Date: December 23rd 2009

sci astro hubble http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble?hl=en

sci astro hubble@googlegroups com

Today's topics:

  • Daily Rpt #4995 - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/c53da7ff6ec93992?hl=en
  • Daily Rpt #4996 - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/bc081885bfc43b14?hl=en
  • Daily Rpt #4997 - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/c028f44aa0da0385?hl=en

============================================================================== TOPIC: Daily Rpt #4995

http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/c53da7ff6ec93992?hl=en

== 1 of 1 == Date: Fri, Dec 18 2009 10:43 am From: "Bassford, Lynn"

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #4995

PERIOD COVERED: 5am December 17 - 5am December 18, 2009 (DOY 351/10:00z-352/10:00z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

COS/FUV 11625

Beyond the Classical Paradigm of Stellar Winds: Investigating Clumping, Rotation and the Weak Wind Problem in SMC O Stars

SMC O stars provide an unrivaled opportunity to probe star formation, evolution, and the feedback of massive stars in an environment similar to the epoch of the peak in star formation history Two recent breakthroughs in the study of hot, massive stars have important consequences for understanding the chemical enrichment and buildup of stellar mass in the Universe The first is the realization that rotation plays a major role in influencing the evolution of massive stars and their feedback on the surrounding environment The second is a drastic downward revision of the mass loss rates of massive stars coming from an improved description of their winds STIS spectroscopy of SMC O stars combined with state-of-the-art NLTE analyses has shed new light on these two topics A majority of SMC O stars reveal CNO-cycle processed material brought at their surface by rotational mixing Secondly, the FUV wind lines of early O stars provide strong indications of the clumped nature of their wind Moreover, we first drew attention to some late-O dwarfs showing extremely weak wind signatures Consequently, we have derived mass loss rates from STIS spectroscopy that are significantly lower than the current theoretical predictions used in evolutionary models Because of the limited size of the current sample (and some clear bias toward stars with sharp-lined spectra), these results must however be viewed as tentative Thanks to the high efficiency of COS in the FUV range, we propose now to obtain high-resolution FUV spectra with COS of a larger sample of SMC O stars to study systematically rotation and wind properties of massive stars at low metallicity The analysis of the FUV wind lines will be based on our 2D extension of CMFGEN to model axi-symmetric rotating winds

COS/NUV/FUV 11528

COS-GTO: Studies of the He II Reionization Epoch

Intergalactic Ly-alpha opacity suggests that H I was reionized at z ~ 6, while He II reionization was delayed to z ~ 3 Both epochs are slightly in disagreement with recent (WMAP-3) inferences from the CMB optical depth, which suggest that IGM reionization occurred at z = 10 7 (+2 7, -2 3) (Spergel et al 2007) However, these two methods are sensitive to different ranges of ionization (neutral fractions), which allows a partially ionized IGM between z = 6-10 produced by early stars and black holes One of the major contributions of FUSE to cosmological studies was the detection of He II Ly-alpha (Gunn-Peterson) absorption in the spectra of two AGN at redshifts z = 2 72-2 89 The He II absorption is quite patchy between redshifts z = 2 6 and 3 2 probably because the IGM is clumpy and the reionization process is affected by source fluctuations, spectra, and radiative transfer through the IGM Observations of the He II absorption can therefore be used as diagnostics of the ionizing sources and radiative transport over large (30-50 Mpc) distances through the IGM The ionizing radiation field appears to be softer (higher He II/H I) in the galaxy voids These void regions may be ionized by local soft sources (dwarf starburst galaxies), or the QSO radiation may softened by escape from AGN cores and transport through denser regions in the cosmic web With COS, we will observe the brightest He II target, HE2347-4342, a QSO with z_em = 2 885 Our goal is to obtain a G130M moderate-resolution (R = 20, 000) spectrum from 1145-1450A Because COS has far greater throughput than either STIS or FUSE, we will be able to resolve and characterize the He II absorption lines The region shortward of the redshifted He II (Ly-alpha) corresponds to z = 2 77-2 92, where He II exhibits patchy transmission and absorption The ratio of He II/H I (Ly-alpha line) opacities will provide information on the ionizing radiation field (and ionizing sources) at 1 and 4 ryd We will perform similar He II studies on three other targets, HS1700+6416, PKS1935-692, and Q0302-003

COS/NUV/FUV/STIS/CCD/MA1 11692

The LMC as a QSO Absorption Line System

We propose to obtain high resolution, high signal-to-noise observations of QSOs behind the Large Magellanic Clouds These QSOs are situated beyond the star forming disk of the galaxy, giving us the opportunity to study the distribution of metals and energy in regions lacking significant star formation In particular, we will derive the metallicities and study the ionization characteristics of LMC gas at impact parameters 3-17 kpc We will compare our results with high-z QSO absorption line systems

NIC3/WFC3/IR 11153

The Physical Nature and Age of Lyman Alpha Galaxies

In the simplest scenario, strong Lyman alpha emission from high redshift galaxies would indicate that stellar populations younger than 10 Myrs dominate the UV This does not, however, constrain the stellar populations older than 100 Myrs, which do not contribute to UV light Also, the Lyman alpha line can be boosted if the interstellar medium is both clumpy and dusty Different studies with small samples have reached different conclusions about the presence of dust and old stellar populations in Lyman alpha emitters We propose HST-NICMOS and Spitzer-IRAC photometry of 35 Lyman-alpha galaxies at redshift 4 5 8) not easily probed by any other means (2) The dust extinction in the rest- frame UV, and therefore a correction to their present star-formation rates Taken together, these two quantities will yield the star-formation histories of Lyman alpha galaxies, which form fully half of the known galaxies at z=4-6 They will tell us whether these are young or old galaxies by straddling the 4000A break Data from NICMOS is essential for these compact and faint (i=25-26th magnitude AB) high redshift galaxies, which are too faint for good near-IR photometry from the ground

STIS/CCD 11844

CCD Dark Monitor Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the darks for the STIS CCD

STIS/CCD 11846

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the bias in the 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1 at gain = 4, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns

WFC3/ACS/UVIS/IR 11570

Narrowing in on the Hubble Constant and Dark Energy

A measurement of the Hubble constant to a precision of a few percent would be a powerful aid to the investigation of the nature of dark energy and a potent "end-to end" test of the present cosmological model In Cycle 15 we constructed a new streamlined distance ladder utilizing high-quality type Ia supernova data and observations of Cepheids with HST in the near-IR to minimize the dominant sources of systematic uncertainty in past measurements of the Hubble constant and reduce its total uncertainty to a little under 5% Here we propose to exploit this new route to reduce the remaining uncertainty by more than 30%, translating into an equal reduction in the uncertainty of the equation of state of dark energy We propose three sets of observations to reach this goal: a mosaic of NGC 4258 with WFC3 in F160W to triple its sample of long period Cepheids, WFC3/F160W observations of the 6 ideal SN Ia hosts to triple their samples of Cepheids, and observations of NGC 5584 the host of a new SN Ia, SN 2007af, to discover and measure its Cepheids and begin expanding the small set of SN Ia luminosity calibrations These observations would provide the bulk of a coordinated program aimed at making the measurement of the Hubble constant one of the leading constraints on dark energy

WFC3/IR 11719

A Calibration Database for Stellar Models of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

