HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #5114

PERIOD COVERED: 5am June 9 - 5am June 10, 2010 (DOY 160/09:00z-161/09:00z)

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              5               5

FGS REAcq             10              10       

OBAD with Maneuver 2               2

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED:

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.

ACS/WFC3 11882

CCD Hot Pixel Annealing

This program continues the monthly anneal that has taken place every

four weeks for the last three cycles. We now obtain WFC biases and darks

before and after the anneal in the same sequence as is done for the ACS

daily monitor (now done 4 times per week). So the anneal observation

supplements the monitor observation sets during the appropriate week.

Extended Pixel Edge Response (EPER) and First Pixel Response (FPR) data

will be obtained over a range of signal levels for the Wide Field

Channel (WFC). This program emulates the ACS pre-flight ground

calibration and post-launch SMOV testing (program 8948), so that results

from each epoch can be directly compared. The High Resolution Channel

(HRC) visits have been removed since it could not be repaired during

SM4.

This program also assesses the read noise, bias structure, and amplifier

cross-talk of ACS/WFC using the GAIN=1.4 A/D conversion setting. This

investigation serves as a precursor to a more comprehensive study of WFC

performance using GAIN=1.4.

COS/NUV 11705

Physical Properties of Quasar Outflows: From BALs to Mini-BALs

Accretion disk outflows are important components of quasar environments.

They might play a major role in facilitating accretion, regulating star

formation in the host galaxies and distributing metals to the

surrounding gas. They reveal themselves most conspicuously via broad

absorption lines (BALs), but they appear even more frequently in other

guises such as the weaker and narrower "mini-BALs." How are these

diverse outflow features related? Are mini-BALs really just "mini"

versions of the BALs, or do they represent a fundamentally different

type of outflow, with different degrees of ionization, column densities,

mass loss rates, physical origins, etc.?

We propose HST-COS spectroscopy to make the first quantitative

assessment of the outflow physical conditions across the full range of

weak/narrow mini-BALs to strong/broad BALs. Our strategy is to measure

key diagnostic lines (SVI, OVI, CIII, SIV, PV, etc.) at 930A - 1130A

(rest- frame) in a sample of 7 outflow quasars with known mini-BALs

through weak BALs. We will then 1) combine the COS data with

ground-based spectra of the same quasars to include more lines (CIV,

SiIV) at longer wavelengths, and 2) include in our analysis a nearly

identical UV/optical dataset obtained previously for a sample of quasars

with strong BALs. Our study of this combined dataset will be an

essential next step toward a more global understanding of quasar

outflows.

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.

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/IR 11696

Infrared Survey of Star Formation Across Cosmic Time

We propose to use the unique power of WFC3 slitless spectroscopy to

measure the evolution of cosmic star formation from the end of the

reionization epoch at z>6 to the close of the galaxy- building era at

z~0.3.Pure parallel observations with the grisms have proven to be

efficient for identifying line emission from galaxies across a broad

range of redshifts. The G102 grism on WFC3 was designed to extend this

capability to search for Ly-alpha emission from the first galaxies.

Using up to 250 orbits of pure parallel WFC3 spectroscopy, we will

observe about 40 deep (4-5 orbit) fields with the combination of G102

and G141, and about 20 shallow (2-3 orbit) fields with G141 alone.

Our primary science goals at the highest redshifts are: (1) Detect Lya

in ~100 galaxies with z>5.6 and measure the evolution of the Lya

luminosity function, independent of of cosmic variance; 2) Determine the

connection between emission line selected and continuum-break selected

galaxies at these high redshifts, and 3) Search for the proposed

signature of neutral hydrogen absorption at re-ionization. At

intermediate redshifts we will (4) Detect more than 1000 galaxies in

Halpha at 0.5<z<1.8 to measure the evolution of the extinction-corrected

star formation density across the peak epoch of star formation. This is

over an order-of-magnitude improvement in the current statistics, from

the NICMOS Parallel grism survey. (5) Trace ``cosmic downsizing" from

0.5<z<2.2; and (6) Estimate the evolution in reddening and metallicty in

star- forming galaxies and measure the evolution of the Seyfert

population. For hundreds of spectra we will be able to measure one or

even two line pair ratios -- in particular, the Balmer decrement and

[OII]/[OIII] are sensitive to gas reddening and metallicity. As a bonus,

the G102 grism offers the possibility of detecting Lya emission at

z=7-8.8.

