HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT #5158
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am August 11 - 5am August 12, 2010 (DOY 223/09:00z-224/09:00z)
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
5
5
FGS
REAcq
11
11
OBAD
with Maneuver
3
3
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS: (None)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED
ACS/WFC
11996
CCD
Daily Monitor (Part 3)
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 308 orbits (19.25 weeks) from 21 June 2010 to 1 November
2010.
ACS/WFC/WFC3/IR/UV
12056
A
Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury - I
We
propose to image the north east quadrant of M31 to deep limits in the
UV,
optical, and near-IR. HST imaging should resolve the galaxy into
more
than 100 million stars, all with common distances and foreground
extinctions.
UV through NIR stellar photometry (F275W, F336W with
WFC3/UVIS,
F475W and F814W with ACS/WFC, and F110W and F160W with
WFC3/NIR)
will provide effective temperatures for a wide range of
spectral
types, while simultaneously mapping M31's extinction. Our
central
science drivers are to: understand high-mass variations in the
stellar
IMF as a function of SFR intensity and metallicity; capture the
spatially-resolved
star formation history of M31; study a vast sample of
stellar
clusters with a range of ages and metallicities. These are
central
to understanding stellar evolution and clustered star formation;
constraining
ISM energetics; and understanding the counterparts and
environments
of transient objects (novae, SNe, variable stars, x-ray
sources,
etc.). As its legacy, this survey adds M31 to the Milky Way and
Magellanic
Clouds as a fundamental calibrator of stellar evolution and
star-formation
processes for understanding the stellar populations of
distant
galaxies. Effective exposure times are 977s in F275W, 1368s in
F336W,
4040s in F475W, 4042s in F814W, 699s in F110W, and 1796s in
F160W,
including short exposures to avoid saturation of bright sources.
These
depths will produce photon-limited images in the UV. Images will
be
crowding-limited in the optical and NIR, but will reach below the red
clump
at all radii. The images will reach the Nyquist sampling limit in
F160W,
F475W, and F814W.
ACS/WFC3
11670
The
Host Environments of Type Ia Supernovae in the SDSS Survey
The
Sloan Digital Sky Survey Supernova Survey has discovered nearly 500
type
Ia supernovae and created a large, unique, and uniform sample of
these
cosmological tools. As part of a comprehensive study of the
supernova
hosts, we propose to obtain Hubble ACS images of a large
fraction
of these galaxies. Integrated colors and spectra will be
measured
from the ground, but we require high-resolution HST imaging to
provide
accurate morphologies and color information at the site of the
explosion.
This information is essential in determining the systematic
effects
of population age on type Ia supernova luminosities and
improving
their reliability in measuring dark energy. Recent studies
suggest
two populations of type Ia supernovae: a class that explodes
promptly
after star-formation and one that is delayed by billions of
years.
Measuring the star-formation rate at the site of the supernova
from
colors in the HST images may be the best way to differentiate
between
these classes.
ACS/WFC3
11735
The
LSD Project: Dynamics, Merging and Stellar Populations of a Sample
of
Well-Studied LBGs at z~3
A
large observational effort with the ground-based ESO/VLT telescopes
allowed
us to obtain deep, spatially-resolved, near-IR spectra of
complete
sample of 11 Lyman-Break Galaxies at z~3.1. These observations
were
used to obtain, for the first time, the metallicity and the
dynamical
properties of a sample of objects that, albeit small, is
representative
of the total population of the LBGs. We propose to use
HST
to obtain high-resolution optical and near-IR images of this sample
of
LBGs in order to study the broad-band morphology and the stellar
light
distribution of these galaxies. These images, exploiting the
superior
spatial resolution of HST images and the low-background : 1-
will
allow a precise measure of the dynamical mass from the velocity
field
derived with spectroscopy; 2- will permit a comparison of the
distribution
of star formation (from the line emission) with the
underlying
stellar population, and, 3- will be used to check if the
complex
velocity field and the multiple line-emitting regions detected
in
most targets can be ascribed to on-going mergers. This accurate study
will
shed light on a number of unsolved problems still affecting the
knowledge
of the LBGs.
COS/NUV
11705
Physical
Properties of Quasar Outflows: From BALs to Mini-BALs
Accretion
disk outflows are important components of quasar environments.
They
might play a major role in facilitating accretion, regulating star
formation
in the host galaxies and distributing metals to the
surrounding
gas. They reveal themselves most conspicuously via broad
absorption
lines (BALs), but they appear even more frequently in other
guises
such as the weaker and narrower "mini-BALs." How are these
diverse
outflow features related? Are mini-BALs really just "mini"
versions
of the BALs, or do they represent a fundamentally different
type
of outflow, with different degrees of ionization, column densities,
mass
loss rates, physical origins, etc.?
We
propose HST-COS spectroscopy to make the first quantitative
assessment
of the outflow physical conditions across the full range of
weak/narrow
mini-BALs to strong/broad BALs. Our strategy is to measure
key
diagnostic lines (SVI, OVI, CIII, SIV, PV, etc.) at 930A - 1130A
(rest-
frame) in a sample of 7 outflow quasars with known mini-BALs
through
weak BALs. We will then 1) combine the COS data with
ground-based
spectra of the same quasars to include more lines (CIV,
SiIV)
at longer wavelengths, and 2) include in our analysis a nearly
identical
UV/optical dataset obtained previously for a sample of quasars
with
strong BALs. Our study of this combined dataset will be an
essential
next step toward a more global understanding of quasar
outflows.
