HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE -
Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY REPORT
#4741
PERIOD COVERED: 5am November 19 -
5am November 20, 2008 (DOY
324/1000z-325/1000z)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
WFPC2 10877
A Snapshot Survey of the Sites of
Recent, Nearby Supernovae
During the past few years, robotic
{or nearly robotic} searches for
supernovae {SNe}, most notably our
Lick Observatory Supernova Search
{LOSS}, have found hundreds of
SNe, many of them in quite nearby
galaxies {cz < 4000 km/s}. Most
of the objects were discovered before
maximum brightness, and have
follow-up photometry and spectroscopy; they
include some of the best-studied
SNe to date. We propose to conduct a
snapshot imaging survey of the
sites of some of these nearby objects, to
obtain late-time photometry that
{through the shape of the light and
color curves} will help reveal the
origin of their lingering energy. The
images will also provide
high-resolution information on the local
environments of SNe that are far
superior to what we can procure from
the ground. For example, we will
obtain color-color and color-magnitude
diagrams of stars in these SN
sites, to determine the SN progenitor
masses and constraints on the
reddening. Recovery of the SNe in the new
HST images will also allow us to
actually pinpoint their progenitor
stars in cases where pre-
explosion images exist in the HST archive.
This proposal is an extension of
our successful Cycle 13 snapshot survey
with ACS. It is complementary to
our Cycle 15 archival proposal, which
is a continuation of our
long-standing program to use existing HST
images to glean information about
SN environments.
ACS/SBC 11151
Evaluating the Role of
Photoevaporation of Protoplanetary Disk Dispersal
Emission produced by accretion
onto the central star leads to
photoevaporation, which may play a
fundamental role in disk dispersal.
Models of disk photoevaporation by
the central star are challenged by
two potential problems: the
emission produced by accretion will be
substantially weaker for low-mass
stars, and photoevaporation must
continue as accretion slows.
Existing FUV spectra of CTTSs are biased to
solar-mass stars with high
accretion rates, and are therefore
insufficient to address these
problems. We propose use HST/ACS SBC
PR130L to obtain FUV spectra of
WTTSs and of CTTSs at low masses and
mass accretion rates to provide
crucial data to evaluate
photoevaporation models. We will
estimate the FUV and EUV luminosities
of low-mass CTTSs with small mass
accretion rates, CTTSs with transition
disks and slowed accretion, and of
magnetically-active WTTSs.
WFPC2 11130
AGNs with Intermediate-mass Black
Holes: Testing the Black Hole-Bulge
Paradigm, Part II
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
{<10^6 solar masses}, if they exist, may
offer important clues to the
nature of the seeds of supermassive black
holes. Using the SDSS, our group
has successfully uncovered a new
population of AGNs with
intermediate-mass black holes that reside in
low-luminosity galaxies. However,
very little is known about the
detailed morphologies or
structural parameters of the host galaxies
themselves, including the crucial
question of whether they have bulges
or not. Surprisingly, the majority
of the targets of our Cycle 14 pilot
program have structural properties
similar to dwarf elliptical galaxies.
The statistics from this initial
study, however, are really too sparse
to reach definitive conclusions on
this important new class of black
holes. We wish to extend this
study to a larger sample, by using the
Snapshot mode to obtain WFPC2
F814W images from a parent sample of 175
AGNs with intermediate- mass black
holes selected from our final SDSS
search. We are particularly keen
to determine whether the hosts contain
bulges, and if so, how the
fundamental plane properties of the host
depend on the mass of their
central black holes. We will also
investigate the environment of
this unique class of AGNs.
WFPC2 11289
SL2S: The Strong Lensing Legacy
Survey
Recent systematic surveys of
strong galaxy-galaxy lenses {CLASS, SLACS,
GOODS, etc.} are producing
spectacular results for galaxy masses roughly
below a transition mass M~10^13
Mo. The observed lens properties and
their evolution up to z~0.2,
consistent with numerical simulations, can
be described by isothermal
elliptical potentials. In contrast, modeling
of giant arcs in X-ray luminous
clusters {halo masses M >~10^13 Mo}
favors NFW mass profiles,
suggesting that dark matter halos are not
significantly affected by baryon
cooling. Until recently, lensing
surveys were neither deep nor
extended enough to probe the intermediate
mass density regime, which is
fundamental for understanding the assembly
of structures. The CFHT Legacy
Survey now covers 125 square degrees, and
thus offers a large reservoir of
strong lenses probing a large range of
mass densities up to z~1. We have
extracted a list of 150 strong lenses
using the most recent CFHTLS data
release via automated procedures.
Following our first SNAPSHOT
proposal in cycle 15, we propose to
continue the Hubble follow-up
targeting a larger list of 130 lensing
candidates. These are intermediate
mass range candidates {between
galaxies and clusters} that are
selected in the redshift range of 0.2-1
with no a priori X-ray selection.
The HST resolution is necessary for
confirming the lensing candidates,
accurate modeling of the lenses, and
probing the total mass
concentration in galaxy groups up to z~1 with the
largest unbiased sample available
to date.
WFPC2 11956
Hubble Heritage: Side B
We propose a program of 39 orbits
to observe 6 targets with WFPC2
following a successful return to
science using side B electronics. These
observations will be used for
Hubble Heritage releases in the months
leading up to servicing mission 4.
Because of launch delays, our reserve
of releasable images is growing
dangerously slim. We are proposing here
to replenish one of our important
lines of communication with the
public.
We have carefully chosen targets
that can efficiently use single
pointings of WFPC2 to obtain
images of visually striking and
astrophysically interesting
targets. Observations will reach high S/N
and will be dithered and
subsampled to improve the resolution and pixel
scale to near ACS/WFC3 quality at
a modest cost in exposure time. Most
of the observations will schedule
in the interim between a return to
science and the availability of
new science proposals that may be
selected in response to an interim
call for proposals.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies:
(The following are preliminary reports
of potential non-nominal
performance that will be investigated.)
HSTARS:
11581 - GSAcq (2,1,1) Loss of Lock
while guiding
Following successful GSAcq(2,1,1) scheduled at 325/01:29:17 a Loss
of
Lock occurred while guiding with FGS2 and FGS1 at 325/01:36:47.
Observations affected: WFPC 151 thru 174, Proposal ID# 11316.
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL FAILURE
TIMES
FGS
GSacq
14
14
FGS
REacq
01
01
OBAD with Maneuver
30
29
LOSS of
LOCK
325/0136z
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
(None)