HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT       # 4616

PERIOD COVERED: 5am May 21 - 5am May 22, 2008 (DOY 142/0900z-143/0900z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

FGS 11210

The Architecture of Exoplanetary Systems

Are all planetary systems coplanar? Concordance cosmogony makes that

prediction. It is, however, a prediction of extrasolar planetary system

architecture as yet untested by direct observation for main sequence

stars other than the Sun. To provide such a test, we propose to carry

out FGS astrometric studies on four stars hosting seven companions. Our

understanding of the planet formation process will grow as we match not

only system architecture, but formed planet mass and true distance from

the primary with host star characteristics for a wide variety of host

stars and exoplanet masses. We propose that a series of FGS astrometric

observations with demonstrated 1 millisecond of arc per-observation

precision can establish the degree of coplanarity and component true

masses for four extrasolar systems: HD 202206 {brown dwarf+planet}; HD

128311 {planet+planet}, HD 160691 = mu Arae {planet+planet}, and HD

222404AB = gamma Cephei {planet+star}. In each case the companion is

identified as such by assuming that the minimum mass is the actual mass.

For the last target, a known stellar binary system, the companion orbit

is stable only if coplanar with the AB binary orbit.

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 11120

A Paschen-Alpha Study of Massive Stars and the ISM in the Galactic

Center

The Galactic center (GC) is a unique site for a detailed study of a

multitude of complex astrophysical phenomena, which may be common to

nuclear regions of many galaxies. Observable at resolutions

unapproachable in other galaxies, the GC provides an unparalleled

opportunity to improve our understanding of the interrelationships of

massive stars, young stellar clusters, warm and hot ionized gases,

molecular clouds, large scale magnetic fields, and black holes. We

propose the first large-scale hydrogen Paschen alpha line survey of the

GC using NICMOS on the Hubble Space Telescope. This survey will lead to

a high resolution and high sensitivity map of the Paschen alpha line

emission in addition to a map of foreground extinction, made by

comparing Paschen alpha to radio emission. This survey of the inner 75

pc of the Galaxy will provide an unprecedented and complete search for

sites of massive star formation. In particular, we will be able to (1)

uncover the distribution of young massive stars in this region, (2)

locate the surfaces of adjacent molecular clouds, (3) determine

important physical parameters of the ionized gas, (4) identify compact

and ultra-compact HII regions throughout the GC. When combined with

existing Chandra and Spitzer surveys as well as a wealth of other

multi-wavelength observations, the results will allow us to address such

questions as where and how massive stars form, how stellar clusters are

disrupted, how massive stars shape and heat the surrounding medium, and

how various phases of this medium are interspersed.

NIC3 11195

Morphologies of the Most Extreme High-Redshift Mid-IR-luminous Galaxies

II: The `Bump' Sources

The formative phase of some 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, and thus far we have been restricted to

studying the 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 optically extremely faint {R>26} but nevertheless bright at

mid-infrared wavelengths {F[24um] > 0.5 mJy}. Mid-infrared spectroscopy

with Spitzer/IRS reveals that they have redshifts z~2, implying

luminosities ~1E13 Lsun. Their mid-IR SEDs fall into two broad, perhaps

overlapping, categories. Sources with brighter F[24um] exhibit power-law

SEDs and SiO absorption features in their mid-IR spectra characteristic

of AGN, whereas those with fainter F[24um] show a "bump" characteristic

of the redshifted 1.6um peak from a stellar population, and PAH emission

characteristic of starformation. We have begun obtaining HST images of

the brighter sources in Cycle 15 to obtain identifications and determine

kpc-scale morphologies for these galaxies. Here, we aim to target the

second class {the "bump" sources} with the goal of determining if these

constitute morphologically different objects, or simply a "low-AGN"

state of the brighter class. The proposed observations will help us

determine whether these objects are merging systems, massive obscured

starbursts {with obscuration on kpc scales!} or very reddened {locally

obscured} AGN hosted by intrinsically low-luminosity galaxies.

