HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT # 4605
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am May 06 - 5am May 07, 2008 (DOY 127/0900z - 128/0900z)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED
WFPC2
11024
WFPC2
CYCLE 15 INTERNAL MONITOR
This
calibration proposal is the Cycle 15 routine internal monitor for
WFPC2,
to be run weekly to monitor the health of the cameras. A variety
of
internal exposures are obtained in order to provide a monitor of the
integrity
of the CCD camera electronics in both bays {both gain 7 and
gain
15 -- to test stability of gains and bias levels}, a test for
quantum
efficiency in the CCDs, and a monitor for possible buildup of
contaminants
on the CCD windows. These also provide raw data for
generating
annual super-bias reference files for the calibration
pipeline.
FGS
11210
The
Architecture of Exoplanetary Systems
Are
all planetary systems coplanar? Concordance cosmogony makes that
prediction.
It is, however, a prediction of extrasolar planetary system
architecture
as yet untested by direct observation for main sequence
stars
other than the Sun. To provide such a test, we propose to carry
out
FGS astrometric studies on four stars hosting seven companions. Our
understanding
of the planet formation process will grow as we match not
only
system architecture, but formed planet mass and true distance from
the
primary with host star characteristics for a wide variety of host
stars
and exoplanet masses. We propose that a series of FGS astrometric
observations
with demonstrated 1 millisecond of arc per-observation
precision
can establish the degree of coplanarity and component true
masses
for four extrasolar systems: HD 202206 {brown dwarf+planet}; HD
128311
{planet+planet}, HD 160691 = mu Arae {planet+planet}, and HD
222404AB
= gamma Cephei {planet+star}. In each case the companion is
identified
as such by assuming that the minimum mass is the actual mass.
For
the last target, a known stellar binary system, the companion orbit
is
stable only if coplanar with the AB binary orbit.
FGS
11299
Calibrating
the Mass-Luminosity Relation at the End of the Main Sequence
We
propose to use HST-FGS1R to finish calibrating the mass-luminosity
relation
for stars less massive than 0.5 Msun, with special emphasis on
objects
near the stellar/substellar border. Our goals are to determine
Mv
values to 0.05 magnitude and masses to 5%, and thereby build the
fundamental
database of stellar masses that we will use to test
theoretical
models as never before. This program uses the combination of
HST-FGS3/FGS1R
at optical wavelengths, historical infrared speckle data,
ground-based
parallax work, metallicity studies, and radial velocity
monitoring
to examine nearby, subarcsecond binary systems. The high
precision
separation and position angle measurements with HST-FGS3/FGS1R
{to
1 mas in the separations} for these faint {V = 10-15} targets simply
cannot
be equaled by any ground-based technique. As a result of these
measurements,
we are deriving high quality luminosities and masses for
the
components in the systems, and characterizing their spectral energy
distributions
from 0.5 to 2.2 microns. One of the objects, GJ 1245 C
with
mass 0.074 +/- 0.002 Msun, is the only object known with an
accurate
dynamical mass less than 0.10 Msun. The payoff of this proposal
is
high because the six systems selected for final observations in
Cycles
15 and 16 have already been resolved during Cycles 5-13 with HST
FGS3/FGS1R
and contain most of the reddest objects for which accurate
dynamical
masses can be determined.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3
8795
NICMOS
Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 6
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 i
mages.
Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as different SAA
passages
leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors.
NIC2
11341
Lower
Luminosity AGNs at Cosmologically Interesting Redshifts: SEDs and
Accretion
Rates of z~0.36 Seyferts
We
propose a multiwavelength campaign to constrain the SEDs of Seyferts
at
z~0.36. This epoch, corresponding to a look back time of 4 Gyrs, is
cosmologically
interesting for studies of the coeval development of
black
holes and their host galaxy bulges. Our sample, comprising 24
Seyferts,
has unprecedented high quality Keck spectroscopy and HST
imaging
already invested to extract host galaxy bulge properties,
estimate
black hole masses, and separate nuclear and host optical
luminosities.
To supplement and extend this successful program, we
request
93 ks of Chandra time (to measure the shape and power of the
AGN-only
X-ray continuum), 11 hrs each of Spitzer and Gemini (to
constrain
the dust temperature), and 7 orbits of HST (to determine the
nuclear
luminosity for the final 7 objects).
