HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT # 4610
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am May 13 - 5am May 14, 2008 (DOY 134/0900z-135/0900z)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3
8794
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 5
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 DARKs. 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
images.
Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as different SAA
passages
leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors.
NIC2/WFPC2
11142
Revealing
the Physical Nature of Infrared Luminous Galaxies at 0.3<z<2.7
Using
HST and Spitzer
We
aim to determine physical properties of IR luminous galaxies at
0.3<z<2.7
by requesting coordinated HST/NIC2 and MIPS 70um observations
of
a unique, 24um flux-limited sample with complete Spitzer mid-IR
spectroscopy.
The 150 sources investigated in this program have S{24um}
>
0.8mJy and their mid-IR spectra have already provided the majority
targets
with spectroscopic redshifts {0.3<z<2.7}. The proposed
150~orbits
of NIC2 and 66~hours of MIPS 70um will provide the physical
measurements
of the light distribution at the rest-frame ~8000A and
better
estimates of the bolometric luminosity. Combining these
parameters
together with the rich suite of spectral diagnostics from the
mid-IR
spectra, we will {1} measure how common mergers are among LIRGs
and
ULIRGs at 0.3<z<2.7, and establish if major mergers are the drivers
of
z>1 ULIRGs, as in the local Universe. {2} study the co-evolution of
star
formation and blackhole accretion by investigating the relations
between
the fraction of starburst/AGN measured from mid-IR spectra vs.
HST
morphologies, L{bol} and z. {3} obtain the current best estimates of
the
far-IR emission, thus L{bol} for this sample, and establish if the
relative
contribution of mid-to-far IR dust emission is correlated with
morphology
{resolved vs. unresolved}.
S/C
11163
Accreting
Pulsating White Dwarfs in Cataclysmic Variables
Recent
ground-based observations have increased the number of known
pulsating
white dwarfs in close binaries with active mass transfer
{cataclysmic
variables} from 5 to 11 systems. Our past Cycles 8 and 11
STIS
observations of the first 2 known, followed by our Cycle 13 SBC
observations
of the next 3 discovered, revealed the clear presence of
the
white dwarf and increased amplitude of the pulsations in the UV
compared
to the optical. The temperatures derived from the UV spectra
show
4 systems are much hotter than non-interacting pulsating white
dwarfs.
A larger sample is needed to sort out the nature of the
instability
strip in accreting pulsators i.e. whether effects of
composition
and rotation due to accretion result in a well- defined
instability
strip as a function of Teff.
WFPC2
10890
Morphologies
of the Most Extreme High-Redshift Mid-IR-Luminous Galaxies
The
formative phase of the most massive galaxies may be extremely
luminous,
characterized by intense star- and AGN-formation. Till now,
few
such galaxies have been unambiguously identified at high redshift,
restricting
us to the study of low-redshift ultraluminous infrared
galaxies
as possible analogs. We have recently discovered a sample of
objects
which may indeed represent this early phase in galaxy formation,
and
are undertaking an extensive multiwavelength study of this
population.
These objects are bright at mid-IR wavelengths
{F[24um]>0.8mJy},
but deep ground based imaging suggests extremely faint
{and
in some cases extended} optical counterparts {R~24-27}. Deep K-band
images
show barely resolved galaxies. Mid-infrared spectroscopy with
Spitzer/IRS
reveals that they have redshifts z ~ 2-2.5, suggesting
bolometric
luminosities ~10^{13-14}Lsun! We propose to obtain deep ACS
F814W
and NIC2 F160W images of these sources and their environs in order
to
determine kpc-scale morphologies and surface photometry for these
galaxies.
The proposed observations will help us determine whether these
extreme
objects are merging systems, massive obscured starbursts {with
obscuration
on kpc scales!} or very reddened {locally obscured} AGN
hosted
by intrinsically low-luminosity galaxies.
