Date: February 12th 2007

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT # 4297

PERIOD COVERED: UT February 09,10,11, 2007 (DOY 040,41,42)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8795

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 6

A new proceedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of NICMOS Dark frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA contour 23, and everytime 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 i mages Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as different SAA passages leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors

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

WFPC2 11090

Hubble Heritage Observations of PNe with WFPC2

This is a proposal for observation of a set of PNe using a common WFPC2 observation sequence

NIC3/NIC2/NIC1 11086

Mini-SMOV NICMOS dark current, shading profile, and read noise program

The purpose of this proposal is to study the dark current, read noise, and shading profile for all three NICMOS detectors after the NICMOS starts operating due to safing This proposal is a version of the NICMOS monitoring program

NIC3 11064

CYCLE 15 NICMOS SPECTROPHOTOMETRY CALIBRATION PROGRAM

Now that the spectrophotometric capabilities of the NICMOS grism have been established, cycle 15 observations are needed to refine the sensitivity estimates, to check for sensitivity loss with time, to improve the accuracy of the linearity correction, to improve the secondary flux standards by re-observation, and to expand the G206 data set now that the sky subtraction technique has been shown to produce useful fluxes for some of the fainter secondary standards These faint secondary IR standards will be a significant step towards establishing flux standards for JWST, as well as for SNAP, Spitzer, and SOFIA 1 Re- observe the 3 primary WDs GD71, G191B2b, & GD153 twice each, once at the beginning and once near the end of the 18 month cycle To date, we have only 2 observation of each star, while the corresponding STIS data set for these primary standards ranges from 6 to 23 obs No observations exist for GD71 or GD153 with G206, so that the current G206 sensitivity is defined solely by G191B2B Purposes: Refine sensitivities, measure sens losses Orbits: 2 for each of 6 visits = 12 2 Re-observe WD1057 & WD1657 plus another P041C lamp-on visit to improve the scatter in the non-lin measurements per Fig 8 of NIC ISR 2006-02 The WD stars require 2 orbits each, while the lamp-on test is done in one The very faintest and most crucial standard WD1657 has 2 good visits already, so to substantially improve the S/N, two visits of two orbits are needed Include G206 for P041C in the lamp-off baseline part of that orbit Orbits: WD1057-2, WD1657-4, P041C-1 --> 7 3 Re-observe 9 secondary standards to improve S/N of the faint ones and to include G206 for all 9 BD+17 {3 obs} is not repeated in this cycle Four are bright enough to do in one orbit: VB8, 2M0036+18, P330E, and P177D Orbits:2*5+4=14 Grand Total orbits over 18 month cycle 15 is 12+6+14=32 {Roelof will submit the P041C lamp-on visit in a separate program }

NIC1 11057

Cycle 15 NICMOS dark current, shading profile, and read noise monitoring program

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the dark current, read noise, and shading profile for all three NICMOS detectors throughout the duration of Cycle 15 This proposal is a slightly modified version of proposal 10380 of cycle 13 and 9993 of cycle12 and is the same as Cycle 14 that we cut down some exposure time to make the observation fit within 24 orbits

WFPC2 10913

The Light Echoes around V838 Monocerotis

V838 Monocerotis, which burst upon the astronomical scene in early 2002, is a completely unanticipated new object It underwent a large-amplitude and very luminous outburst, during which its spectrum remained that of an extremely cool supergiant A rapidly evolving set of light echoes around V838 Mon was discovered soon after the outburst, and quickly became the most spectacular display of the phenomenon ever seen These light echoes provide the means to accomplish four unique types of measurements based on continued HST imaging during the event: {1} Study effects of MHD turbulence at high resolution and in 3 dimensions; {2} Construct the first unambiguous and fully 3-D map of a circumstellar dust envelope in the Milky Way; {3} Study dust physics in a unique setting where the spectrum and light curve of the illumination, and the scattering angle, are unambiguously known; and {4} Determine the distance to V838 Mon through direct geometric techniques Because of the extreme rarity of light echoes, this is almost certainly the only opportunity to achieve such results during the lifetime of HST We propose two visits during Cycle 15, in order to continue the mapping of the circumstellar dust and to achieve the other goals listed above

NIC1 10879

A search for planetary-mass companions to the nearest L dwarfs - completing the survey

We propose to extend the most sensitive survey yet undertaken for very low-mass companions to ultracool dwarfs We will use NICMOS to complete imaging of an all-sky sample of 87 L dwarfs in 80 systems within 20 parsecs of the Sun The combination of infrared imaging and proximity allows us to search for companions with mass ratios q>0 25 at separations exceeding ~3 AU, while probing companions with q>0 5 at ~1 5 AU separation This resolution is crucial, since no ultracool binaries are known in the field with separations exceeding 15 AU Fifty L dwarfs from the 20-parsec sample have high- resolution imaging, primarily through our Cycle 13 HST proposal which identified six new binaries, including an L/T system Here, we propose to target the remaining 30 dwarfs

WFPC2 10862

Comprehensive Auroral Imaging of Jupiter and Saturn during the International Heliophysical Year