Studies of galaxy formation and evolution rely increasingly on the interpretation and modeling of near-infrared observations At these wavelengths, the brightest stars are intermediate mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars These stars can contribute nearly 50% of the integrated luminosity at near infrared and even optical wavelengths, particularly for the younger stellar populations characteristic of high-redshift galaxies (z>1) AGB stars are also significant sources of dust and heavy elements Accurate modeling of AGB stars is therefore of the utmost importance

The primary limitation facing current models is the lack of useful calibration data Current models are tuned to match the properties of the AGB population in the Magellanic Clouds, and thus have only been calibrated in a very narrow range of sub- solar metallicities Preliminary observations already suggest that the models are overestimating AGB lifetimes by factors of 2-3 at lower metallicities At higher (solar) metallicities, there are no appropriate observations for calibrating the models

We propose a WFC3/IR SNAP survey of nearby galaxies to create a large database of AGB populations spanning the full range of metallicities and star formation histories Because of their intrinsically red colors and dusty circumstellar envelopes, tracking the numbers and bolometric fluxes of AGB stars requires the NIR observations we propose here The resulting observations of nearby galaxies with deep ACS imaging offer the opportunity to obtain large (100-1000's) complete samples of AGB stars at a single distance, in systems with well-constrained star formation histories and metallicities

WFC3/UVIS 11643

A Timeline for Early-Type Galaxy Formation: Mapping the Evolution of Star Formation, Globular Clusters, Dust, and Black Holes

While considerable effort has been devoted to statistical studies of the origin of the red sequence of galaxies, there has been relatively little direct exploration of galaxies transforming from late to early types Such galaxies are identified by their post-starburst spectra, bulge-dominated, tidally-disturbed morphologies, and current lack of gas We are constructing the first detailed timeline of their evolution onto the red sequence, pinpointing when star formation ends, nuclear activity ceases, globular clusters form, and the bulk of the merging progenitors' dust disappears Here we propose to obtain HST and Chandra imaging of nine galaxies, whose wide range of post-starburst ages we have precisely dated with a new UV-optical technique and for which we were awarded Spitzer time We will address 1) whether the black hole-bulge mass relation arises from nuclear feedback, 2) whether the bimodality of globular cluster colors is due to young clusters produced in galaxy mergers, and 3) what happens to the dust when late types merge to form an early type

WFC3/UVIS 11714

Snapshot Survey for Planetary Nebulae in Local Group Globular Clusters

Planetary nebulae (PNe) in globular clusters (GCs) raise a number of interesting issues related to stellar and galactic evolution The number of PNe known in Milky Way GCs, four, is surprisingly low if one assumes that all stars pass through a PN stage However, it is likely that the remnants of stars now evolving in galactic GCs leave the AGB so slowly that any ejected nebula dissipates long before the star becomes hot enough to ionize it Thus there should not be ANY PNe in Milky Way GCs--but there are four! It has been suggested that these Pne are the result of mergers of binary stars within GCs, i e , that they are descendants of blue stragglers The frequency of occurrence of PNe in external galaxies poses more questions, because it shows a range of almost an order of magnitude

I propose a SNAPshot survey aimed at discovering PNe in the GC systems of Local Group galaxies outside the Milky Way These clusters, some of which may be much younger than their counterparts in our galaxy, might contain many more PNe than those of our own galaxy I will use the standard technique of emission-line and continuum imaging, which easily discloses PNe This proposal continues a WFPC2 program started in Cycle 16, but with the more powerful WFC3 As a by-product, the survey will also produce color-magnitude diagrams for numerous clusters for the first time, reaching down to the horizontal branch

WFC3/UVIS 11905

WFC3 UVIS CCD Daily Monitor

The behavior of the WFC3 UVIS CCD will be monitored daily with a set of full-frame, four-amp bias and dark frames A smaller set of 2Kx4K subarray biases are acquired at less frequent intervals throughout the cycle to support subarray science observations The internals from this proposal, along with those from the anneal procedure (Proposal 11909), will be used to generate the necessary superbias and superdark reference files for the calibration pipeline (CDBS)

WFC3/UVIS 11908

Cycle 17: UVIS Bowtie Monitor

Ground testing revealed an intermittent hysteresis type effect in the UVIS detector (both CCDs) at the level of ~1%, lasting hours to days Initially found via an unexpected bowtie-shaped feature in flatfield ratios, subsequent lab tests on similar e2v devices have since shown that it is also present as simply an overall offset across the entire CCD, i e , a QE offset without any discernable pattern These lab tests have further revealed that overexposing the detector to count levels several times full well fills the traps and effectively neutralizes the bowtie Each visit in this proposal acquires a set of three 3x3 binned internal flatfields: the first unsaturated image will be used to detect any bowtie, the second, highly exposed image will neutralize the bowtie if it is present, and the final image will allow for verification that the bowtie is gone

WFC3/UVIS 11912

UVIS Internal Flats

This proposal will be used to assess the stability of the flat field structure for the UVIS detector throughout the 15 months of Cycle 17 The data will be used to generate on- orbit updates for the delta-flat field reference files used in the WFC3 calibration pipeline, if significant changes in the flat structure are seen

WFC3/UVIS/IR 11700

Bright Galaxies at z>7 5 with a WFC3 Pure Parallel Survey

The epoch of reionization represents a special moment in the history of the Universe as it is during this era that the first galaxies and star clusters are formed Reionization also profoundly affects the environment where subsequent generations of galaxies evolve Our overarching goal is to test the hypothesis that galaxies are responsible for reionizing neutral hydrogen To do so we propose to carry out a pure parallel WFC3 survey to constrain the bright end of the redshift z>7 5 galaxy luminosity function on a total area of 176 arcmin^2 of sky Extrapolating the evolution of the luminosity function from z~6, we expect to detect about 20 Lyman Break Galaxies brighter than M_* at z~8 significantly improving the current sample of only a few galaxies known at these redshifts Finding significantly fewer objects than predicted on the basis of extrapolation from z=6 would set strong limits to the brightness of M_*, highlighting a fast evolution of the luminosity function with the possible implication that galaxies alone cannot reionize the Universe Our observations will find the best candidates for spectroscopic confirmation, that is bright z>7 5 objects, which would be missed by small area deeper surveys The random pointing nature of the program is ideal to beat cosmic variance, especially severe for luminous massive galaxies, which are strongly clustered In fact our survey geometry of 38 independent fields will constrain the luminosity function like a contiguous single field survey with two times more area at the same depth Lyman Break Galaxies at z>7 5 down to m_AB=26 85 (5 sigma) in F125W will be selected as F098M dropouts, using three to five orbits visits that include a total of four filters (F606W, F098M, F125W, F160W) optimized to remove low-redshift interlopers and cool stars Our data will be highly complementary to a deep field search for high-z galaxies aimed at probing the faint end of the luminosity function, allowing us to disentangle the degeneracy between faint end slope and M_* in a Schechter function fit of the luminosity function We waive proprietary rights for the data In addition, we commit to release the coordinates and properties of our z>7 5 candidates within one month from the acquisition of each field

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

12134 REAcq(1,2,1) @351/10:25z failed to gyro control

Observation affected: WFC3 #90-95 Proposal #11643

12135 GSAcq(1,2,1) @351/13:02z & REAcq(1,2,1) @ 351/14:05z, 15:41z &

17:17z failed due to search radius limit exceeded

Observations affected: COS #89-93 Proposal# 11692; WFC3 #100-104 Proposal# 11700

12136 GSAcq(2,3,3) @352/02:26:03z, REAcq(2,3,3) @352/04:02:17z &

REAcq(2,3,3) @352/07:14:00z failed to gyro control with search radius limit exceeded on FGS-2