NIC2/WFC3/IR
11548
Infrared
Imaging of Protostars in the Orion A Cloud: The Role of
Environment
in Star Formation
We
propose NICMOS and WFC3/IR observations of a sample of 252 protostars
identified
in the Orion A cloud with the Spitzer Space Telescope. These
observations
will image the scattered light escaping the protostellar
envelopes,
providing information on the shapes of outflow cavities, the
inclinations
of the protostars, and the overall morphologies of the
envelopes.
In addition, we ask for Spitzer time to obtain 55-95 micron
spectra
of 75 of the protostars. Combining these new data with existing
3.6
to 70 micron photometry and forthcoming 5-40 micron spectra measured
with
the Spitzer Space Telescope, we will determine the physical
properties
of the protostars such as envelope density, luminosity,
infall
rate, and outflow cavity opening angle. By examining how these
properties
vary with stellar density (i.e. clusters vs. groups vs.
isolation)
and the properties of the surrounding molecular cloud; we can
directly
measure how the surrounding environment influences protostellar
evolution,
and consequently, the formation of stars and planetary
systems.
Ultimately, this data will guide the development of a theory of
protostellar
evolution.
STIS/CCD
11845
CCD
Dark Monitor Part 2
Monitor
the darks for the STIS CCD.
STIS/CCD
11847
CCD
Bias Monitor-Part 2
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/IR
11563
Galaxies
at z~7-10 in the Reionization Epoch: Luminosity Functions to
<0.2L*
from Deep IR Imaging of the HUDF and HUDF05 Fields
The
first generations of galaxies were assembled around redshifts
z~7-10+,
just 500-800 Myr after recombination, in the heart of the
reionization
of the universe. We know very little about galaxies in this
period.
Despite great effort with HST and other telescopes, less than
~15
galaxies have been reliably detected so far at z>7, contrasting with
the
~1000 galaxies detected to date at z~6, just 200-400 Myr later, near
the
end of the reionization epoch. WFC3 IR can dramatically change this
situation,
enabling derivation of the galaxy luminosity function and its
shape
at z~7-8 to well below L*, measurement of the UV luminosity
density
at z~7-8 and z~8-9, and estimates of the contribution of
galaxies
to reionization at these epochs, as well as characterization of
their
properties (sizes, structure, colors). A quantitative leap in our
understanding
of early galaxies, and the timescales of their buildup,
requires
a total sample of ~100 galaxies at z~7-8 to ~29 AB mag. We can
achieve
this with 192 WFC3 IR orbits on three disjoint fields
(minimizing
cosmic variance): the HUDF and the two nearby deep fields of
the
HUDF05. Our program uses three WFC3 IR filters, and leverages over
600
orbits of existing ACS data, to identify, with low contamination, a
large
sample of over 100 objects at z~7-8, a very useful sample of ~23
at
z~8-9, and limits at z~10. By careful placement of the WFC3 IR and
parallel
ACS pointings, we also enhance the optical ACS imaging on the
HUDF
and a HUDF05 field. We stress (1) the need to go deep, which is
paramount
to define L*, the shape, and the slope alpha of the luminosity
function
(LF) at these high redshifts; and (2) the far superior
performance
of our strategy, compared with the use of strong lensing
clusters,
in detecting significant samples of faint z~7-8 galaxies to
derive
their luminosity function and UV ionizing flux. Our recent z~7.4
NICMOS
results show that wide-area IR surveys, even of GOODS-like depth,
simply
do not reach faint enough at z~7-9 to meet the LF and UV flux
objectives.
In the spirit of the HDF and the HUDF, we will waive any
proprietary
period, and will also deliver the reduced data to STScI. The
proposed
data will provide a Legacy resource of great value for a wide
range
of archival science investigations of galaxies at redshifts z~2-9.
The
data are likely to remain the deepest IR/optical images until JWST
is
launched, and will provide sources for spectroscopic follow up by
JWST,
ALMA and EVLA.
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
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/IR
11702
Search
for Very High-z Galaxies with WFC3 Pure Parallel
WFC3
will provide an unprecedented probe to the early universe beyond
the
current redshift frontier. Here we propose a pure parallel program
using
this new instrument to search for Lyman-break galaxies at
6.5<z<8.8
and to probe the epoch of reionization, a hallmark event in
the
history of the early universe. We request 200 orbits, spreading over
30
~ 50 high Galactic latitude visits (|b|>20deg) that last for 4 orbits
and
longer, resulting a total survey area of about 140~230 square
arcminute.
Based on our understanding of the new HST parallel
observation
scheduling process, we believe that the total number of
long-duration
pure parallel visits in Cycle 17 should be sufficient to
accommodate
our program. We waive all proprietary rights to our data,
and
will also make the enhanced data products public in a timely manner.
(1)
We will use both the UVIS and the IR channels, and do not need to
seek
optical data from elsewhere.
(2)
Our program will likely triple the size of the probable candidate
samples
at z~7 and z~8, and will complement other targeted programs
aiming
at the similar redshift range.
(3)
Being a pure parallel program, our survey will only make very
limited
demand on the scarce HST resources. More importantly, as the
pure
parallel pointings will be at random sight-lines, our program will
be
least affected by the bias due to the large scale structure ("cosmic
variance").
(4)
We aim at the most luminous LBG population, and will address the
bright-end
of the luminosity function at z~8 and z~7. We will constrain
the
value of L* in particular, which is critical for understanding the
star
formation process and the stellar mass assembly history in the
first
few hundred million years of the universe.
(5)
The candidates from our survey, most of which will be the brightest
ones
that any surveys would be able to find, will have the best chance
to
be spectroscopically confirmed at the current 8--10m telescopes.
(6)
We will also find a large number of extremely red, old galaxies at
intermediate
redshifts, and the fine spatial resolution offered by the
WFC3
will enable us constrain their formation history based on the study
of
their morphology, and hence shed light on their connection to the
very
early galaxies in the universe.