NIC3 11334

NICMOS Cycle 16 Spectrophotometry

Observation of the three primary WD flux standards must be repeated to

refine the NICMOS absolute calibration and monitor for sensitivity

degradation. So far, NICMOS grism spectrophotometry is available for

only ~16 stars with good STIS spectra at shorter wavelengths. There are

more in the HST CALSPEC standard star data base with good STIS spectra

that would also become precise IR standards with NICMOS absolute SED

measurements. Monitoring the crucial three very red stars (M, L, T) for

variability and better S/N in the IR. Apparent variability was

discovered at shorter wavelengths during the ACS cross-calibration work

that revealed a ~2% discrepancy of the cool star fluxes with respect to

the hot primary WD standards. About a third of these stars are bright

enough to do in one orbit, the rest require 2 orbits.

WFPC2 11227

The orbital period for an ultraluminous X-ray source in NGC1313

The ultraluminous X-ray sources {ULXs} are extragalactic point sources

with luminosities that exceed the Eddington luminosity for conventional

stellar-mass black holes by factors of 10 - 100. It has been hotly

debated whether the ULXs are just common stellar-mass black hole sources

with beamed emission or whether they are sub-Eddington sources that are

powered by the long-sought intermediate mass black holes {IMBH}. To

firmly decide this question, one must obtain dynamical mass measurements

through photometric and spectroscopic monitoring of the secondaries of

these system. The crucial first step is to establish the orbital period

of a ULX, and arguably the best way to achieve this goal is by

monitoring its ellipsoidal light curve. The extreme ULX NGC1313 X-2

provides an outstanding target for an orbital period determination

because its relatively bright optical counterpart {V = 23.5} showed a

15% variation between two HST observations separated by three months.

This level of variability is consistent with that expected for a tidally

distorted secondary star. Here we propose a set of 20 imaging

observations with HST/WFPC2 to define the orbital period. This would be

the first photometric measurement of the orbital period of a ULX binary.

Subsequently, we will propose to obtain spectroscopic observations to

obtain its radial velocity amplitude and thereby a dynamical estimate of

its mass.

WFPC2 11235

HST NICMOS Survey of the Nuclear Regions 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 enhanced star formation and Active

Galactic Nuclei {AGN} activity, possibly triggered as the objects

transform into massive S0 and elliptical merger remnants. We propose

NICMOS NIC2 imaging of the nuclear regions of a complete sample of 88

L_IR > 10^11.4 L_sun luminous infrared galaxies in the IRAS Revised

Bright Galaxy Sample {RBGS: i.e., 60 micron flux density > 5.24 Jy}.

This sample is ideal not only in its completeness and sample size, but

also in the proximity and brightness of the galaxies. The superb

sensitivity and resolution of NICMOS NIC2 on HST enables a unique

opportunity to study the detailed structure of the nuclear regions,

where dust obscuration may mask star clusters, AGN and additional nuclei

from optical view, with a resolution significantly higher than possible

with Spitzer IRAC. This survey thus provides a crucial component to our

study of the dynamics and evolution of IR galaxies presently underway

with Wide-Field, HST ACS/WFC and Spitzer IRAC observations of these 88

galaxies. Imaging will be done with the F160W filter {H-band} to examine

as a function of both luminosity and merger stage {i} the luminosity and

distribution of embedded star clusters, {ii} the presence of optically

obscured AGN and nuclei, {iii} the correlation between the distribution

of 1.6 micron emission and the mid- IR emission as detected by Spitzer

IRAC, {iv} the evidence of bars or bridges that may funnel fuel into the

nuclear region, and {v} the ages of star clusters for which photometry

is available via ACS/WFC observations. The NICMOS data, combined with

the HST ACS, Spitzer, and GALEX observations of this sample, will result

in the most comprehensive study of merging and interacting galaxies to

date.

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               11                  11                      

FGS REacq               03                  03         

OBAD with Maneuver 28                  28                                     

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)