HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT # 4602
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am May 01 - 5am May 02, 2008 (DOY 122/0900z - 123/0900z)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED
ACS/SBC
11200
An
Ultraluminous EUV Source?
Ultraluminous
X-ray sources (ULXs) are bright, irregularly variable,
non-nuclear,
X- ray sources with apparent luminosities exceeding the
Eddington
limit for stellar- mass black holes. There is great interest
in
ULXs because they may represent a new class of black holes with
masses
intermediate between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes.
Recently,
it has been found that X-ray emission from the nebula MF 16 in
the
galaxy NGC 6946, previously thought to be an usually luminous
supernova
remnant, actually arises from an accreting compact object.
Optical
spectroscopy of nebula shows that it is powered via
photoionization
by an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source with a luminosity
exceeding
that measured from the X-ray source. If correct this would be
the
first ultraluminous UV source and may be a 10, 000 solar mass black
hole.
We propose an FUV observation with the ACS/SBC to determine if a
highly
luminous EUV source is indeed, present within MF 16.
NIC1
11136
Resolving
Ultracool Astrophysics with Brown Dwarf Binaries
We
propose to obtain resolved far-red and near-IR photometry of 13 brown
dwarf
binaries with HST/NICMOS in order to study one of the
long-standing
puzzles in ultracool astrophysics, namely the rapid change
in
spectra from L dwarfs to T dwarfs at nearly constant effective
temperature
(a.k.a. the "L/T transition''). While many nearby brown
dwarfs
have been studied, use of such samples is inevitably hindered by
the
unknown ages, masses, and metallicities of the field population.
Characterization
of resolved ultracool binaries is a promising avenue
for
addressing this problem, by providing coeval systems of the same
composition
with comparable masses and temperatures. Our proposed
HST/NICMOS
(0.9-1.6 micron) observations will be combined with longer
wavelength
ground-based photometry and spectroscopy from Keck laser
guide
star adaptive optics. The resulting multiband (0.9-2.5 micron)
dataset
will be a unique resource for measuring the evolution of
spectral
energy distributions across the L/T transition, to test
state-of-the-art
atmospheric models, and to determine the physical
process(es)
that dominate the L/T transition. Understanding the L/T
transition
is important not only for testing brown dwarf atmospheres,
but
also provides a key pathway for understanding the same physical
effects,
namely the formation and removal of clouds, in the atmospheres
of
the extrasolar planets.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3
8795
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 6
A
new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of
NICMOS.
Dark frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA
contour
23, and every time a NICMOS exposure is scheduled within 50
minutes
of coming out of the SAA. The darks will be obtained in parallel
in
all three NICMOS Cameras. The POST-SAA darks will be non-standard
reference
files available to users with a USEAFTER date/time mark. The
keyword
'USEAFTER=date/time' will also be added to the header of each
POST-SAA
DARK frame. The keyword must be populated with the time, in
addition
to the date, because HST crosses the SAA ~8 times per day so
each
POST-SAA DARK will need to have the appropriate time specified, for
users
to identify the ones they need. Both the raw and processed images
will
be archived as POST-SAA DARKSs. Generally we expect that all NICMOS
science/calibration
observations started within 50 minutes of leaving an
SAA
will need such maps to remove the CR persistence from the science i
mages.
Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as different SAA
passages
leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors.
NIC2/NIC1/NIC3
11159
The
True Galactic Bulge Luminosity Function
We
propose to obtain second epoch imaging of the deep Galactic bulge
field
observed using NICMOS by Zoccali et al. (2000). The bulge
luminosity
and mass function suffered from 30-50% contamination by
foreground
disk stars, which was impossible to correct for in the
original
study. Revisiting the field after 9 years, we propose to
segregate
the foreground disk stars because they have large transverse
velocities,
thus revealing the luminosity function of Galactic bulge low
mass
stars to near the hydrogen burning limit. The slope of the mass
function
has implications for galaxy formation and for understanding the
nature
of microlensing in the Galactic bulge.
NIC3
11332
NICMOS
Cycle 16 Time Dependent Flat Fields
This
proposal obtains sequences of NICMOS narrow, medium and broad band
filter
flat fields for camera 1. In cameras 2 and 3, parallel
observations
will allow us to obtain high S/N flats for all spectral
elements.
