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============================================================================== TOPIC: Daily Report #5081
http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/162842c3aed4ddc9?hl=en
== 1 of 1 == Date: Fri, Apr 23 2010 8:44 am From: "Cooper, Joe"
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science
DAILY REPORT #5081
PERIOD COVERED: 5am April 22 - 5am April 23, 2010 (DOY 112/09:00z-113/09:00z)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
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
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 11687
SNAPing Coronal Iron
This is a Snapshot Survey to explore two forbidden lines of highly ionized iron in late-type coronal sources Fe XII 1349 (T~ 2 MK) and Fe XXI 1354 (T~ 10 MK) -- well known to Solar Physics -- have been detected in about a dozen cool stars, mainly with HST/STIS The UV coronal forbidden lines are important because they can be observed with velocity resolution of better than 15 km/s, whereas even the state-of-the-art X-ray spectrometers on Chandra can manage only 300 km/s in the kilovolt band where lines of highly ionized iron more commonly are found The kinematic properties of hot coronal plasmas, which are of great interest to theorists and modelers, thus only are accessible in the UV at present The bad news is that the UV coronal forbidden lines are faint, and were captured only in very deep observations with STIS The good news is that 3rd-generation Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, slated for installation in HST by SM4, in a mere 25 minute exposure with its G130M mode can duplicate the sensitivity of a landmark 25-orbit STIS E140M observation of AD Leo, easily the deepest such exposure of a late-type star so far Our goal is to build up understanding of the properties of Fe XII and Fe XXI in additional objects beyond the current limited sample: how the lineshapes depend on activity, whether large scale velocity shifts can be detected, and whether the dynamical content of the lines can be inverted to map the spatial morphology of the stellar corona (as in "Doppler Imaging'') In other words, we want to bring to bear in the coronal venue all the powerful tricks of spectroscopic remote sensing, well in advance of the time that this will be possible exploiting the corona's native X-ray radiation The 1290-1430 band captured by side A of G130M also contains a wide range of key plasma diagnostics that form at temperatures from below 10, 000 K (neutral lines of CNO), to above 200, 000 K (semi-permitted O V 1371), including the important bright multiplets of C II at 1335 and Si IV at 1400; yielding a diagnostic gold mine for the subcoronal atmosphere Because of the broad value of the SNAP spectra, beyond the coronal iron project, we waive the normal proprietary rights
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/CC 11845
CCD Dark Monitor Part 2
Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD
STIS/CC 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 11600
Star Formation, Extinction, and Metallicity at 0
7 The global star formation rate (SFR) is ~10x higher at z=1 than today
This could be due to drastically elevated SFR in some fraction of
galaxies, such as mergers with central bursts, or a higher SFR across
the board
Either means that the conditions in z=1 star forming
galaxies could be quite different from local objects
The next step
beyond measuring the global SFR is to determine the dependence of SFR,
obscuration, metallicity, and size of the star-forming region on
galaxy mass and redshift
However, SFR indicators at z=1 typically
apply local calibrations for UV, [O II] and far-IR, and do not agree
with each other on a galaxy-by-galaxy basis
Extinction, metallicity,
and dust properties cause uncontrolled offsets in SFR calibrations
The great missing link is Balmer H-alpha, the most sensitive probe of
SFR
We propose a slitless WFC3/G141 IR grism survey of GOODS-N, at 2
orbits/pointing
It will detect Ha+[N II] emission from 0
7 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 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/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
WFC3/UVIS/IR 11662 Improving the Radius-Luminosity Relationship for Broad-Lined AGNs with
a New Reverberation Sample The radius-luminosity (R-L) relationship is currently the fundamental
basis for all techniques used to estimate black hole masses in AGNs,
in both the nearby and distant universe
However, the current R-L
relationship is based on 34 objects that cover a limited range in
black hole mass and luminosity
To improve our understanding of black
hole growth and evolution, the R-L relationship must be extended to
cover a broader range of black hole masses using the technique known
as reverberation mapping
To this end, we have been awarded an
unprecedented 64 nights on the Lick Observatory 3-m telescope between
March 24 and May 31, 2008, to spectroscopically monitor 12 AGNs in
order to measure their black hole masses
To properly determine the
luminosities of these 12 AGNs, we must correct them for their
host-galaxy starlight contributions using high-resolution images
Previous work by Bentz et al
(2006) has shown that the starlight
correction to AGN luminosity measurements is an essential component to
interpreting the R-L relationship
The correction will be substantial
for each of the 12 sources we will monitor, as the AGNs are relatively
