOs} will
enable us to search for evidence of disk accretion or coalescence in
the form of patterns indicative of light scattered off a coherent disk
or off a disk disrupted by an infalling star, respectively. Here we
propose to use 2 micron polarimetry with NICMOS to identify the
presence of accretion disks around massive YSOs or to characterize
their environments as possibly disrupted from a close stellar
encounter. There are only a few sources that meet the stringent
selection criteria for this investigation {even with HST}, which we
will examine here. High spatial resolution is required, but even more
important, the point spread function {PSF} must be stable with time.
Furthermore, the PSF must put minimal flux into large spatial scales,
something that cannot be achieved with adaptive optics. This
combination of high Strehl ratio and stable PSF can only be achieved
from space.
NIC2 10603
Multiwavelength Imaging of Edge-on Protoplanetary Disks: Quantifying
the Growth of Circumstellar Dust
Young, edge-on circumstellar disks are uniquely valuable laboratories
for the study of planet formation. In these objects, the central star
is occulted from direct view, significant PSF artifacts are absent,
and the disk is clearly seen as a central dust lane flanked by faint
disk reflected light. The detailed morphology of these nebulae and its
variation with wavelength provide crucial information on the disk
internal structure and the properties of its constituent dust grains.
A key observable is the slope defining the wavelength dependence of
the dust scattering opacity, which becomes shallower when grain growth
has taken place; multiwavelength resolved disk images are the key
dataset enabling such measurements. Recent analyses of three different
edge-on disks have revealed a diversity in their dust properties that
is indicative of different degrees of dust grain evolution having
taken place in each system. This characterization of disk grain
growth, when applied comparatively to a larger sample of these
objects, would enable the construction of an evolutionary sequence of
young disks at successive stages on the road to planet formation. In
pursuit of this goal, we have identified a sample of 15 edge-on disks
previously discovered by HST or groundbased telescopes, but for which
high fidelity, high spatial resolution images do not yet exist in both
the optical and near-infrared. We propose broad-band multicolor
imaging with NICMOS of all these targets, and ACS imaging of nine of
these targets In combination with existing data, the proposed images
will form a complete database of high resolution optical/near-IR
images for these 15 disk systems. Scattered light modeling will be
used to derive the disk structure and dust properties, yielding
results that will be of fundamental importance for our understanding
of grain properties during protoplanetary disk evolution.
NIC2/ACS/WFC/WFPC2 10532
Kinematics and morphology of the most massive field disk galaxies at
z>1
We propose to obtain 1 orbit NIC-2 images of a sample of the 15 most
massive galaxies found at $1 < z < 1.3$. These were culled from over
20, 000 Keck spectra collected as part of DEEP and are unique among
high redshift massive galaxy samples in being kinematically selected.
We intend to test whether these potentially very young galaxies are
likely precursors to massive local disks, assuming no further merging.
NIC-2 images provide rest-frame optical morphologies that will show
whether they are normal disky systems or instead more disturbed
looking objects with multiple subcomponents, mergers, peculiar
structure, etc. NIC-2 provides near-IR resolutions sufficient to
enable measurements of bulges and disks subcomponents. The near-IR
will fill a critical gap in the broad-band SED photometry of the
galaxy and its subcomponents to estimate mean stellar ages and stellar
masses and to assess whether old stellar bulges and disks are in place
at that time. Finally, this sample will yield the first statistically
significant results on the $z > 1$ evolution of the Tully-Fisher
relation for massive galaxies. In addition, we propose parallel
observations with ACS WFC {V and I bands} and WFPC2 {I-band}. These
will target up to 700 galaxies at redshifts 0.7 ... 1.2 for which the
DEEP2 survey has obtained precision redshifts and high-resolution
kinematic data. The added HST morphology and color information will
allow a variety of detailed studies on dynamical, structural, and
photometric evolution of galaxies.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary
reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be
investigated.)
HSTARS:
10266 - GSAcq(1,0,1) failed to RGA Control @ 137/1114z
At acquisition of signal 137/11:53:55, GSAcq(1,0,1) scheduled for
137/11:14:08 - 11:20:25 was observed to have failed to RGA control due
to stop flag (QF1STOPF) on FGS-1. Pre-acquisition OBAD's were
successful with (RSS) attitude error corrections of 1936.57 and 5.00
arcseconds. Post-acquisition OBAD/MAP at 137/11:20:24 had (RSS) error
correction value of 5.00 arcseconds.
10267 - Gsacq(2,1,2) failed due to search radius limit exceeded @138/0513z
The GSacq(2,1,2) scheduled at 138/05:06:49 failed due to search radius
limit exceeded on FGS 2. ESB message a07 (FGS Coarse Track failed -
Timed out waiting for data valid ) was received. OBAD1 showed errors
of V1=-490.04, V2=1345.11, V3=-357.68, RSS=1475.60. OBAD2 V1=-0.65,
V2=-3.50, V3=-7.60, RSS=8.40. The map at 05:14:14 showed error of
V1=2.73, V2=0.86, V3=2.53, RSS=3.82.
10268 - Reacq(2,1,2) failed to RGA control @138/0642z
During LOS the Reacq(2,1,2)scheduled at 138/06:42:44 failed to RGA
control. At AOS there were no error flags indicating SRLEX or SSLEX.
ESB message a0a (FGS Fine Lock failed - Timed out waiting for fine
lock ) was received at 06:45:40.
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES
FGS GSacq 09 07 (HSTAR 10266)
(HSTAR
10267)
FGS REacq 06 05 (HSTAR
10268)
OBAD with Maneuver 28 28
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)
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