WEPC2
11196
An
Ultraviolet Survey of Luminous Infrared Galaxies in the Local
Universe
At
luminosities above 10^11.4 L_sun, the space density of far-infrared
selected
galaxies exceeds that of optically selected galaxies. These
Luminous
Infrared Galaxies {LIRGs} are primarily interacting or merging
disk
galaxies undergoing starbursts and creating/fueling central AGN. We
propose
far {ACS/SBC/F140LP} and near {WFPC2/PC/F218W} UV imaging of a
sample
of 27 galaxies drawn from the complete IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy
Sample
{RBGS} LIRGs sample and known, from our Cycle 14 B and I-band ACS
imaging
observations, to have significant numbers of bright {23 < B < 21
mag}
star clusters in the central 30 arcsec. The HST UV data will be
combined
with previously obtained HST, Spitzer, and GALEX images to {i}
calculate
the ages of the clusters as function of merger stage, {ii}
measure
the amount of UV light in massive star clusters relative to
diffuse
regions of star formation, {iii} assess the feasibility of using
the
UV slope to predict the far-IR luminosity {and thus the star
formation
rate} both among and within IR-luminous galaxies, and {iv}
provide
a much needed catalog of rest- frame UV morphologies for
comparison
with rest-frame UV images of high-z LIRGs and Lyman Break
Galaxies.
These observations will achieve the resolution required to
perform
both detailed photometry of compact structures and spatial
correlations
between UV and redder wavelengths for a physical
interpretation
our IRX-Beta results. The HST UV data, combined with the
HST
ACS, Spitzer, Chandra, and GALEX observations of this sample, will
result
in the most comprehensive study of luminous starburst galaxies to
date.
WFPC2
11022
WFPC2
Cycle 15 Decontaminations and Associated Observations
This
proposal is for the WFPC2 decons. Also included are instrument
monitors
tied to decons: photometric stability check, focus monitor,
pre-
and post-decon internals {bias, intflats, kspots, & darks}, UV
throughput
check, VISFLAT sweep, and internal UV flat check.
WFPC2
11027
Visible
Earth Flats
This
proposal monitors flatfield stability. This proposal obtains
sequences
of Earth streak flats to construct high quality flat fields
for
the WFPC2 filter set. These flat fields will allow mapping of the
OTA
illumination pattern and will be used in conjunction with previous
internal
and external flats to generate new pipeline superflats. These
Earth
flats will complement the Earth flat data obtained during cycles
4-14.
WFPC2
11029
WFPC2
CYCLE 15 Intflat Linearity Check and Filter Rotation Anomaly
Monitor
Intflat
observations will be taken to provide a linearity check: the
linearity
test consists of a series of intflats in F555W, in each gain
and
each shutter. A combination of intflats, visflats, and earthflats
will
be used to check the repeatability of filter wheel motions.
{Intflat
sequences tied to decons, visits 1-18 in prop 10363, have been
moved
to the cycle 15 decon proposal xxxx for easier scheduling.} Note:
long-exposure
WFPC2 intflats must be scheduled during ACS anneals to
prevent
stray light from the WFPC2 lamps from contaminating long ACS
external
exposures.
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
11178
Probing
Solar System History with Orbits, Masses, and Colors of
Transneptunian
Binaries
The
recent discovery of numerous transneptunian binaries {TNBs} opens a
window
into dynamical conditions in the protoplanetary disk where they
formed
as well as the history of subsequent events which sculpted the
outer
Solar System and emplaced them onto their present day heliocentric
orbits.
To date, at least 47 TNBs have been discovered, but only about a
dozen
have had their mutual orbits and separate colors determined,
frustrating
their use to investigate numerous important scientific
questions.
The current shortage of data especially cripples scientific
investigations
requiring statistical comparisons among the ensemble
characteristics.
We propose to obtain sufficient astrometry and
photometry
of 23 TNBs to compute their mutual orbits and system masses
and
to determine separate primary and secondary colors, roughly tripling
the
sample for which this information is known, as well as extending it
to
include systems of two near-equal size bodies. To make the most
efficient
possible use of HST, we will use a Monte Carlo
technique to
optimally
schedule our observations.
WFPC2
11316
HST
Cycle 16 & pre-SM4 Optical Monitor
This
is a continuation of the Cycle 15 & pre-SM4 Optical Monitor, 11020.
Please
see that proposal for a more complete description of the
observing
strategy. The 6 visits comprising this proposal observe two
single
standard stars with WFPC2/PC in order to establish overall OTA
focal
length for the purposes of focus maintenance. The goal of this
monitoring
before SM4 is to establish a best estimate of the OTA focus
entering
SMOV.
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
09
09
FGS
REacq
06
06
OBAD
with Maneuver
30
30
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS: (None)