faint and embedded in nearby, bright galaxies
Starlight corrections
are not possible with ground-based images, as the PSF and bulge
contributions become indistinguishable under typical seeing
conditions, and adaptive optics are not yet operational in the
spectral range where the corrections are needed
In addition, spectral
decompositions are very model-dependent and are limited by the degree
of accuracy to which we understand emission processes and stellar
populations in galaxies
Without correcting for starlight, we will be
unable to apply the results of our Spring 2008 campaign to the body of
knowledge from previous reverberation mapping work
Therefore, we
propose to obtain high resolution, high dynamic range images of the
host galaxies of the 12 AGNs in our ground-based monitoring sample, as
well as one white dwarf which will be used as a PSF model
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: 18843-2 - Installation of FSW Acq Logic B @ 112/1648z COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None) FGS GSAcq 8 8
FGS REAcq 6 6
OBAD with Maneuver 4 4 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: FLASH: At 112/16:46z Acq Logic Version B was successfully installed on-orbit
The Guide Star Acquisition at 112/21:10z was successfully performed
using the new acquisition logic
==============================================================================
TOPIC: Daily Report #5082 == 1 of 1 ==
Date: Mon, Apr 26 2010 9:56 am
From: "Cooper, Joe" HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science DAILY REPORT #5082 PERIOD COVERED: 5am April 23 - 5am April 26, 2010 (DOY 113/09:00z-116/09:00z) OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED WFC3/UV 12094 WFC3/UVIS Image Skew This proposal will provide an independent check of the skew in the ACS
astrometric catalog of Omega Cen stars, using exposures taken in a
45-deg range of telescope roll
The roll sequence will also provide a
test for orbital variation of skew and field angle dependent PSF
variations
The astrometric catalog of Omega Cen, improved for a skew,
will be used to derive the geometric distorion to all UVIS filters,
which has preliminarily been determined from F606W images and an
astrometric catalog of 47 Tuc
WFC3/IR 12051 Cross Calibration of NICMOS and WFC3 in the Low-Count-Rate Regime NICMOS has played a key role in probing the deep near infrared regime
for a decade
It has been the only instrument available to observe
faint objects in the near infrared that are not observable from the
ground
However, the calibration of NICMOS has turned out to be
difficult in the low-count-rate regime
The NICMOS calibration team
has extrapolated a power-law to describe the apparent non-linearity in
the NICMOS detectors from measurements at ~50-5000 ADU/s to flux
counts around 0
1-1 ADU/s
Precise measurements of faint objects (such
as SNe Ia at high redshift) require us to reduce the uncertainties
from this extrapolation
Here we propose to determine the absolute
zeropoint for faint objects by cross-calibrating the WFC3 and NICMOS
detectors in observations of early type galaxies at redshifts z>1
ACS/WFC 11995 CCD Daily Monitor (Part 2) 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 320 orbits (20 weeks) from 1 February
2010 to 20 June 2010
WFC3/IR 11936 IR Grism Flux Calibration This program will determine image displacement, spectral trace and
flux calibration for the IR G102 and G141 grisms as a function of
spatial position within the field of view
The HST flux standard GD71
will be observed in a 9-point pattern in the IR field of view, which
will provide the necessary image displacement, spectral trace, and
throughput measurements
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 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 11907 UVIS Cycle 17 Contamination Monitor The UV throughput of WFC3 during Cycle 17 is monitored via weekly
standard star observations in a subset of key filters covering
200-600nm and F606W, F814W as controls on the red end
The data will
provide a measure of throughput levels as a function of time and
wavelength, allowing for detection of the presence of possible
contaminants
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)
STIS/CC 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
STIS/CC 11845 CCD Dark Monitor Part 2 Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD
WFC3/UVIS 11732 The Temperature Profiles of Quasar Accretion Disks We can now routinely measure the size of quasar accretion disks using
gravitational microlensing of lensed quasars
At optical wavelengths
we observe a size and scaling with black hole mass roughly consistent
with thin disk theory but the sizes are larger than expected from the
observed optical fluxes
One solution would be to use a flatter
temperature profile, which we can study by measuring the wavelength
dependence of the disk size over the largest possible wavelength
baseline
Thus, to understand the size discrepancy and to probe closer
to the inner edge of the disk we need to extend our measurements to UV
wavelengths, and this can only be done with HST
For example, in the
UV we should see significant changes in the optical/UV size ratio with
black hole mass
We propose monitoring 5 lenses spanning a broad range
of black hole masses with well-sampled ground based light curves,
optical disk size measurements and known GALEX UV fluxes during Cycles
17 and 18 to expand from our current sample of two lenses
We would