REAcq(2,3,3) @352/05:38:09z was successful in acquiring fine lock on both FGS 2 and 3

Observations affected: COS #94-96 & #98 Proposal #11727; WFC3 #120-126 & #131-132 Proposal #11696

12137 GSAcq(2,1,1) @352/09:19:33z acquires with fine lock backup on

FGS 1 and scan step limit exceeded on FGS 2 @352/09:23:05z

FGS 2 acquired and lost lock twice between 352/09:22:54 and 09:24:46

Observation possibly affected: WFC3 #135 Proposal #11208

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:

18568-1 LBBIAS Updates for Extended Gyro Guiding Intervals (Generic)

@351/11:24z, 351/14:25z, 351/15:58z, 351/17:16z, 352/03:29z, 352/06:40z

18787-0 LBBIAS Gyro Bias Update @351/10:52z

18789-0 LBBIAS Gyro Bias Update @351/17:04z

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                    SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSAcq 8 6 FGS REAcq 7 1 OBAD with Maneuver 4 4 LOSS of LOCK 1

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

2nd Gyro 3 Reconfiguration to Backup Heater:

The Gyro 3 heater controller was switched to the backup controller at 350/21:45 Initial biases measurements up to 351/01:50 were nominal, however the GS acquisition at 351/02:57 failed to Loss of Lock (LOL) looping which is indicative of a bias issue Subsequent biases appeared to increase in the V2 and V3 axes and acquisitions between 06:07 and 10:27 failed due to search radius limit exceeds (SRLEX) or LOL looping while efforts were made to correct the bias The GS acquisition at 12:01 was successful and performed an onboard bias update The GS acquisition at 13:05 failed due to a dim star and another full acquisition will not occur until 19:01 Another LBBIAS update is in work to correct the bias

============================================================================== TOPIC: Daily Rpt #4996

http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/bc081885bfc43b14?hl=en

== 1 of 1 == Date: Mon, Dec 21 2009 5:18 pm From: "Bassford, Lynn"

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #4996

PERIOD COVERED: 5am December 18 - 5am December 21, 2009 (DOY 352/10:00z-355/10:00z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

WFC3/IR/S/C 11929

IR Dark Current Monitor

Analyses of ground test data showed that dark current signals are more reliably removed from science data using darks taken with the same exposure sequences as the science data, than with a single dark current image scaled by desired exposure time Therefore, dark current images must be collected using all sample sequences that will be used in science observations These observations will be used to monitor changes in the dark current of the WFC3-IR channel on a day-to-day basis, and to build calibration dark current ramps for each of the sample sequences to be used by Gos in Cycle 17 For each sample sequence/array size combination, a median ramp will be created and delivered to the calibration database system (CDBS)

WFC3/UVIS 11914

UVIS Earth Flats

This program is an experimental path finder for Cycle 18 calibration Visible-wavelength flat fields will be obtained by observing the dark side of the Earth during periods of full moon illumination The observations will consist of full-frame streaked WFC3 UVIS imagery: per 22-min total exposure time in a single "dark-sky" orbit, we anticipate collecting 7000 e/pix in F606W or 4500 e/pix in F814W To achieve Poisson S/N > 100 per pixel, we require at least 2 orbits of F606W and 3 orbits of F814W

For UVIS narrowband filters, exposures of 1 sec typically do not saturate on the sunlit Earth, so we will take sunlit Earth flats for three of the more-commonly used narrowband filters in Cycle 17 plus the also-popular long-wavelength quad filters, for which we get four filters at once

Why not use the Sunlit Earth for the wideband visible-light filters? It is too bright in the visible for WFC3 UVIS minimum exposure time of 0 5 sec Similarly, for NICMOS the sunlit-Earth is too bright which saturates the detector too quickly and/or induces abnormal behaviors such as super-shading (Gilmore 1998, NIC 098-011) In the narrowband visible and broadband near-UV its not too bright (predictions in Cox et al 1987 "Standard Astronomical Sources for HST: 6 Spatially Flat Fields " and observations in ACS Program 10050)

Other possibilities? Cox et al 's Section II D addresses many other possible sources for flat fields, rejecting them for a variety of reasons A remaining possibility would be the totally eclipsed moon Such eclipses provide approximately 2 hours (1 HST orbit) of opportunity per year, so they are too rare to be generically useful An advantage of the moon over the Earth is that the moon subtends less than 0 25 square degree, whereas the Earth subtends a steradian or more, so scattered light and light potentially leaking around the shutter presents additional problems for the Earth Also, we're unsure if HST can point 180 deg from the Sun

WFC3/UVIS 11912

UVIS Internal Flats

This proposal will be used to assess the stability of the flat field structure for the UVIS detector throughout the 15 months of Cycle 17 The data will be used to generate on- orbit updates for the delta-flat field reference files used in the WFC3 calibration pipeline, if significant changes in the flat structure are seen

WFC3/UVIS 11908

Cycle 17: UVIS Bowtie Monitor

Ground testing revealed an intermittent hysteresis type effect in the UVIS detector (both CCDs) at the level of ~1%, lasting hours to days Initially found via an unexpected bowtie-shaped feature in flatfield ratios, subsequent lab tests on similar e2v devices have since shown that it is also present as simply an overall offset across the entire CCD, i e , a QE offset without any discernable pattern These lab tests have further revealed that overexposing the detector to count levels several times full well fills the traps and effectively neutralizes the bowtie Each visit in this proposal acquires a set of three 3x3 binned internal flatfields: the first unsaturated image will be used to detect any bowtie, the second, highly exposed image will neutralize the bowtie if it is present, and the final image will allow for verification that the bowtie is gone

WFC3/UVIS 11905

WFC3 UVIS CCD Daily Monitor

The behavior of the WFC3 UVIS CCD will be monitored daily with a set of full-frame, four-amp bias and dark frames A smaller set of 2Kx4K subarray biases are acquired at less frequent intervals throughout the cycle to support subarray science observations The internals from this proposal, along with those from the anneal procedure (Proposal 11909), will be used to generate the necessary superbias and superdark reference files for the calibration pipeline (CDBS)

ACS/WFC3 11879

CCD Daily Monitor (Part 1)

This program comprises basic tests for measuring the read noise and dark current of the ACS WFC and for tracking the growth of hot pixels The recorded frames are used to create bias and dark reference images for science data reduction and calibration This program will be executed four days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) for the duration of Cycle 17 To facilitate scheduling, this program is split into three proposals This proposal covers 352 orbits (22 weeks) from 31 August 2009 to 31 January 2010

FGS 11872

Monitoring FGS1R's Interferometric Response as a Function of Spectral Color

This proposal uses FGS1R in Transfer mode to observe four stars with B-V values 0 2, 0 6, 1 4, and 2 0, to form the basis of the FGS point source library of interference fringes as a function of a star's spectral color This library will be used to analyze binary star science observations, and to monitor any long-term changes in the FGS1R S-curves In addition, this proposal uses FGS1R in Position mode to observe the B-V = 0 2 and 2 0 stars and several nearby reference stars, all of which "fit" in the FGS1R pickle at the selected HST orients in visits 01 and 02 These Visits are to execute when the target field is in the anti-Sun direction (Dec 20-23, 2009) The orient of visit 01 differs from that of visit 02 by ~195 degrees so that the "lateral color" induced shift of the star's centroid can be determined as a function of B-V Visit 03 (Upgren69) is to execute before SM4 Visit 04 (HD233877) is to execute Feb-April 2010 as a stability monitor