NIC2/WFPC2
11142
Revealing
the Physical Nature of Infrared Luminous Galaxies at 0.3<z<2.7
Using
HST and Spitzer
We
aim to determine physical properties of IR luminous galaxies at
0.3<z<2.7
by requesting coordinated HST/NIC2 and MIPS 70um observations
of
a unique, 24um flux-limited sample with complete Spitzer mid-IR
spectroscopy.
The 150 sources investigated in this program have S{24um}
>
0.8mJy and their mid-IR spectra have already provided the majority
targets
with spectroscopic redshifts {0.3<z<2.7}. The proposed
150~orbits
of NIC2 and 66~hours of MIPS 70um will provide the physical
measurements
of the light distribution at the rest-frame ~8000A and
better
estimates of the bolometric luminosity. Combining these
parameters
together with the rich suite of spectral diagnostics from the
mid-IR
spectra, we will {1} measure how common mergers are among LIRGs
and
ULIRGs at 0.3<z<2.7, and establish if major mergers are the drivers
of
z>1 ULIRGs, as in the local Universe. {2} study the co-evolution of
star
formation and blackhole accretion by investigating the relations
between
the fraction of starburst/AGN measured from mid-IR spectra vs.
HST
morphologies, L{bol} and z. {3} obtain the current best estimates of
the
far-IR emission, thus L{bol} for this sample, and establish if the
relative
contribution of mid-to-far IR dust emission is correlated with
morphology
{resolved vs. unresolved}.
NIC3
11334
NICMOS
Cycle 16 Spectrophotometry
Observation
of the three primary WD flux standards must be repeated to
refine
the NICMOS absolute calibration and monitor for sensitivity
degradation.
So far, NICMOS grism spectrophotometry is available for
only
~16 stars with good STIS spectra at shorter wavelengths. There are
more
in the HST CALSPEC standard star data base with good STIS spectra
that
would also become precise IR standards with NICMOS absolute SED
measurements.
Monitoring the crucial three very red stars (M, L, T) for
variability
and better S/N in the IR. Apparent variability was
discovered
at shorter wavelengths during the ACS cross-calibration work
that
revealed a ~2% discrepancy of the cool star fluxes with respect to
the
hot primary WD standards. About a third of these stars are bright
enough
to do in one orbit, the rest require 2 orbits.
WFPC2
11028
WFPC2
Cycle 15 UV Earth Flats
Monitor
flat field stability. This proposal obtains sequences of earth
streak
flats to improve the quality of pipeline flat fields for the
WFPC2
UV filter set. These Earth flats will complement the UV earth flat
data
obtained during cycles 8-14.
WFPC2
11070
WFPC2
CYCLE 15 Standard Darks - part II
This
dark calibration program obtains dark frames every week in order to
provide
data for the ongoing calibration of the CCD dark current rate,
and
to monitor and characterize the evolution of hot pixels. Over an
extended
period these data will also provide a monitor of radiation
damage
to the CCDs.
WFPC2
11124
The
Origin of QSO Absorption Lines from QSOs
We
propose using WFPC2 to image the fields of 10 redshift z ~ 0.7
foreground
{FG} QSOs which lie within ~29-151 kpc of the sightlines to
high-z
background {BG} QSOs. A surprisingly high fraction of the BG QSO
spectra
show strong MgII {2796,2803} absorption lines at precisely the
same
redshifts as the FG QSOs. The high resolution capabilities of WFPC2
are
needed to understand the origin of these absorption systems, in two
ways.
First, we wish to explore the FG QSO environment as close as
possible
to the position of the BG QSO, to search for interloping group
or
cluster galaxies which might be responsible for the absorption, or
irregularly
shaped post-merger debris between the FG and BG QSO which
may
indicate the presence of large amount of disrupted gas along a
sightline.