obtain 5 observations of each target in each Cycle, similar to our
successful strategy for the first two targets
WFC3/ACS/IR 11731 Studying Cepheid Systematics in M81: H-Band Observations The local value of the Hubble Constant remains one of the most
important constraints in cosmology, but improving on the 10% accuracy
of the HST Key Project is challenging
No improvements will be
convincing until the metallicity dependence is well constrained and
blending effects are fully understood
M81 and its dwarf companion
Holmberg IX are superb laboratories for studying Cepheid systematics
because they contain large numbers of bright Cepheids with a good
spread in metallicity lying at a common, relatively close distance
We
have identified 180 12 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
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/UV/IR 11717 Unraveling the Mysterious Origin of GRB 070125 We propose a modest (2 WFC3 orbits) HST program to ascertain the
origin of the mysterious gamma-ray burst GRB 070125
With a duration
of 60 s and a high local (i
e
parsec scale) circum-burst density, GRB
070125 resembles a canonical (i
e
massive-star progenitor)
long-duration event
However, we have strong evidence that GRB 070125
exploded in the halo of its host galaxy, far away from the bulk of
massive star formation
The UV detection of a compact, star-forming
cluster would confirm our original hypothesis that GRB 070125 exploded
in a tidal tail formed by galaxy interactions (analogous to the
Tadpole and Antenna galaxies) at z = 1
54
Alternatively, the absence
of ongoing star formation and the presence of an old stellar
population would require a novel explosion process unassociated with
massive stars
While the former would open a new path to study star
formation and galaxy interactions at high redshift, the latter would
require a re-thinking of one of the fundamental tenets of GRB
astronomy: the 1:1 mapping between duration and progenitor system
ACS/WFC 11715 The Luminous Galactic Cepheid RS Puppis: A Geometric Distance from its
Nested Light Echoes RS Puppis is one of the most luminous Cepheids in the Milky Way (P =
41
4 days) and an analog of the bright Cepheids used to measure
extragalactic distances
An accurate distance would help anchor the
zero-point of the bright end of the period-luminosity relation, but at
a distance of about 2 kpc it is too far away for a trigonometric
parallax with existing instrumentation
RS Pup is unique in being surrounded by a reflection nebula, whose
brightness varies as pulses of light from the Cepheid propagate
outwards
Members of our team have used ground-based imaging of the
nebula to derive phase lags in the light variations of individual
features in the nebula, and have inferred a seemingly very precise
geometric distance to the star
However, there is an unavoidable
ambiguity involving the cycle counts, which was resolved by assuming
that the features lie in the plane of the sky
If this assumption is
incorrect, a large systematic error would be introduced into the
distance measurement
We show that polarimetric imaging using the high spatial resolution of
ACS/WFC and its ability to image close to the star can resolve this
ambiguity and yield a reliable geometric distance to RS Pup
We will
also obtain a wide-field multicolor image of the nebula, in order to
study its morphology and the mass-loss history of the Cepheid
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/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 (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
WFC3/IR/ACS/WFC 11663 Formation and Evolution of Massive Galaxies in the Richest
Environments at 1
5 < z < 2
0 We propose to image seven 1
5 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 11606 Dynamical Hypermassive Black Hole Masses We will use STIS spectra to derive the masses of 5 hypermassive black
holes (HMBHs)
From the observed scaling relations defined by less
massive spheroids, these objects are expected to reside at the nuclei
of host galaxies with stellar velocity dispersions greater than 320
km/s
These 5 targets have confirmed regular gas distributions on the
scales of the black hole sphere of influence
It is essential that the
sphere of influence is resolved for accurate determinations of black
hole mass (0
1")
These scales cannot be effectively observed from the
ground
Only two HMBHs have had their masses modeled so far; it is
impossible to draw any general conclusions about the connections
between HMBH mass and their massive host galaxies
With these 5
targets we will determine whether these HMBHs deviate from the scaling
relations defined by less massive spheroids
A larger sample will
allow us to firmly anchor the high mass end of the correlation between
black hole mass and stellar velocity dispersion, and other scaling
relations
Therefore we are also conducting a SNAPshot program with
which we expect to detect a further 24 HMBH candidates for STIS
observation in future cycles
At the completion of this project we
will have populated the high mass end of the scaling relations with
the sample sizes enjoyed by less massive spheroids
WFC3/UV 11602 High-resolution imaging of three new UV-bright lensed arcs We have identified and spectroscopically confirmed three new strongly
lensed, UV-bright star-forming galaxies at z ~ 2 that are similar to
the well-studied gravitationally lensed Lyman Break Galaxy (LBG)
MS1512-cB58, and are of comparable brightness to the ''8 O'Clock Arc''
(Allam et al