A comprehensive set of observations of the auroral emissions from Jupiter and Saturn is proposed for the International Heliophysical Year in 2007, a unique period of especially concentrated measurements of space physics phenomena throughout the solar system We propose to determine the physical relationship of the various auroral processes at Jupiter and Saturn with conditions in the solar wind at each planet This can be accomplished with campaigns of observations, with a sampling interval not to exceed one day, covering at least one solar rotation The solar wind plasma density approaching Jupiter will be measured by the New Horizons spacecraft, and a separate campaign near opposition in May 2007 will determine the effect of large-scale variations in the interplanetary magnetic field {IMF} on the Jovian aurora by extrapolation from near-Earth solar wind measurements A similar Saturn campaign near opposition in Jan 2007 will combine extrapolated solar wind data with measurements from a wide range of locations within the Saturn magnetosphere by Cassini In the course of making these observations, it will be possible to fully map the auroral footprints of Io and the other satellites to determine both the local magnetic field geometry and the controlling factors in the electromagnetic interaction of each satellite with the corotating magnetic field and plasma density Also in the course of making these observations, the auroral emission properties will be compared with the properties of the near-IR ionospheric emissions {from ground-based observations} and non thermal radio emissions, from ground-based observations for Jupiter?s decametric radiation and Cassini plasma wave measurements of the Saturn Kilometric Radiation {SKR}

NIC2 10858

NICMOS Imaging of the z ~ 2 Spitzer Spectroscopic Sample of Ultraluminous Infrared

We propose to obtain NICMOS images of the first large sample of high-z ultra-luminous infrared galaxies {ULIRGs} whose redshifts and physical states have been determined with Spitzer mid-IR spectra The detection of strong silicate absorption and/or PAH emission lines suggest that the these sources are a mixture of highly obscured starbursts, AGNs and composite systems at z=2 Although some of the spectra show PAH emission similar to local starburst ULIRGs, their bolometric luminosities are roughly an order of magnitude higher One important question is if major mergers, which are the trigger for 95% of local ULIRGs, also drive this enormous energy output observed in our z=2 sample The NICMOS images will allow us to {1} measure surface brightness profiles of z~2 ULIRGs and establish if major mergers could be common among our luminous sources at these early epochs, {2} determine if starbursts and AGNs classified based on their mid-IR spetra would have different morphological signatures, thus different dynamic state; {3} make comparisons with the similar studies of ULIRGs at z ~ 0 - 1, thus infer any evolutionary connections between high-z ULIRGs and the formation of normal, massive galaxies and quasars observed today

NIC2 10808

Morphologies of spectroscopically-confirmed "red and dead" galaxies at z~2 5

Using a combination of wide-field near-infrared imaging and very deep follow-up near-infrared spectroscopy we have identified a population of massive "red and dead" galaxies at z~2 5 The galaxies lack emission lines and have strong Balmer/4000 Angstrom breaks, demonstrating directly that they have evolved stellar populations These objects are very likely progenitors of massive ellipticals today and may be descendants of the first generation of galaxies We propose to image 10 of these objects with the NIC2 camera to determine their morphologies The goals are to 1} determine whether they have the sizes of present-day early-types or are more compact, as predicted by models, 2} determine the morphology, using visual classification and quantitative methods, and 3} constrain the evolution of the Kormendy relation from z~2 5 to the present These observations will show whether the oldest and most massive galaxies at z~2 5 were already fully formed or still in the process of assembly

NIC2 10802

SHOES-Supernovae, HO, for the Equation of State of Dark energy

The present uncertainty in the value of the Hubble constant {resulting in an uncertainty in Omega_M} and the paucity of Type Ia supernovae at redshifts exceeding 1 are now the leading obstacles to determining the nature of dark energy We propose a single, integrated set of observations for Cycle 15 that will provide a 40% improvement in constraints on dark energy This program will observe known Cepheids in six reliable hosts of Type Ia supernovae with NICMOS, reducing the uncertainty in H_0 by a factor of two because of the smaller dispersion along the instability strip, the diminished extinction, and the weaker metallicity dependence in the infrared In parallel with ACS, at the same time the NICMOS observations are underway, we will discover and follow a sample of Type Ia supernovae at z > 1 Together, these measurements, along with prior constraints from WMAP, will provide a great improvement in HST's ability to distinguish between a static, cosmological constant and dynamical dark energy The Hubble Space Telescope is the only instrument in the world that can make these IR measurements of Cepheids beyond the Local Group, and it is the only telescope in the world that can be used to find and follow supernovae at z > 1 Our program exploits both of these unique capabilities of HST to learn more about one of the greatest mysteries in science

