HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT #4727
PERIOD COVERED: 5am October 29 - 5am October 30, 2008 (DOY
303/0900z-304/0900z)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
ACS/SBC 11322
BEA UV Contamination Monitor
The observations consist of imaging and spectroscopy with
ACS/SBC of the
scaled
with the F122M, F150LP, F165LP filters and the PR130L
prism. The
observations will allow any UV contamination to be
monitored by
comparing these data with identical observations to be
obtaining during
the BEA phase of SMOV4. Also included are a suite of
internal Deuterium
lamp flat fields to be acquired shortly before the
servicing mission for
comparison with exactly the same set to be acquired in
SMOV/11398.
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.
WFPC2 11130
AGNs with Intermediate-mass Black Holes: Testing the Black
Hole-Bulge
Paradigm, Part II
The recent progress in the study of central black holes in
galactic
nuclei has led to a general consensus that supermassive
{10^6-10^9 solar
mass} black holes are closely connected with the formation
and
evolutionary history of large galaxies, especially their
bulge
component. Two outstanding issues, however, remain unresolved.
Can
central black holes form in the absence of a bulge? And
does the mass
function of central black holes extend below 10^6 solar
masses?
Intermediate-mass black holes {<10^6 solar masses}, if
they exist, may
offer important clues to the nature of the seeds of
supermassive black
holes. Using the SDSS, our group has successfully
uncovered a new
population of AGNs with intermediate-mass black holes that
reside in
low-luminosity galaxies. However, very little is known
about the
detailed morphologies or structural parameters of the host
galaxies
themselves, including the crucial question of whether they
have bulges
or not. Surprisingly, the majority of the targets of our
Cycle 14 pilot
program have structural properties similar to dwarf
elliptical galaxies.
The statistics from this initial study, however, are
really too sparse
to reach definitive conclusions on this important new
class of black
holes. We wish to extend this study to a larger sample, by
using the
Snapshot mode to obtain WFPC2 F814W images from a parent
sample of 175
AGNs with intermediate- mass black holes selected from our
final SDSS
search. We are particularly keen to determine whether the
hosts contain
bulges, and if so, how the fundamental plane properties of
the host
depend on the mass of their central black holes. We will
also
investigate the environment of this unique class of AGNs.
WFPC2 11289
SL2S: The Strong Lensing Legacy Survey
Recent systematic surveys of strong galaxy-galaxy lenses
{CLASS, SLACS,
GOODS, etc.} are producing spectacular results for galaxy
masses roughly
below a transition mass M~10^13 Mo. The observed lens
properties and
their evolution up to z~0.2, consistent with numerical
simulations, can
be described by isothermal elliptical potentials. In
contrast, modeling
of giant arcs in X-ray luminous clusters {halo masses M
>~10^13 Mo}
favors NFW mass profiles, suggesting that dark matter
halos are not
significantly affected by baryon cooling. Until recently,
lensing
surveys were neither deep nor extended enough to probe the
intermediate
mass density regime, which is fundamental for
understanding the assembly
of structures. The CFHT Legacy Survey now covers 125
square degrees, and
thus offers a large reservoir of strong lenses probing a
large range of
mass densities up to z~1. We have extracted a list of 150
strong lenses
using the most recent CFHTLS data release via automated
procedures.
Following our first SNAPSHOT proposal in cycle 15, we
propose to
continue the Hubble follow-up targeting a larger list of
130 lensing
candidates. These are intermediate mass range candidates
{between
galaxies and clusters} that are selected in the redshift
range of 0.2-1
with no a priori X-ray selection. The HST resolution is
necessary for
confirming the lensing candidates, accurate modeling of
the lenses, and
probing the total mass concentration in galaxy groups up
to z~1 with the
largest unbiased sample available to date.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary
reports
of potential non-nominal performance that will be
investigated.)
HSTARS:
11561 - GSAcq 2,1,2 failed to RGA Hold
At Acquisition of
data (303/21:39:54), GSAcq 2,1,2 scheduled from
303/21:12:52 -
21:20:03 had failed to RGA Hold due to QF2STOPF and QSTOP
flags being set.
Acquisition failed at 303/21:16:20.
Observations
affected: WFPC Proposal 11289, observations 102 - 104.
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq
11
10
FGS REacq
02
02
OBAD with Maneuver
26
26
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Flash Report ACS Recovered from Safe Mode:
ACS was successfully recovered via stored commanding from
Safe mode to
Operate mode at 303/13:36:00.
Flash Report ACS Recovered from Safe Mode Part 2:
The ACS SBC MAMA LV power supply was successfully
initialized @303/14:51
and all SBC MAMA voltages, currents, and temperatures were
within
operational ranges.