2007) and ''Clone'' systems (Lin et al
2008)
The 8
O'Clock Arc and Clone have already been awarded 20 orbits for deep
WFPC2 and NICMOS imaging in five bands (HST cycle 16, Program 11167,
PI: Allam)
Adding these three recently discovered objects thus
completes a unique set of the brightest known strongly lensed galaxies
at z ~ 2, with magnitudes of r~20-21, and they provide a new window
into the detailed study of the properties of high redshift galaxies
We propose 21 orbits for deep WFC3 imaging in five bands (F475W,
F606W, F814W, F110W, and F160W) in order to construct detailed lensing
models, to probe the mass and light profiles of the lensing galaxies
and their environments, and to constrain the spectral energy
distributions, star formation histories, and morphologies of the
lensed galaxies
WFC3/ACS/IR 11600 Star Formation, Extinction, and Metallicity at 0
7 The global star formation rate (SFR) is ~10x higher at z=1 than today
This could be due to drastically elevated SFR in some fraction of
galaxies, such as mergers with central bursts, or a higher SFR across
the board
Either means that the conditions in z=1 star forming
galaxies could be quite different from local objects
The next step
beyond measuring the global SFR is to determine the dependence of SFR,
obscuration, metallicity, and size of the star-forming region on
galaxy mass and redshift
However, SFR indicators at z=1 typically
apply local calibrations for UV, [O II] and far-IR, and do not agree
with each other on a galaxy-by-galaxy basis
Extinction, metallicity,
and dust properties cause uncontrolled offsets in SFR calibrations
The great missing link is Balmer H-alpha, the most sensitive probe of
SFR
We propose a slitless WFC3/G141 IR grism survey of GOODS-N, at 2
orbits/pointing
It will detect Ha+[N II] emission from 0
7 WFC3/UVIS 11595 Turning Out the Light: A WFC3 Program to Image z>2 Damped Lyman Alpha
Systems We propose to directly image the star-forming regions of z>2 damped
Lya systems (DLAs) using the WFC3/UVIS camera on the Hubble Space
Telescope
In contrast to all previous attempts to detect the galaxies
giving rise to high redshift DLAs, we will use a novel technique that
completely removes the glare of the background quasar
Specifically,
we will target quasar sightlines with multiple DLAs and use the higher
redshift DLA as a ``blocking filter'' (via Lyman limit absorption) to
eliminate all FUV emission from the quasar
This will allow us to
carry out a deep search for FUV emission from the lower redshift DLA,
shortward of the Lyman limit of the higher redshift absorber
The
unique filter set and high spatial resolution afforded by WFC3/UVIS
will then enable us to directly image the lower redshift DLA and thus
estimate its size, star- formation rate and impact parameter from the
QSO sightline
We propose to observe a sample of 20 sightlines,
selected primarily from the SDSS database, requiring a total of 40 HST
orbits
The observations will allow us to determine the first FUV
luminosity function of high redshift DLA galaxies and to correlate the
DLA galaxy properties with the ISM characteristics inferred from
standard absorption-line analysis to significantly improve our
understanding of the general DLA population
STIS/CCD/MA2 11568 A SNAPSHOT Survey of the Local Interstellar Medium: New NUV
Observations of Stars with Archived FUV Observations We propose to obtain high-resolution STIS E230H SNAP observations of
MgII and FeII interstellar absorption lines toward stars within 100
parsecs that already have moderate or high-resolution far-UV (FUV),
900-1700 A, observations available in the MAST Archive
Fundamental
properties, such as temperature, turbulence, ionization, abundances,
and depletions of gas in the local interstellar medium (LISM) can be
measured by coupling such observations
Due to the wide spectral range
of STIS, observations to study nearby stars also contain important
data about the LISM embedded within their spectra
However, unlocking
this information from the intrinsically broad and often saturated FUV
absorption lines of low-mass ions, (DI, CII, NI, OI), requires first
understanding the kinematic structure of the gas along the line of
sight
This can be achieved with high resolution spectra of high-mass
ions, (FeII, MgII), which have narrow absorption lines, and can
resolve each individual velocity component (interstellar cloud)
By
obtaining short (~10 minute) E230H observations of FeII and MgII, for
stars that already have moderate or high- resolution FUV spectra, we
can increase the sample of LISM measurements, and thereby expand our
knowledge of the physical properties of the gas in our galactic
neighborhood
STIS is the only instrument capable of obtaining the
required high resolution data now or in the foreseeable future
WFC3/UV 11556 Investigations of the Pluto System We propose a set of high SNR observations of the Pluto system that
will provide improved lightcurves, orbits, and photometric properties
of Nix and Hydra
The key photometric result for Nix and Hydra will be
a vastly improved lightcurve shape and rotation period to test if the
objects are in synchronous rotation or not
A second goal of this
program will be to retrieve a new epoch of albedo map for the surface
of Pluto
These observations will also improve masses and in some case
densities for the bodies in the Pluto system
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) FGS GSAcq 33 33
FGS REAcq 27 27
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