STIS/CCD 11846

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the bias in the 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1 at gain = 4, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns

STIS/CCD 11844

CCD Dark Monitor Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the darks for the STIS CCD

WFC3/ACS/UVIS 11803

Observing Cluster Assembly Around the Massive Cluster RXJ0152-13

We request ACS imaging for groups and filaments in the outskirts of two z=0 8 forming clusters of galaxies These images will be combined with an unparalleled dataset of wide-field spectroscopy from Magellan, with ~2200 confirmed members (~3200 by the summer) of the superstructures surrounding the two clusters We will estimate merger rates and determine the morphological composition of the galaxy populations within the infalling groups and filaments identified in our spectroscopic dataset The HST data are critical to understand how the early-type galaxy fraction remains constant in cluster centers, while clusters double in mass through the steady accretion of lower mass groups One possibility is that the galaxies in the filaments and infalling groups already have predominantly early-type morphologies, while another is that galaxies transform during, and possibly even in connection with, the process of infall Our unique dataset of spectroscopic membership, when combined with the exquisite high-resolution imaging of ACS and WF3, will enable us to witness the accretion of galaxies unto massive clusters and how this process affects their properties

COS/NUV/FUV 11727

UV Spectroscopy of Local Lyman Break Galaxy Analogs: New Clues to Galaxy Formation in the Early Universe

Much of our information about galaxy evolution and the interaction between galaxies and the IGM at high-z has been provided by the Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) However, it is difficult to investigate these faint and distant objects in detail To address this, we have used the GALEX All-Sky Imaging Survey and the SDSS to identify for the first time a rare population of low-redshift galaxies with properties remarkably similar to the high-redshift LBGs These local "Lyman Break Analogs" (LBAs) resemble LBGs in terms of morphology, size, UV luminosity, star formation rate, UV surface brightness, stellar mass, velocity dispersion, metallicity, and dust content We are assembling a wide range of data on these objects with the goal of using them as local laboratories for better understanding the relevant astrophysical processes in LBGs These data include HST imaging (95 orbits in Cy15 and 16), Spitzer photometry and spectroscopy, Chandra and XMM X-ray imaging and spectroscopy, and near-IR integral field spectroscopy (VLT, Keck, and Gemini) In this proposal we are requesting the most important missing puzzle piece: far-UV spectra with a signal-to-noise and spectral resolution significantly better than available for typical LBGs We will use these spectra to study the LBA's galactic winds, probe the processes that regulate the escape of Ly-a and Lyman continuum radiation, determine chemical abundances for the stars and gas, and constrain the form of the high-end of the Initial Mass Function Adding these new COS data will give us vital information about these extraordinary sites of star formation in the local universe In so-doing it will also shed new light on the processes that led to the formation of stars, the building of galaxies, and the enrichment and heating of the IGM in the early universe

COS/NUV/FUV 11720

Detailed Analysis of Carbon Atmosphere White Dwarfs

We propose to obtain UV spectra for the newly discovered white dwarf stars with a carbon-dominated atmosphere Model calculations show that these stars emit most of their light in the UV part of the electromagnetic spectrum and that an accurate determination of the flux in this region is crucial for an accurate determination of the atmospheric parameters It will also provide a unique opportunity to test the atomic data and broadening theory in stellar conditions never met before This will play a primordial role in our path to understand the origin of these objects as well to obtain a better understanding of the evolution of stars in general The principal objective we hope to achieve with these observations are 1) obtain accurate surface gravity/mass for these stars, 2) constrain/determine the abundance of other elements (O, He, Mg, Ne etc ), especially oxygen, 3) verify the accuracy of the various theoretical atomic data used in the model calculations, 4) understand the origin and evolution of carbon atmosphere white dwarfs, in particular whether progenitor stars as massive as 10 5 solar masses can produce white dwarfs, rather than supernovae We propose to observe 5 objects chosen carefully to cover the range of observed properties among carbon atmosphere white dwarfs (effective temperature, surface gravity, abundance of hydrogen/helium and magnetic field)

WFC3/IR 11712

Calibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuations for WFC3/IR

We aim to characterize galaxy surface brightness fluctuations (SBF), and calibrate the SBF distance method, in the F110W and F160W filters of the Wide Field Camera 3 IR channel Because of the very high throughput of F110W and the good match of F160W to the standard H band, we anticipate that both of these filters will be popular choices for galaxy observations with WFC3/IR The SBF signal is typically an order of magnitude brighter in the near-IR than in the optical, and the characteristics (sensitivity, FOV, cosmetics) of the WFC3/IR channel will be enormously more efficient for SBF measurements than previously available near-IR cameras As a result, our proposed SBF calibration will allow accurate distance derivation whenever an early-type or bulge- dominated galaxy is observed out to a distance of 150 Mpc or more (i e , out to the Hubble flow) in the calibrated passbands For individual galaxy observations, an accurate distance is useful for establishing absolute luminosities, black hole masses, linear sizes, etc Eventually, once a large number of galaxies have been observed across the sky with WFC3/IR, this SBF calibration will enable accurate mapping of the total mass density distribution in the local universe using the data available in the HST archive The proposed observations will have additional important scientific value; in particular, we highlight their usefulness for understanding the nature of multimodal globular cluster color distributions in giant elliptical galaxies

WFC3/UVIS/IR 11700

Bright Galaxies at z>7 5 with a WFC3 Pure Parallel Survey

The epoch of reionization represents a special moment in the history of the Universe as it is during this era that the first galaxies and star clusters are formed Reionization also profoundly affects the environment where subsequent generations of galaxies evolve Our overarching goal is to test the hypothesis that galaxies are responsible for reionizing neutral hydrogen To do so we propose to carry out a pure parallel WFC3 survey to constrain the bright end of the redshift z>7 5 galaxy luminosity function on a total area of 176 arcmin^2 of sky Extrapolating the evolution of the luminosity function from z~6, we expect to detect about 20 Lyman Break Galaxies brighter than M_* at z~8 significantly improving the current sample of only a few galaxies known at these redshifts Finding significantly fewer objects than predicted on the basis of extrapolation from z=6 would set strong limits to the brightness of M_*, highlighting a fast evolution of the luminosity function with the possible implication that galaxies alone cannot reionize the Universe Our observations will find the best candidates for spectroscopic confirmation, that is bright z>7 5 objects, which would be missed by small area deeper surveys The random pointing nature of the program is ideal to beat cosmic variance, especially severe for luminous massive galaxies, which are strongly clustered In fact our survey geometry of 38 independent fields will constrain the luminosity function like a contiguous single field survey with two times more area at the same depth Lyman Break Galaxies at z>7 5 down to m_AB=26 85 (5 sigma) in F125W will be selected as F098M dropouts, using three to five orbits visits that include a total of four filters (F606W, F098M, F125W, F160W) optimized to remove low-redshift interlopers and cool stars Our data will be highly complementary to a deep field search for high-z galaxies aimed at probing the faint end of the luminosity function, allowing us to disentangle the degeneracy between faint end slope and M_* in a Schechter function fit of the luminosity function We waive proprietary rights for the data In addition, we commit to release the coordinates and properties of our z>7 5 candidates within one month from the acquisition of each field