Similarly, high resolution images are needed to search for
signs
of tidal interactions between any galaxies which might be found
close
to the FG QSO. Such features might provide evidence of young
merging
events causing the start of QSO duty cycles and producing
outflows
from the central AGN. Such winds may be responsible for the
observed
absorption lines. Second, we seek to measure the intrinsic
parameters
of the FG QSO host galaxy, such as luminosity and morphology,
to
correlate with the properties of the MgII absorption lines. We wish
to
observe each field through the F814W filter, close to the rest- frame
B-band
of the FG QSO. These blue data can reveal enhanced star formation
regions
close to the nucleus of the host galaxy, which may be indicative
of
galaxy mergers with the FG QSO host. The FG QSO environment offers
quite
a different set of phenomena which might be responsible for MgII
absorption,
providing an important comparison to studies of MgII
absorption
from regular field galaxies.
WFPC2
11232
Determination
of Angular Expansion Velocities in the Ring Nebula
The
Ring Nebula (NGC 6720) represents an important stage in the
evolution
of planetary nebulae, being large enough that it has entered
the
post fast-wind stage yet has not reached the late ballistic phase of
objects
like the Helix Nebula. Understanding this nebula well presents
the
opportunity to determine how nebulae transition from their creation
phase
into the form they have as their material enters the interstellar
medium.
A recent study based on ground-based spectroscopy has derived a
new
and accurate model for the Ring Nebula. A well defined
characteristic
of this model is that it predicts a tangential velocity
of
20 km/s whereas the application of its quite uncertain trigonometric
parallax
distance of 700 (+450/-200) pc with the angular expansion
velocity
determined from HST observations with a 2 year time base
indicates
a tangential velocity of 69 (+45/-20) km/s. This disagreement
indicates
that either the distance is even more uncertain than thought
or
that the earlier angular velocity is incorrect. We propose to make a
new
set of observations of the Ring Nebula in the diagnostic emission
line
filters F469N (HeII), F502N ([OIII]), and F658N ([NII]) that will
produce
much more accurate angular velocities than the previous study by
having
a time base of 8.8 years and imaging the nebula entirely within a
single
CCD of the WFPC2. The primary result from this study will be an
accurate
distance to this important nebula and from this to be able to
use
this object to refine our picture of how planetary nebulae evolve
during
middle-age.
WFPC2
11235
HST
NICMOS Survey of the Nuclear Regions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
in
the Local Universe
At
luminosities above 10^11.4 L_sun, the space density of far-infrared
selected
galaxies exceeds that of optically selected galaxies. These
`luminous
infrared galaxies' {LIRGs} are primarily interacting or
merging
disk galaxies undergoing enhanced star formation and Active
Galactic
Nuclei {AGN} activity, possibly triggered as the objects
transform
into massive S0 and elliptical merger remnants. We propose
NICMOS
NIC2 imaging of the nuclear regions of a complete sample of 88
L_IR
> 10^11.4 L_sun luminous infrared galaxies in the IRAS Revised
Bright
Galaxy Sample {RBGS: i.e., 60 micron flux density > 5.24 Jy}.
This
sample is ideal not only in its completeness and sample size, but
also
in the proximity and brightness of the galaxies. The superb
sensitivity
and resolution of NICMOS NIC2 on HST enables a unique
opportunity
to study the detailed structure of the nuclear regions,
where
dust obscuration may mask star clusters, AGN and additional nuclei
from
optical view, with a resolution significantly higher than possible
with
Spitzer IRAC. This survey thus provides a crucial component to our
study
of the dynamics and evolution of IR galaxies presently underway
with
Wide-Field, HST ACS/WFC and Spitzer IRAC observations of these 88
galaxies.
Imaging will be done with the F160W filter {H-band} to examine
as
a function of both luminosity and merger stage {i} the luminosity and
distribution
of embedded star clusters, {ii} the presence of optically
obscured
AGN and nuclei, {iii} the correlation between the distribution
of
1.6 micron emission and the mid- IR emission as detected by Spitzer
IRAC,
{iv} the evidence of bars or bridges that may funnel fuel into the
nuclear
region, and {v} the ages of star clusters for which photometry
is
available via ACS/WFC observations. The NICMOS data, combined with
the
HST ACS, Spitzer, and GALEX observations of this sample, will result
in
the most comprehensive study of merging and interacting galaxies to
date.
FLIGHT
OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant
Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports
of
potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.)
HSTARS:
(None)
COMPLETED
OPS REQUEST: (None)
COMPLETED
OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSacq
06
06
FGS
REacq
07
07
OBAD
with Maneuver 26
26
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS: (None)