Notice: Due to the conversion of some ACS WFC or HRC observations
into
WFPC2, or NICMOS observations after
the loss of ACS CCD science
capability in January, there may be an
occasional discrepancy between a
proposal's listed (and correct) instrument
usage and the abstract that
follows it.
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT # 4456
PERIOD COVERED: UT September 26, 2007 (DOY 269)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
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.
NIC3 11082
NICMOS Imaging of GOODS: Probing the Evolution of the
Earliest Massive
Galaxies, Galaxies Beyond Reionization, and the High Redshift
Obscured
Universe
(uses ACS/SBC and WFPC2)
Deep near-infrared imaging provides the only avenue
towards
understanding a host of astrophysical
problems, including: finding
galaxies and AGN at z > 7, the
evolution of the most massive galaxies,
the triggering of star formation in
dusty galaxies, and revealing
properties of obscured AGN. As such, we
propose to observe 60 selected
areas of the GOODS North and South
fields with NICMOS Camera 3 in the
F160W band pointed at known massive M > 10^11 M_0
galaxies at z > 2
discovered through deep Spitzer imaging.
The depth we will reach {26.5
AB at 5 sigma} in H_160 allows us to study the internal
properties of
these galaxies, including their sizes
and morphologies, and to
understand how scaling relations such as
the Kormendy relationship
evolved. Although NIC3 is out of focus
and undersampled, it is currently
our best opportunity to study these
galaxies, while also sampling enough
area to perform a general NIR survey
1/3 the size of an ACS GOODS field.
These data will be a significant resource, invaluable for
many other
science goals, including discovering
high redshift galaxies at z > 7,
the evolution of galaxies onto the
Hubble sequence, as well as examining
obscured AGN and dusty star formation at
z > 1.5. The GOODS fields are
the natural location for HST to
perform a deep NICMOS imaging program,
as extensive data from space and
ground based observatories such as
Chandra, GALEX, Spitzer, NOAO, Keck, Subaru, VLT, JCMT,
and the VLA are
currently available for these regions.
Deep high-resolution
near-infrared observations are the one
missing ingredient to this
survey, filling in an important gap to
create the deepest, largest, and
most uniform data set for studying
the faint and distant universe. The
importance of these images will increase
with time as new facilities
come on line, most notably WFC3 and
ALMA, and for the planning of future
JWST observations.
NIC3 11107
Imaging of Local Lyman Break Galaxy Analogs: New Clues to
Galaxy
Formation in the Early Universe
We have used the ultraviolet all-sky imaging survey
currently being
conducted by the Galaxy Evolution
Explorer {GALEX} to identify for the
first time a rare population of low- redshift starbursts with properties
remarkably similar to high-redshift Lyman Break Galaxies {LBGs}.
These
"compact UV luminous
galaxies" {UVLGs} resemble LBGs
in terms of size,
SFR, surface brightness, mass, metallicity, kinematics, dust, and color.
The UVLG sample offers the unique opportunity of
investigating some very
important properties of LBGs that have remained virtually inaccessible
at high redshift:
their morphology and the mechanism that drives their
star formation. Therefore, in Cycle
15 we have imaged 7 UVLGs using ACS
in order to 1} characterize their
morphology and look for signs of
interactions and mergers, and 2} probe their
star formation histories
over a variety of timescales. The
images show a striking trend of
small-scale mergers turning large amounts
of gas into vigorous
starbursts {a process referred to as dissipational or "wet" merging}.
Here, we propose to complete our sample of 31 LBG analogs
using the
ACS/SBC F150LP {FUV} and WFPC2 F606W {R} filters in order
to create a
statistical sample to study the mechanism
that triggers star formation
in UVLGs
and its implications for the nature of LBGs.
Specifically, we
will 1} study the trend between
galaxy merging and SFR in UVLGs, 2}
artificially redshift
the FUV images to z=1-4 and compare morphologies
with those in similarly sized
samples of LBGs at the same rest-frame
wavelengths in e.g. GOODS, UDF, and COSMOS,
3} determine the presence
and morphology of significant
stellar mass in "pre-burst" stars, and 4}
study their immediate environment.