To identify single-line Lya emitters, we will exploit the wide

0.8--1.9um wavelength coverage of the combined G102+G141 spectra. All

[OII] and [OIII] interlopers detected in G102 will be reliably separated

from true LAEs by the detection of at least one strong line in the G141

spectrum, without the need for any ancillary data. We waive all

proprietary rights to our data and will make high-level data products

available through the ST/ECF.

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/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/UV 12019

After the Fall: Fading AGN in Post-starburst Galaxies

We propose joint Chandra and HST observations of an extraordinary sample

of 12 massive post-starburst galaxies at z=0.4-0.8 that are in the

short-lived evolution phase a few 100 Myr after the peak of

merger-driven star formation and AGN activity. We will use the data to

measure X-ray luminosities, black hole masses, and accretion rates; and

with the accurate "clocks" provided by post-starburst stellar

populations, we will directly test theoretical models that predict a

power-law decay in the AGN light curve. We will also test whether star

formation and black hole accretion shut down in lock-step, quantify

whether the black holes transition to radiatively inefficient accretion

states, and constrain the observational signatures of black hole

mergers.

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.

WFC3/UVIS 11697

Proper Motion Survey of Classical and SDSS Local Group Dwarf Galaxies

Using the superior resolution of HST, we propose to continue our proper

motion survey of Galactic dwarf galaxies. The target galaxies include

one classical dwarf, Leo II, and six that were recently identified in

the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data: Bootes I, Canes Venatici I, Canes

Venatici II, Coma Berenices, Leo IV, and Ursa Major II. We will observe

a total of 16 fields, each centered on a spectroscopically-confirmed

QSO. Using QSOs as standards of rest in measuring absolute proper

motions has proven to be the most accurate and most efficient method.

HST is our only option to quickly determine the space motions of the

SDSS dwarfs because suitable ground-based imaging is only a few years

old and such data need several decades to produce a proper motion. The

two most distant galaxies in our sample will require time baselines of

four years to achieve our goal of a 30-50 km/s uncertainty in the

tangential velocity; given this and the finite lifetime of HST, it is

imperative that first-epoch observations be taken in this cycle. The

SDSS dwarfs have dramatically lower surface brightnesses and

luminosities than the classical dwarfs. Proper motions are crucial for

determining orbits of the galaxies and knowing the orbits will allow us

to test theories for the formation and evolution of these galaxies and,

more generally, for the formation of the Local Group.

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/IR 11700

Bright Galaxies at z>7.5 with a WFC3 Pure Parallel Survey

The epoch of reionization represents a special moment in the history of

the Universe as it is during this era that the first galaxies and star

clusters are formed. Reionization also profoundly affects the

environment where subsequent generations of galaxies evolve. Our

overarching goal is to test the hypothesis that galaxies are responsible

for reionizing neutral hydrogen. To do so we propose to carry out a pure

parallel WFC3 survey to constrain the bright end of the redshift z>7.5

galaxy luminosity function on a total area of 176 arcmin^2 of sky.

Extrapolating the evolution of the luminosity function from z~6, we

expect to detect about 20 Lyman Break Galaxies brighter than M_* at z~8

significantly improving the current sample of only a few galaxies known

at these redshifts. Finding significantly fewer objects than predicted

on the basis of extrapolation from z=6 would set strong limits to the

brightness of M_*, highlighting a fast evolution of the luminosity

function with the possible implication that galaxies alone cannot

reionize the Universe. Our observations will find the best candidates

for spectroscopic confirmation, that is bright z>7.5 objects, which

would be missed by small area deeper surveys. The random pointing nature

of the program is ideal to beat cosmic variance, especially severe for

luminous massive galaxies, which are strongly clustered. In fact our

survey geometry of 38 independent fields will constrain the luminosity

function like a contiguous single field survey with two times more area

at the same depth. Lyman Break Galaxies at z>7.5 down to m_AB=26.85 (5

sigma) in F125W will be selected as F098M dropouts, using three to five

orbits visits that include a total of four filters (F606W, F098M, F125W,

F160W) optimized to remove low-redshift interlopers and cool stars. Our

data will be highly complementary to a deep field search for high- z

galaxies aimed at probing the faint end of the luminosity function,

allowing us to disentangle the degeneracy between faint end slope and

M_* in a Schechter function fit of the luminosity function. We waive

proprietary rights for the data. In addition, we commit to release the

coordinates and properties of our z>7.5 candidates within one month from

the acquisition of each field.