WFC3/IR 11696

Infrared Survey of Star Formation Across Cosmic Time

We propose to use the unique power of WFC3 slitless spectroscopy to measure the evolution of cosmic star formation from the end of the reionization epoch at z>6 to the close of the galaxy-building era at z~0 3 Pure parallel observations with the grisms have proven to be efficient for identifying line emission from galaxies across a broad range of redshifts The G102 grism on WFC3 was designed to extend this capability to search for Ly-alpha emission from the first galaxies Using up to 250 orbits of pure parallel WFC3 spectroscopy, we will observe about 40 deep (4-5 orbit) fields with the combination of G102 and G141, and about 20 shallow (2-3 orbit) fields with G141 alone

Our primary science goals at the highest redshifts are: (1) Detect Lya in ~100 galaxies with z>5 6 and measure the evolution of the Lya luminosity function, independent of of cosmic variance; 2) Determine the connection between emission line selected and continuum-break selected galaxies at these high redshifts, and 3) Search for the proposed signature of neutral hydrogen absorption at re-ionization At intermediate redshifts we will (4) Detect more than 1000 galaxies in Halpha at 0 5

To identify single-line Lya emitters, we will exploit the wide 0 8--1 9um wavelength coverage of the combined G102+G141 spectra All [OII] and [OIII] interlopers detected in G102 will be reliably separated from true LAEs by the detection of at least one strong line in the G141 spectrum, without the need for any ancillary data We waive all proprietary rights to our data and will make high-level data products available through the ST/ECF

COS/NUV/FUV/STIS/CCD/MA1 11692

The LMC as a QSO Absorption Line System

We propose to obtain high resolution, high signal-to-noise observations of QSOs behind the Large Magellanic Clouds These QSOs are situated beyond the star forming disk of the galaxy, giving us the opportunity to study the distribution of metals and energy in regions lacking significant star formation In particular, we will derive the metallicities and study the ionization characteristics of LMC gas at impact parameters 3-17 kpc We will compare our results with high-z QSO absorption line systems

WFC3/UVIS/IR 11644

A Dynamical-Compositional Survey of the Kuiper Belt: A New Window Into the Formation of the Outer Solar System

The eight planets overwhelmingly dominate the solar system by mass, but their small numbers, coupled with their stochastic pasts, make it impossible to construct a unique formation history from the dynamical or compositional characteristics of them alone In contrast, the huge numbers of small bodies scattered throughout and even beyond the planets, while insignificant by mass, provide an almost unlimited number of probes of the statistical conditions, history, and interactions in the solar system To date, attempts to understand the formation and evolution of the Kuiper Belt have largely been dynamical simulations where a hypothesized starting condition is evolved under the gravitational influence of the early giant planets and an attempt is made to reproduce the current observed populations With little compositional information known for the real Kuiper Belt, the test particles in the simulation are free to have any formation location and history as long as they end at the correct point Allowing compositional information to guide and constrain the formation, thermal, and collisional histories of these objects would add an entire new dimension to our understanding of the evolution of the outer solar system While ground based compositional studies have hit their flux limits already with only a few objects sampled, we propose to exploit the new capabilities of WFC3 to perform the first ever large-scale dynamical-compositional study of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) and their progeny to study the chemical, dynamical, and collisional history of the region of the giant planets The sensitivity of the WFC3 observations will allow us to go up to two magnitudes deeper than our ground based studies, allowing us the capability of optimally selecting a target list for a large survey rather than simply taking the few objects that can be measured, as we have had to do to date We have carefully constructed a sample of 120 objects which provides both overall breadth, for a general understanding of these objects, plus a large enough number of objects in the individual dynamical subclass to allow detailed comparison between and within these groups These objects will likely define the core Kuiper Belt compositional sample for years to come While we have many specific results anticipated to come from this survey, as with any project where the field is rich, our current knowledge level is low, and a new instrument suddenly appears which can exploit vastly larger segments of the population, the potential for discovery -- both anticipated and not -- is extraordinary

STIS/CCD 11596

Coronagraphic Imaging of Debris Disks Containing Gas

We recently found a new sample of edge-on debris disks using the Spitzer Space Telescope These disks are particularly valuable because they have observable circumstellar gas as well as dust They double the small number of debris disks that can be used to study gas-dust interactions in optically-thin disks, as well as the evolution of circumstellar gas during the terrestrial planet-forming phase We propose HST-STIS coronagraphic imaging of the two closest disks from our sample, in order to image light scattered from the dust disks in a broad optical bandpass These observations will provide a wealth of information about the disks, including their sizes, radial surface brightness profiles, and basic morphologies (ring-like or smooth disk) They may also reveal dust structures (e g clumps) that are often seen in optical images of debris disks and may be generated by the influence of unseen planets This proposed program is a crucial step towards full characterization of the circumstellar material in two important debris disks

COS/FUV/STIS/CCD/MA1 11592

Testing the Origin(s) of the Highly Ionized High-Velocity Clouds: A Survey of Galactic Halo Stars at z>3 kpc

Cosmological simulation predicts that highly ionized gas plays an important role in the formation and evolution of galaxies and their interplay with the intergalactic medium The NASA HST and FUSE missions have revealed high-velocity CIV and OVI absorption along extragalactic sightlines through the Galactic halo These highly ionized high- velocity clouds (HVCs) could cover 85% of the sky and have a detection rate higher than the HI HVCs Two competing, equally exciting, theories may explain the origin of these highly ionized HVCs: 1) the "Galactic" theory, where the HVCs are the result of feedback processes and trace the disk-halo mass exchange, perhaps including the accretion of matter condensing from an extended corona; 2) the "Local Group" theory, where they are part of the local warm-hot intergalactic medium, representing some of the missing baryonic matter of the Universe Only direct distance determinations can discriminate between these models Our group has found that some of these highly ionized HVCs have a Galactic origin, based on STIS observations of one star at z<5 3 kpc We propose an HST FUV spectral survey to search for and characterize the high velocity NV, CIV, and SiIV interstellar absorption toward 24 stars at much larger distances than any previous searches (4

WFC3/UVIS 11589

Hypervelocity Stars as Unique Probes of the Galactic Center and Outer Halo

We propose to obtain high-resolution images of 11 new hypervelocity stars in the Galactic halo in order to establish the first-epoch astrometric frame, as a part of a long- term program to measure precise proper motions in an absolute inertial frame The origin of these recently discovered stars with extremely large positive radial velocities, in excess of the escape speed from the Galaxy, is consistent only with being ejected from the deep potential well of the massive black hole at the Galactic center Reconstructing the full three-dimensional space motion of the hypervelocity stars, through astrometric proper motions, provides a unique opportunity to measure the shape and orientation of the triaxial dark matter halo The hypervelocity stars allow determination of the Galactic potential out to 120 kpc, independently of and at larger distances than is afforded by tidal streams of satellite galaxies such as the Sagittarius dSph galaxy Proper motions of the full set of hypervelocity stars will provide unique constraints on massive star formation in the environment of the Galactic center and on the history of stellar ejection by the supermassive black hole We request one orbit with WFC3 for each of the 11 hypervelocity stars to establish their current positions relative to background galaxies We request a repeated observation of these stars in Cycle 19, which will conclusively measure the astrometric proper motions

WFC3/UVIS 11588

Galaxy-Scale Strong Lenses from the CFHTLS Survey

We aim to investigate the origin and evolution of early-type galaxies using gravitational lensing, modeling the mass profiles of objects over a wide range of redshifts The low redshift (z = 0 2) sample is already in place following the successful HST SLACS survey; we now propose to build up and analyze a sample of comparable size (~50 systems) at high redshift (0 4 < z < 0 9) using HST WFC3 Snapshot observations of lens systems identified by the SL2S collaboration in the CFHT legacy survey