Together with our Spitzer
{IRAC+MIPS}, GALEX, SDSS and radio data, the HST observations
will form
a unique union of data that may
for the first time shed light on how the
earliest major episodes of star
formation in high redshift galaxies came
about. This proposal was adapted from
an ACS HRC+WFC proposal to meet
the new Cycle 16 observing
constraints, and can be carried out using the
ACS/SBC and WFPC2 without
compromising our original science goals.
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 11105
The LBV progenitor of SN 2005gl - a new key to massive
star evolution
puzzles
The currently accepted theory regarding the last stages of
massive star
evolution maintains that the evolution of
the envelope is coupled to
that of the stellar core. For this
reason, very massive stars are
expected to shed their outer hydrogen
envelopes before they develop
large iron cores, and ultimately,
explode as core-collapse supernovae
{SNe}. It is therefore a strict
prediction of current models that
massive stars {certainly those above
~40 solar mass} will explode as
hydrogen-poor SNe,
i.e., of Types Ib and Ic.
In particular, the class of
luminous blue variables {LBVs} such as eta-Carina, which
are known to be
very massive {up to 100 solar masses
and above} are expected to lose
their entire hydrogen envelopes prior
to their ultimate explosions as
SNe. However, using pre-explosion
HST/WFPC2 imaging of the location of
the recent hydrogen-rich type IIn SN 2005gl, we have identified {Gal-Yam
et al. 2007} its putative progenitor as a very luminous
point source
{with absolute V magnitude of
-10.2}. If this is a single star, it must
be an LBV from luminosity
considerations {no other stars are as
luminous}. If our progenitor
identification is correct, at least in some
cases, massive stars explode before
losing most of their hydrogen
envelope, indicating the core and
envelope are decoupled, and requiring
revision of stellar evolution theory.
Here, we propose a single-orbit
HST observation of the location of SN 2005gl designed to
test whether
the point source we identified as
its LBV progenitor has indeed
disappeared {as expected from a single
star} or remained unchanged {as
expected, e.g., if it is a compact star
cluster}. These data are the
last observational ingredient
required to firmly establish {or refute}
the explosion of an LBV as a type IIn SN, with fundamental implications
for the theory of massive star
evolution. Since the new data will be
compared to pre-explosion WFPC2 images,
this program is perfectly suited
to be carried out with the WFPC2
camera.
WFPC2/NIC2 11193
A comprehensive study of the low-mass stellar population
in the Galactic
starburst region NGC 3603
NGC 3603, located in the Carina spiral arm, is one of the
most luminous
giant HII regions in the Milky Way,
and as such it is often referred to
as a prime template for
extragalactic starbursts. While previous studies
were focusing on the high and
intermediate mass stellar content of the
central starburst cluster, which powers
the HII region, the effects of
the starburst environment with its
large number of ionizing O stars on
the emerging low- mass population
are unknown. As the most nearby, most
easily accessible starburst, NGC 3603
provides the best testbed to study
the long-lived, low-mass stars
originating from a starburst environment.
Taking advantage of the large field of view and high
sensitivity of
WFPC2, we want to survey the stellar population in an area
of 10pc x
10pc {6' x 6'} down to a mass
limit of 0.2 to 0.5 Mo. This will enable
us to derive the total cluster
mass, look for spatial variations in the
initial mass function, determine the
age of the dispersed low-mass
population in the HII region and search
for evidence of sequential star
formation. Ultimately, we aim at
reconstructing the low-mass stellar
initial mass function of the starburst
epoch in NGC 3603, which in turn
will advance our understanding of
extragalactic starburst phenomena and
the emerging low-mass stars as
observed in ancient populations. The
observations of NGC 3603 are part of our
larger effort to study intense
star-forming regions in the Milky Way, LMC
and SMC.
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
06
06
FGS REacq
08
08
OBAD with Maneuver
28
28
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)
-
____________________________________________________________
Lynn F. Bassford
Hubble Space Telescope
CHAMP
CHAMP Flight Operations Team Manager
Lockheed Martin
NASA GSFC PH#: 301-286-2876
"The Hubble Space Telescope is the
astronomical observatory and key to unlocking the most cosmic mysteries of the
past, present and future." - 7/26/6