NIC2 10798

Dark Halos and Substructure from Arcs & Einstein Rings

The surface brightness distribution of extended gravitationally lensed arcs and Einstein rings contains super-resolved information about the lensed object, and, more excitingly, about the smooth and clumpy mass distribution of the lens galaxies The source and lens information can non-parametrically be separated, resulting in a direct "gravitational image" of the inner mass-distribution of cosmologically-distant galaxies {Koopmans 2005; Koopmans et al 2006 [astro-ph/0601628]} With this goal in mind, we propose deep HST ACS-F555W/F814W and NICMOS-F160W WFC imaging of 20 new gravitational-lens systems with spatially resolved lensed sources, of the 35 new lens systems discovered by the Sloan Lens ACS Survey {Bolton et al 2005} so far, 15 of which are being imaged in Cycle-14 Each system has been selected from the SDSS and confirmed in two time- efficient HST-ACS snapshot programs {cycle 13&14} High-fidelity multi-color HST images are required {not delivered by the 420s snapshots} to isolate these lensed images {properly cleaned, dithered and extinction-corrected} from the lens galaxy surface brightness distribution, and apply our "gravitational maging" technique Our sample of 35 early-type lens galaxies to date is by far the largest, still growing, and most uniformly selected This minimizes selection biases and small-number statistics, compared to smaller, often serendipitously discovered, samples Moreover, using the WFC provides information on the field around the lens, higher S/N and a better understood PSF, compared with the HRC, and one retains high spatial resolution through drizzling The sample of galaxy mass distributions - determined through this method from the arcs and Einstein ring HST images - will be studied to: {i} measure the smooth mass distribution of the lens galaxies {dark and luminous mass are separated using the HST images and the stellar M/L values derived from a joint stellar-dynamical analysis of each system}; {ii} quantify statistically and individually the incidence of mass-substructure {with or without obvious luminous counter- parts such as dwarf galaxies} Since dark-matter substructure could be more prevalent at higher redshift, both results provide a direct test of this prediction of the CDM hierarchical structure-formation model

NIC3 10792

Quasars at Redshift z=6 and Early Star Formation History

We propose to observe four high-redshift quasars {z=6} in the NIR in order to estimate relative Fe/Mg abundances and the central black hole mass The results of this study will critically constrain models of joint quasar and galaxy formation, early star formation, and the growth of supermassive black holes Different time scales and yields for alpha-elements {like O or Mg} and for iron result into an iron enrichment delay of ~0 3 to 0 6 Gyr Hence, despite the well-known complexity of the FeII emission line spectrum, the ratio iron/alpha - element is a potentially useful cosmological clock The central black hole mass will be estimated based on a recently revised back hole mass - luminosity relationship The time delay of the iron enrichment and the time required to form a supermassive black hole {logM>8 Msol, tau ~0 5Gyr} as evidenced by quasar activity will be used to date the beginning of the first intense star formation, marking the formation of the first massive galaxies that host luminous quasars, and to constrain the epoch when supermassive black holes start to grow by accretion

NIC2 10237

Low-Ionization BALs: Evolution or Orientation?

We propose to test the hypothesis that Low-Ionization Broad Absorption Line Quasars {LoBALs} represent a special stage of quasar evolution: young quasars in systems with strong interaction and star-formation We will carry out high resolution imaging using ACS/WFC and NICMOS to measure the properties of the host galaxies of four LoBAL quasars at z = 0 9 - 2 0 that show strong overlapping FeII absorption troughs The ACS imaging will be carried out in the passband with the strongest BAL absorption, acting as a natural coronagraph This results in a reduction of quasar light by a factor of 15 - 26 in these passbands, providing arguably the best view of the host galaxies of luminous, high- redshift quasars This method allows efficient detection and detailed modeling of the host galaxy morphology in the rest-frame ultraviolet, which is most sensitive to star formation and galaxy interaction We will also use NICMOS imaging to measure the rest-frame light from the host galaxy to probe the old stellar populations where the host galaxy is likely to be brighter It has been suggested that LoBALs might not be explained simply as an orientation effect but rather as an early phase of quasar evolution Such a phase is typically associated with large amounts of dust and gas, and young galaxies with strong star formation With HST observations, we will study the color and morphology of the FeLoBAL quasar host galaxies, and measure the age of their dominant stellar populations We will also measure the density of close companions, and, in particular, look for signs of ongoing or recent mergers These measurements will be compared to those of control samples of normal quasars at similar redshift If LoBALs are indeed young systems, then their host galaxies are expected to show stronger interactions and merger activity, younger stellar ages, and regions with strong star formation If the LoBAL host galaxies show no significant difference from those of normal quasars, it will support the view that LoBAL quasars are not a distinct population and that all quasars have BAL outflows along some lines of sight

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated )

HSTARS: 10682 - GSacq(1,3,3) failed to RGA control During LOS GSacq(1,3,3) scheduled at 041/01:30:53 failed At AOS (01:38:30) flags indicated the GSacq failed due to stop flag QF1STOPF on FGS 1 RSS value for OBAD1 was 2092 92, RSS value for OBAD2 was 19 69

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: 18016-1 - Power on ACS Heater Zone 1 B

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                      SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSacq 13 12 FGS REacq 20 20 OBAD with Maneuver 66 66

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

Flash Report: ACS Heater Control Zone Stabilization Fri, 09 Feb 22:53:12) - Approximately 5 hours after the ACS Heater Control Zone B on side 1 was enabled, (Ops Request 18016) the internal temperatures of ACS have equalized and heater zone power is now evenly distributed among zone A and B All equipment temperatures are now above their turn-on limits and will remain well above these levels

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