STIS/CCD 11572

Characterizing Atmospheric Sodium in the Transiting Hot-Jupiter HD189733b

We propose STIS transit observations of the exoplanet HD189733b with the goal of measuring atmospheric atomic sodium Our strategy is to repeat the observing methods used for HD209458b, which resulted in a successful exoplanetary atmospheric sodium detection Initial ground-based measurements suggest that the sodium signature on HD189733 could be up to three times larger than HD209458b, making a robust 8 detection possible within a 12 orbit program observing three transits Transit transmission spectra resulting from space-based measurements have the advantage of retaining absolute transit depths when features are measured, which will make it possible to provide an observational link between sodium and atmospheric haze detected with ACS Such a link can break modeling degeneracies and providing stringent constraints on the overall atmospheric properties, making such atmospheric information as abundances and the temperature-pressure-altitude relation known A successful measurement will also allow for comparative atmospheric exoplanetology, as an atmospheric feature will be measured with the same instrument in two separate planets

WFC3/ACS/UVIS/IR 11570

Narrowing in on the Hubble Constant and Dark Energy

A measurement of the Hubble constant to a precision of a few percent would be a powerful aid to the investigation of the nature of dark energy and a potent "end-to end" test of the present cosmological model In Cycle 15 we constructed a new streamlined distance ladder utilizing high-quality type Ia supernova data and observations of Cepheids with HST in the near-IR to minimize the dominant sources of systematic uncertainty in past measurements of the Hubble constant and reduce its total uncertainty to a little under 5% Here we propose to exploit this new route to reduce the remaining uncertainty by more than 30%, translating into an equal reduction in the uncertainty of the equation of state of dark energy We propose three sets of observations to reach this goal: a mosaic of NGC 4258 with WFC3 in F160W to triple its sample of long period Cepheids, WFC3/F160W observations of the 6 ideal SN Ia hosts to triple their samples of Cepheids, and observations of NGC 5584 the host of a new SN Ia, SN 2007af, to discover and measure its Cepheids and begin expanding the small set of SN Ia luminosity calibrations These observations would provide the bulk of a coordinated program aimed at making the measurement of the Hubble constant one of the leading constraints on dark energy

COS/FUV 11541

COS-GTO: Cool, Warm, and Hot Gas in the Cosmic Web and in Galaxy Halos

COS G130M and G160M 20, 000 resolution observations will be obtained for 17 QSOs to study cool, warm and hot gas in the cosmic web and in galaxy halos 5 QSOs with z from 0 177 to 0 574 and sum z = 1 68 will be observed with S/N = 40-50 per resolution element 12 QSOs with z = 0 286 to 0 669 and sum z = 5 57 will be observed with S/N = 30-40 The observations will allow a wide range of IGM studies including determining the frequency of occurrence of the different types of absorption systems detected, along with studies of the physical conditions and elemental abundances in the different systems Special emphasis will be given to a study of the properties of highly ionized IGM as traced by O VI, O V, O IV, N V, and C IV The high S/N of the observations will allow a search for broad Lyman alpha absorption and weak metal line absorption that can be crucial for the evaluation of physical conditions and elemental abundances Supporting ground based observations will allow studies of the association of the absorbers with galaxy structures along the 17 lines of sight The overall goal of the program will be to obtain the information that will allow an assessment of the baryonic content of the IGM as revealed by UV and EUV absorption lines seen in the spectra of QSOs

WFC3/IR 11208

The Co-Evolution of Spheroids and Black Holes in the Last Six Billion Years

The masses of giant black holes are correlated with the luminosities, masses, and velocity dispersions of the bulges of their host galaxies This empirical correlation of phenomena on widely different scales (from pcs to kpcs) suggests that the formation and evolution of galaxies and central black holes are closely linked In Cycle 13, we have started a campaign to map directly the co-evolution of spheroids and black-holes by measuring in observationally favorable redshift windows the empirical correlations connecting their properties By focusing on Seyfert 1s, where the nucleus and the stars contribute comparable fractions of total light, black hole mass and bulge dispersion are obtained from Keck spectroscopy HST is required for accurate measurement of the non- stellar AGN continuum, the morphology of the galaxy, and the structural parameters of the bulge The results at z=0 36 indicate a surprisingly fast evolution of bulges in the past 4 Gyrs (significant at the 95%CL), in the sense that bulges were significantly smaller for a given black hole mass Also, the large fraction of mergers and disturbed galaxies (4+2 out of 20) identifies gas-rich mergers as the mechanisms responsible for bulge- growth Going to higher redshift - where evolutionary trends should be stronger - is needed to confirm these tantalizing results We propose therefore to push our investigation to the next suitable redshift window z=0 57 (lookback-time 6 Gyrs) Fifteen objects are the minimum number required to map the evolution of the empirical correlations between bulge properties and black-hole mass, and to achieve a conclusive detection of evolution (>99%CL)

NIC3/WFC3/IR 11153

The Physical Nature and Age of Lyman Alpha Galaxies

In the simplest scenario, strong Lyman alpha emission from high redshift galaxies would indicate that stellar populations younger than 10 Myrs dominate the UV This does not, however, constrain the stellar populations older than 100 Myrs, which do not contribute to UV light Also, the Lyman alpha line can be boosted if the interstellar medium is both clumpy and dusty Different studies with small samples have reached different conclusions about the presence of dust and old stellar populations in Lyman alpha emitters We propose HST-NICMOS and Spitzer-IRAC photometry of 35 Lyman-alpha galaxies at redshift 4 5 8) not easily probed by any other means (2) The dust extinction in the rest- frame UV, and therefore a correction to their present star-formation rates Taken together, these two quantities will yield the star-formation histories of Lyman alpha galaxies, which form fully half of the known galaxies at z=4-6 They will tell us whether these are young or old galaxies by straddling the 4000A break Data from NICMOS is essential for these compact and faint (i=25-26th magnitude AB) high redshift galaxies, which are too faint for good near-IR photometry from the ground

NIC2/WFC3/IR 11143

NICMOS Imaging of Submillimeter Galaxies with CO and PAH Redshifts

We propose to obtain F110W and F160W imaging of 10 z~2 4 submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) whose optical redshifts have been confirmed by the detection of millimeter CO and/or mid-infrared PAH emission With the 4000A break falling within/between the two imaging filters, we will be able to study these sources' spatially resolved stellar populations (modulo extinction) in the rest-frame optical SMGs' large luminosities appear to be due largely to merger-triggered starbursts; high-resolution NICMOS imaging will help us understand the stellar masses, mass ratios, and other properties of the merger progenitors, valuable information in the effort to model the mass assembly history of the universe

ACS/WFC3 11138

The Physics of the Jets of Powerful Radio Galaxies and Quasars

We propose to obtain HST polarimetry of the jets of the quasars 1150+497 and PKS 1136-135 Our goal is to solve the riddle of their high-energy emission mechanism, and tackle issues such as particle acceleration and jet dynamics Our targets are the optically brightest quasar jets, and they span the range of luminosities and beaming parameters seen in these objects Recent observations with Spitzer, HST and Chandra have shed new light on the spectral morphology of quasar jets, throwing wide open the question of the nature of their optical and X-ray emission Three mechanisms are possible, including synchrotron emission as well as two Comptonization processes Polarimetry can uniquely determine which of these mechanisms operates in the optical We will compare the optical polarimetry to in-hand radio polarimetry as well as in-hand and new Spitzer, HST and Chandra imaging to gain new insights on the structure of these jets, as well as particle acceleration mechanisms and jet dynamics

