Notice: For the foreseeable future, the daily reports may
contain
apparent discrepancies between some proposal descriptions
and the listed
instrument usage. This is due to the conversion of
previously approved
ACS WFC or HRC observations into WFPC2, or NICMOS
observations
subsequent to the loss of ACS CCD science capability in
late January.
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT # 4335
PERIOD COVERED: UT April 06, 2007 (DOY 095)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
WFPC2 10880
The host galaxies of QSO2s: AGN feeding and evolution at
high
luminosities
Now that the presence of supermassive black holes in the
nuclei of
galaxies is a well established fact, other questions
related to the AGN
phenomena still have to be answered. Problems of
particular interest are
how the AGN gets fed, how the black hole evolves and how
the evolution
of the black hole is related to the evolution of the
galaxy bulge. Here
we propose to address some of these issues using ACS/WFC +
F775W
snapshot images of 73 QSO2s with redshifts in the range
0.3<z<0.4. These
observations will be combined with similar archival data
of QSO1s and
ground based data of Seyfert and normal galaxies. First,
we will
intestigate whether interactions are the most important
feeding
mechanism in high luminosity AGNs. This will be done in a
quantitative
way, comparing the asymmetry indices of QSO2 hosts with
those of lower
luminosity AGNs and normal galaxies. Second, we will do a
detailed study
of the morphology of the host galaxies of both QSO types,
to determine
if they are similar, or if there is an evolutionary trend
from QSO2s to
QSO1s. The results from this project will represent an
important step in
the understanding of AGN evolution, and may also introduce
a substantial
modification to the Unified Model.
NIC1 10859
Precise Measurements of Sgr A* Flare Activity
Correlated X-ray and near-IR flare emission from Sgr A*,
the closest
supermassive black hole, contains information about the hydrodynamics,
energetics, and accretion behavior of matter within the
innermost ten
Schwarzschild radii of the hole. We propose HST/NICMOS
observations of
near-IR flares, in conjunction with already approved
obsrevations using
XMM-Newton {214 ksec} and CSO {3 nights}, which can make
the precise,
new measurements necessary to understand the radiation
mechanism and low
luminosity of Sgr A*. HST/NICMOS is required due to its
very low and
stable background, and its stable, tightly focused PSF,
which allow
accurate measurement of fainter flares than can be
observed using
groundbased adaptive optics systems. We will measure the
spectral index
distribution, the time-averaged flux and duration of
flares, and the
statistics of flare activity, and will confirm previously
reported
quasi-periodic variability. These measurements will have
far-reaching
implications for testing the inverse
synchrotron models of low-luminosity flares, for
understanding the
process of accretion onto and outflow from supermassive
black holes, and
for constraining the acceleration mechanism of flares and
the inferred
black hole spin. This knowledge, in turn, will help us
understand more
generally low-luminosity AGN and X-ray binaries in a very
low/quiescent
accretion state.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8795
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 6
A new proceedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence
problem of
NICMOS. Dark frames will be obtained immediately upon
exiting the SAA
contour 23, and everytime 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.
WFPC2 10827
Imaging Polarimetry of the Seyfert 1 MCG-6-30-15: Clues to
the Structure
of Warm Absorbers
Imaging polarimetry at high spatial resolution, which is
only possible
with HST, offers a potentially powerful new tool for
determining the
orientation and geometry of AGN containing warm absorbers.
These
absorbed AGN tend to be more highly polarized than
unabsorbed Type 1s,
but less polarized than Type 2s. If the polarized flux is
due to a polar
scattering region as seen in polarized flux images of
Seyfert 2s,
imaging polarimetry of nearby absorbed Type 1 objects
using HST can
detect and resolve these scattering regions. We propose to
make the
first HST imaging polarimetry study of an absorbed Seyfert
1 by
obtaining broad-band polarization images with WFPC2 of the
prototypical
"dusty warm absorber" in MCG-6-30-15 {z=0.0077,
D~33 Mpc}. We will
measure the wavelength dependence of the polarized light
free from
dilution by the host galaxy starlight in order to assess
whether the
polarization is due to a nuclear scattering region or
dichroic
transmission through the absorbing dust. These
observations will enable
us to {1} use the wavelength dependence of unresolved
polarized flux to
understand the properties of the absorbing dust suggested
by X-ray
spectral features attributed to Fe~I absorption, and {2}
test whether
polarization in warm absorbers is due to resolved polar
scattering
regions. Resolving the scattering region in a moderately
polarized
Seyfert 1 such as MCG-6-30-15 will let us answer the
question of whether
line-of-sight inclination can be directly linked to
observed outflow
characteristics, as suggested by the most recent unified
models of AGN
outflows.
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 11079
Treasury Imaging of Star Forming Regions in the Local
Group:
Complementing the GALEX and NOAO Surveys
We propose to use WFPC2 to image the most interesting
star-forming
regions in the Local Group galaxies, to resolve their
young stellar
populations. We will use a set of filters including F170W,
which is
critical to detect and characterize the most massive
stars, to whose hot
temperatures colors at longer wavelengths are not
sensitive. WFPC2's
field of view ideally matches the typical size of the
star-forming
regions, and its spatial resolution allows us to measure
indvidual
stars, given the proximity of these galaxies. The
resulting H- R
diagrams will enable studies of star-formation properties
in these
regions, which cover largely differing metallicities {a
factor of 17,
compared to the factor of 4 explored so far} and
characteristics. The
results will further our understanding of the
star-formation process, of
the interplay between massive stars and environment, the
properties of
dust, and will provide the key to interpret integrated
measurements of
star-formation indicators {UV, IR, Halpha} available for
several
hundreds more distant galaxies. Our recent deep surveys of
these
galaxies with GALEX {FUV, NUV} and ground-based imaging
{UBVRI, Halpha,
[OIII] and [SII]} provided the identification of the most
relevant SF
sites. In addition to our scientific analysis, we will
provide catalogs
of HST photometry in 6 bands, matched corollary ground-based
data, and
UV, Halpha and IR integrated measurements of the
associations, for
comparison of integrated star-formation indices to the
resolved
populations. We envisage an EPO component.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are
preliminary reports
of potential non-nominal performance that will be
investigated.)
HSTARS:
10767 - REacq(1,2,1) failed to RGA control
During LOS the REacq(1,2,1) scheduled at 096/00:11:00 failed to RGA
control. At AOS 00:38:00 there were no flag indicating why the REacq
failed.
The REacq at 1:52:29 was not attempted. There was a transition to M2G
due to ESB 1806 Open Loop Timer.
10768 - FHST 2 Stuck on Bottom
At
05:13:55 mnemonic F2SOB was observed out of limit with value of 62.0,
indicating FHST 2 Stuck On Bottom condition. ("Activate SSPC Macro for
FHST #2") was executed. F2SOB went back in bounds at 05:17:43.
OBAD at 05:10:05 showed correction of V1 = 1.42, V2 = -22.20, V3 =
10.92, RSS = 24.78
OBAD at 05:18:00 showed correction of V1 = 262106.49, V2 = -166654.94,
V3
= 298710.57, RSS = 430931.21
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq
10
10
FGS
REacq
05
03
OBAD with Maneuver
30
29
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)