WFPC2
11113
Binaries
in the Kuiper Belt: Probes of Solar System Formation and
Evolution
The
discovery of binaries in the Kuiper Belt and related small body
populations
is powering a revolutionary step forward in the study of
this
remote region. Three quarters of the known binaries in the Kuiper
Belt
have been discovered with HST, most by our snapshot surveys. The
statistics
derived from this work are beginning to yield surprising and
unexpected
results. We have found a strong concentration of binaries
among
low-inclination Classicals, a possible size cutoff to binaries
among
the Centaurs, an apparent preference for nearly equal mass
binaries,
and a strong increase in the number of binaries at small
separations.
We propose to continue this successful program in Cycle 16;
we
expect to discover at least 13 new binary systems, targeted to
subgroups
where these discoveries can have the greatest impact.
WFPC2
11222
Direct
Detection and Mapping of Star Forming Regions in Nearby, Luminous
Quasars
We propose
to carry out narrow-band emission line imaging observations
of
8 quasars at z=0.05-0.15 with the WFPC2 ramp filters and with the
NICMOS
narrow-band filters. We will obtain images in the [O II], [O
III],
H-beta, and Pa-alpha emission line bands to carry out a series of
diagnostic
tests aimed at detecting and mapping out star-forming regions
in
the quasar host galaxies. This direct detection of star-forming
regions
will confirm indirect indications for star formation in quasar
host
galaxies. It will provide a crucial test for models of quasar and
galaxy
evolution, that predict the co-existence of starbursts and
"monsters"
and will solve the puzzle of why different indicators of star
formation
give contradictory results. A secondary science goal is to
assess
suggested correlations between quasar luminosity and the size of
the
narrow-line region.
WFPC2
11518
Mutual
eclipses of a Kuiper belt-satellite system
Ground-based
observations two weeks ago strongly suggest that the orbit
of
the small inner satellite of 2003 EL61, the 5th largest known dwarf
planet,
is possibly precisely edge-on and thus somewhere in the middle
of
a ~3 year long cycle of mutual eclipses, occultations, and transits.
We
anticipate that with another year of ground-based observation we may
have
sufficient data to accurately predict the times and durations of
these
events, but by then the events may well be over. If events are
indeed
occuring, measurement of the timing and depths of such events
provides
a wealth of precise geometric information for constraining
sizes,
shapes, orbits, and dynamics of the system.
We
propose to obtain 5 quick WFPC2 visits to 2003 EL61 over the ~19 day
orbital
period of the inner satellite to determine a precise orbit and
predict
mutual event times. We will instantly (within ~1 day of the end
of
the observations) make these predictions public to allow the maximum
number
of attempts to collect the data as possible.
WFPC2/NIC3
11209
Determining
the Structural Parameters of the First Globular Cluster
Found
to Host an Black-Hole X-ray Binary
We
recently published the discovery of the first black hole X-ray binary
in
a globular cluster. This object is located in a bright globular
cluster
around the Virgo elliptical NGC 4472. Here we propose to obtain
HST
PC images of this black- hole hosting globular cluster and a sample
of
other NGC 4472 globulars. We will use these data to determine the
structural
parameters of both the globular cluster known to have a black
hole
and a control sample of other NGC 4472 clusters. This will test
recent
theoretical predictions how black holes affect the structural
parameters
of globular clusters, and more generally will allow for the
first
time constraints on any relationship between the presence of a
black
hole and the surface brightness profiles of globular clusters. The
deep
WFPC2 images outside of the galaxy's central regions will also be
invaluable
for studying how the sizes and luminosity function of
globular
clusters depend on distance from the center of the galaxy, and
thus
address questions about the origin of the size differences between
metal-rich
and metal-poor clusters and the shape of the globular cluster
luminosity
function. In addition, parallel NIC3 images will allow the
optical
to near-infrared colors of NGC 4472 globular cluster to be
determined
over a wide range of galactocentric radii.
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:
18233-0
- Clear ACS Event Flag # 2 for OBS # 11163 @ 134/1534z
COMPLETED
OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSacq
05
05
FGS
REacq
10
10
OBAD
with Maneuver 30
30
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS: (None)