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

12138 GSAcq(1,2,1) @352/22:59:07z and REAcq(1,2,1) @353/00:33:15z,

353/02:09:07z & 353/03:45:01z failed to gyro control due to search radius limit exceeded on FGS-1

Observations affected: STIS #31-37 Proposal #11572; WFC3 #159-161 Proposal #11905

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:

18783-0 CONTINGENCY: Continuous FGS Loss of Lock Looping - updated

(Generic) 352/23:18z

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                            SCHEDULED        SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSAcq 27 26 FGS REAcq 15 12 OBAD with Maneuver 20 20

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

Final Gyro 3 Reconfiguration to Backup Heater Flash Report:

The Gyro 3 heater controller was switched to the backup controller at 350/21:45 Initial biases measurements up to 351/01:50 were nominal, however the GS acquisition at 351/02:57 failed to Loss of Lock (LOL) looping which was indicative of a bias issue Subsequent biases appeared to increase in the V2 and V3 axes and acquisitions between 06:07 and 10:27 failed due to search radius limit exceeds (SRLEX) or LOL looping while efforts were made to correct the bias The GS acquisition at 12:01 was successful and performed an onboard bias update The GS acquisition at 13:05 failed due to a dim star The full GS acquisition at 19:01 was successful and subsequent successful acquisitions confirm that the EOD transition signature has been reduced back to a typical nominal gyro observer bias signature and that the bias has stabilized The transients across the EOD crossings are less than 10 arcsec/hr and the bias subsequently returns to its pre-EOD trend after the EOD crossing

============================================================================== TOPIC: Daily Rpt #4997

http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/c028f44aa0da0385?hl=en

== 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Dec 22 2009 6:36 am From: "Bassford, Lynn"

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #4997

PERIOD COVERED: 5am December 21 - 5am December 22, 2009 (DOY 355/10:00z-356/10:00z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

ACS/WFC3 11879

CCD Daily Monitor (Part 1)

This program comprises basic tests for measuring the read noise and dark current of the ACS WFC and for tracking the growth of hot pixels The recorded frames are used to create bias and dark reference images for science data reduction and calibration This program will be executed four days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) for the duration of Cycle 17 To facilitate scheduling, this program is split into three proposals This proposal covers 352 orbits (22 weeks) from 31 August 2009 to 31 January 2010

ACS/WFC3 11882

CCD Hot Pixel Annealing

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 the Wide Field Channel (WFC) The High Resolution Channel (HRC) visits have been removed since it could not be repaired during SM4

COS/FUV 11541

COS-GTO: Cool, Warm, and Hot Gas in the Cosmic Web and in Galaxy Halos

COS G130M and G160M 20, 000 resolution observations will be obtained for 17 QSOs to study cool, warm and hot gas in the cosmic web and in galaxy halos 5 QSOs with z from 0 177 to 0 574 and sum z = 1 68 will be observed with S/N = 40-50 per resolution element 12 QSOs with z = 0 286 to 0 669 and sum z = 5 57 will be observed with S/N = 30-40 The observations will allow a wide range of IGM studies including determining the frequency of occurrence of the different types of absorption systems detected, along with studies of the physical conditions and elemental abundances in the different systems Special emphasis will be given to a study of the properties of highly ionized IGM as traced by O VI, O V, O IV, N V, and C IV The high S/N of the observations will allow a search for broad Lyman alpha absorption and weak metal line absorption that can be crucial for the evaluation of physical conditions and elemental abundances Supporting ground based observations will allow studies of the association of the absorbers with galaxy structures along the 17 lines of sight The overall goal of the program will be to obtain the information that will allow an assessment of the baryonic content of the IGM as revealed by UV and EUV absorption lines seen in the spectra of QSOs

COS/FUV 11625

Beyond the Classical Paradigm of Stellar Winds: Investigating Clumping, Rotation and the Weak Wind Problem in SMC O Stars

SMC O stars provide an unrivaled opportunity to probe star formation, evolution, and the feedback of massive stars in an environment similar to the epoch of the peak in star formation history Two recent breakthroughs in the study of hot, massive stars have important consequences for understanding the chemical enrichment and buildup of stellar mass in the Universe The first is the realization that rotation plays a major role in influencing the evolution of massive stars and their feedback on the surrounding environment The second is a drastic downward revision of the mass loss rates of massive stars coming from an improved description of their winds STIS spectroscopy of SMC O stars combined with state-of-the-art NLTE analyses has shed new light on these two topics A majority of SMC O stars reveal CNO-cycle processed material brought at their surface by rotational mixing Secondly, the FUV wind lines of early O stars provide strong indications of the clumped nature of their wind Moreover, we first drew attention to some late-O dwarfs showing extremely weak wind signatures Consequently, we have derived mass loss rates from STIS spectroscopy that are significantly lower than the current theoretical predictions used in evolutionary models Because of the limited size of the current sample (and some clear bias toward stars with sharp-lined spectra), these results must however be viewed as tentative Thanks to the high efficiency of COS in the FUV range, we propose now to obtain high-resolution FUV spectra with COS of a larger sample of SMC O stars to study systematically rotation and wind properties of massive stars at low metallicity The analysis of the FUV wind lines will be based on our 2D extension of CMFGEN to model axi-symmetric rotating winds

COS/FUV 11895

FUV Detector Dark Monitor

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the FUV detector dark rate by taking long science exposures without illuminating the detector The detector dark rate and spatial distribution of counts will be compared to pre-launch and SMOV data in order to verify the nominal operation of the detector Variations of count rate as a function of orbital position will be analyzed to find dependence of dark rate on proximity to the SAA Dependence of dark rate as function of time will also be tracked

COS/NUV 11894

NUV Detector Dark Monitor

The purpose of this proposal is to measure the NUV detector dark rate by taking long science exposures with no light on the detector The detector dark rate and spatial distribution of counts will be compared to pre-launch and SMOV data in order to verify the nominal operation of the detector Variations of count rate as a function of orbital position will be analyzed to find dependence of dark rate on proximity to the SAA Dependence of dark rate as function of time will also be tracked

NIC2/STIS/CCD 10897

Coronagraphic Imaging of the Submillimeter Debris Disk of a 200Myr-Old M-Dwarf

A recent sub-millimeter survey has unambiguously discovered a new debris disk around the M0 5 dwarf GJ842 2 which is 200 Myr old Reanalysis of the IRAS data has shown that there is also a 25 micron excess toward this star indicating warm dust close to the star It is also only the second debris disk found among M-dwarfs that constitute 70 % of the stars in the Galaxy Collisional and Poynting-Roberston timescale arguments indicate that the cold grains detected in the sub-mm are "primordial'', i e original grains from the protoplanetary phase The disk around GJ842 2 is thus unique in terms of the presence of dust at such a late stage of evolution and presents two conundrums: why did it retain so much primordial dust at large distances, and why does it continue to produce dust close to the star? We propose to conduct high contrast NICMOS coronagraphic imaging of GJ842 2 to determine the spatial distribution of the small reflecting grains and test the various scenarios which might explain the IRAS and sub- mm data e g resonant trapping of dust by planets or ``sandblasting'' by interstellar medium grains working more aggressively on a low-luminosity star than on an A-type star like Beta Pic Also, we would search for an evolutionary sequence between GJ842 2 and the only other M-dwarf with a disk resolved by HST, the 10 Myr old AU Mic system

STIS/CCD 11844

CCD Dark Monitor Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the darks for the STIS CCD

STIS/CCD 11846

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the bias in the 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1 at gain = 4, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns

WFC3/ACS/UVIS/IR/STIS/CCD 11653

SAINTS - Supernova 1987A INTensive Survey

SAINTS is a program to observe SN 1987A, the brightest supernova since 1604, as it matures into the youngest supernova remnant at age 21 HST is the essential tool for resolving SN1987A's many physical components A violent encounter is underway between the fastest-moving debris and the circumstellar ring: shocks excite "hotspots " Radio, optical, infrared and X-ray fluxes have been rising rapidly: we have organized Australia Telescope, HST, VLT, Spitzer, and Chandra observations to understand the several emission mechanisms at work Photons from the shocked ring will excite previously invisible gas outside the ring, revealing the true extent of the mass loss that preceded the explosion of Sanduleak -69 202 This will help test ideas for the progenitor of SN 1987A The inner debris, excited by radioactive isotopes from the explosion, is now resolved and seen to be aspherical, providing direct evidence on the shape of the explosion itself Questions about SN 1987A remain unanswered A rich and unbroken data set from SAINTS will help answer these central questions and will build an archive for the future to help answer questions we have not yet thought to ask

WFC3/IR/S/C 11929

IR Dark Current Monitor

Analyses of ground test data showed that dark current signals are more reliably removed from science data using darks taken with the same exposure sequences as the science data, than with a single dark current image scaled by desired exposure time Therefore, dark current images must be collected using all sample sequences that will be used in science observations These observations will be used to monitor changes in the dark current of the WFC3-IR channel on a day-to-day basis, and to build calibration dark current ramps for each of the sample sequences to be used by Gos in Cycle 17 For each sample sequence/array size combination, a median ramp will be created and delivered to the calibration database system (CDBS)

WFC3/UVIS 11594

A WFC3 Grism Survey for Lyman Limit Absorption at z=2

We propose to conduct a spectroscopic survey of Lyman limit absorbers at redshifts 1 8 < z < 2 5, using WFC3 and the G280 grism This proposal intends to complete an approved Cycle 15 SNAP program (10878), which was cut short due to the ACS failure We have selected 64 quasars at 2 3 < z < 2 6 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Spectroscopic Quasar Sample, for which no BAL signature is found at the QSO redshift and no strong metal absorption lines are present at z

2 3 along the lines of sight The survey has three main observational goals First, we will determine the redshift frequency dn/dz of the LLS over the column density range 16 0 < log(NHI) < 20 3 cm^-2 Second, we will measure the column density frequency distribution f(N) for the partial Lyman limit systems (PLLS) over the column density range 16 0 < log(NHI) < 17 5 cm^-2 Third, we will identify those sightlines which could provide a measurement of the primordial D/H ratio By carrying out this survey, we can also help place meaningful constraints on two key quantities of cosmological relevance First, we will estimate the amount of metals in the LLS using the f(N), and ground based observations of metal line transitions Second, by determining f(N) of the PLLS, we can constrain the amplitude of the ionizing UV background at z~2 to a greater precision This survey is ideal for a snapshot observing program, because the on-object integration times are all well below 30 minutes, and follow-up observations from the ground require minimal telescope time due to the QSO sample being bright

WFC3/UVIS 11730

Continued Proper Motions of the Magellanic Clouds: Orbits, Internal Kinematics, and Distance

In Cycles 11 and 13 we obtained two epochs of ACS/HRC data for fields in the Magellanic Clouds centered on background quasars We used these data to determine the proper motions of the LMC and SMC to better than 5% and 15% respectively The results had a number of unexpected implications for the Milky Way-LMC-SMC system and received considerable attention in the literature and in the press The implied three-dimensional velocities are larger than previously believed and close to the escape velocity in a standard 10^12 solar mass Milky Way dark halo Our orbit calculations suggest the Clouds may not be bound to the Milky Way or may just be on their first passage, both of which are unexpected in view of traditional interpretations of the Magellanic Stream Alternatively, the Milky Way dark halo may be a factor two more massive than previously believed, which would be surprising in view of other observational constraints Also, the relative velocity between the LMC and SMC was larger than expected, leaving open the possibility that the Clouds may not be bound to each other To further verify and refine our results we requested an additional epoch data in Cycle 16 which is being executed with WFPC2/PC due to the failure of ACS A detailed analysis of one LMC field shows that the field proper motion using all three epochs of data is consistent within 1-sigma with the two-epoch data, thus verifying that there are no major systematic effects in our previous measurements The random errors, however, are only smaller by a factor of 1 4 because of the relatively large errors in the WFPC2 data A prediction for a fourth epoch with measurement errors similar to epochs 1 and 2 shows that the uncertainties will improve by a factor of 3 This will allow us to better address whether the Clouds are indeed bound to each other and to the Milky Way It will also allow us to constrain the internal motions of various populations within the Clouds, and to determine a distance to the LMC using rotational parallax Continuation of this highly successful program is therefore likely to provide important additional insights Execution in SNAPshot mode guarantees maximally efficient use of HST resources

WFC3/UVIS 11905

WFC3 UVIS CCD Daily Monitor

The behavior of the WFC3 UVIS CCD will be monitored daily with a set of full-frame, four-amp bias and dark frames A smaller set of 2Kx4K subarray biases are acquired at less frequent intervals throughout the cycle to support subarray science observations The internals from this proposal, along with those from the anneal procedure (Proposal 11909), will be used to generate the necessary superbias and superdark reference files for the calibration pipeline (CDBS)

WFC3/UVIS 11908

Cycle 17: UVIS Bowtie Monitor

Ground testing revealed an intermittent hysteresis type effect in the UVIS detector (both CCDs) at the level of ~1%, lasting hours to days Initially found via an unexpected bowtie-shaped feature in flatfield ratios, subsequent lab tests on similar e2v devices have since shown that it is also present as simply an overall offset across the entire CCD, i e , a QE offset without any discernable pattern These lab tests have further revealed that overexposing the detector to count levels several times full well fills the traps and effectively neutralizes the bowtie Each visit in this proposal acquires a set of three 3x3 binned internal flatfields: the first unsaturated image will be used to detect any bowtie, the second, highly exposed image will neutralize the bowtie if it is present, and the final image will allow for verification that the bowtie is gone

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 9 9 FGS REAcq 7 7 OBAD with Maneuver 3 3

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

==============================================================================

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sci astro hubble" group

To post to this group, visit http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble?hl=en

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to sci astro hubble+unsubscribe@googlegroups com

To change the way you get mail from this group, visit: http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/subscribe?hl=en

To report abuse, send email explaining the problem to abuse@googlegroups com

============================================================================== Google Groups: http://groups google com/?hl=en



The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:

You are subscribed to the following list: [list_name]

using the following email: example@example.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

http://www aus-city com/cgi-bin/dada/mail cgi/u/HST_REPORTS/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:

<[program_url]/list/[list]>

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:

<mailto:[list_owner_email]>

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:

[physical_address]=

Forward to a Friend
 
  • This mailing list is a public mailing list - anyone may join or leave, at any time.
  • This mailing list is announce-only.

HST Status Report list

Privacy Policy:

Private list