HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

 

DAILY REPORT #5157

 

PERIOD COVERED: 5am August 10 - 5am August 11, 2010 (DOY 222/09:00z-223/09:00z)

 

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               7                    7               

FGS REAcq               8                    8                

OBAD with Maneuver 6                    6                

 

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

 

 

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

 

COS/NUV/FUV 11728

 

The Impact of Starbursts on the Gaseous Halos of Galaxies

 

Perhaps the most important (yet uncertain) aspects of galaxy evolution

are the processes by which galaxies accrete gas and by which the

resulting star formation and black hole growth affects this accreting

gas. It is believed that both the form of the accretion and the nature

of the feedback change as a function of the galaxy mass. At low mass the

gas comes in cold and the feedback is provided by massive stars. At high

mass, the gas comes in hot, and the feedback is from an AGN. The

changeover occurs near the mass where the galaxy population transitions

from star-forming galaxies to red and dead ones. The population of red

and dead galaxies is building with cosmic time, and it is believed that

feedback plays an important role in this process: shutting down star

formation by heating and/or expelling the reservoir of cold halo gas. To

investigate these ideas, we propose to use COS far-UV spectra of

background QSOs to measure the properties of the halo gas in a sample of

galaxies near the transition mass that have undergone starbursts within

the past 100 Myr to 1 Gyr. The galactic wind associated with the

starburst is predicted to have affected the properties of the gaseous

halo. To test this, we will compare the properties of the halos of the

post-starburst galaxies to those of a control sample of galaxies matched

in mass and QSO impact parameter. Do the halos of the post-starburst

galaxies show a higher incidence rate of Ly-Alpha and metal

absorption-lines? Are the kinematics of the halo gas more disturbed in

the post-starbursts? Has the wind affected the ionization state and/or

the metallicity of the halo? These data will provide fresh new insights

into the role of feedback from massive stars on the evolution of

galaxies, and may also offer clues about the properties of the QSO metal

absorption-line systems at high-redshift .

 

COS/NUV/S/CCD/FUV 12082

 

Extending COS/G130M Coverage Down to 905A With Two New Central

Wavelengths.

 

These exploratory observations will provide sensitivity, wavelength

range, and resolution measurements for two new COS FUV G130M central

wavelength settings. These new settings will extend COS/G130M coverage

down to 905? in two new bandpasses; 1021-1171? (BLUE) and 905-1055?

(Ultra-BLUE). The modes are chosen to provide continuous coverage from

905? to the existing coverage in the G130M/1291? setting with

approximately 30? of overlap in each mode for cross-calibration

purposes. No focus adjustments will be made for these settings, as this

is deemed an unnecessary risk to COS.

 

These new modes have the potential to provide greater than FUSE

sensitivity at moderate (3, 000-5, 000) resolution.

 

Three WD targets are defined;

 

1) GD50 (GSC-04717-00588; a well observed standard WD) 2) WD0320-539

(GSC-08493-00891, one of the targets used in exploring the G140L

sensitivity), 3) REJ0503-289 (WD-5001-289 = GSC-04717-00588, a hot EUVE

bright WD)

 

But only target 2) is used at this time.

 

In the observations section, G130M/1291A is a placeholder for the BLUE

and Super-BLUE settings.

 

STIS/CCD 11845

 

CCD Dark Monitor Part 2

 

Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.

 

STIS/CCD 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.

 

STIS/CCD 11849

 

STIS CCD Hot Pixel Annealing

 

This purpose of this activity is to repair radiation induced hot pixel

damage to the STIS CCD by warming the CCD to the ambient instrument

temperature and annealing radiation-damaged pixels.

 

Radiation damage creates hot pixels in the STIS CCD Detector. Many of

these hot pixels can be repaired by warming the CCD from its normal

operating temperature near -83 deg. C to the ambient instrument

temperature (~ +5 deg. C) for several hours. The number of hot pixels

repaired is a function of annealing temperature. The effectiveness of

the CCD hot pixel annealing process is assessed by measuring the dark

current behavior before and after annealing and by searching for any

window contamination effects.

 

STIS/CCD/MA2 11568

 

A SNAPSHOT Survey of the Local Interstellar Medium: New NUV Observations

of Stars with Archived FUV Observations

 

We propose to obtain high-resolution STIS E230H SNAP observations of

MgII and FeII interstellar absorption lines toward stars within 100

parsecs that already have moderate or high-resolution far-UV (FUV),

900-1700 A, observations available in the MAST Archive. Fundamental

properties, such as temperature, turbulence, ionization, abundances, and

depletions of gas in the local interstellar medium (LISM) can be

measured by coupling such observations. Due to the wide spectral range

of STIS, observations to study nearby stars also contain important data

about the LISM embedded within their spectra. However, unlocking this

information from the intrinsically broad and often saturated FUV

absorption lines of low-mass ions, (DI, CII, NI, OI), requires first

understanding the kinematic structure of the gas along the line of

sight. This can be achieved with high resolution spectra of high-mass

ions, (FeII, MgII), which have narrow absorption lines, and can resolve

each individual velocity component (interstellar cloud). By obtaining

short (~10 minute) E230H observations of FeII and MgII, for stars that

already have moderate or high- resolution FUV spectra, we can increase

the sample of LISM measurements, and thereby expand our knowledge of the

physical properties of the gas in our galactic neighborhood. STIS is the

only instrument capable of obtaining the required high resolution data

now or in the foreseeable future.

 

WFC3/ACS/IR 11563

 

Galaxies at z~7-10 in the Reionization Epoch: Luminosity Functions to

<0.2L* from Deep IR Imaging of the HUDF and HUDF05 Fields

 

The first generations of galaxies were assembled around redshifts

z~7-10+, just 500-800 Myr after recombination, in the heart of the

reionization of the universe. We know very little about galaxies in this

period. Despite great effort with HST and other telescopes, less than

~15 galaxies have been reliably detected so far at z>7, contrasting with

the ~1000 galaxies detected to date at z~6, just 200-400 Myr later, near

the end of the reionization epoch. WFC3 IR can dramatically change this

situation, enabling derivation of the galaxy luminosity function and its

shape at z~7-8 to well below L*, measurement of the UV luminosity

density at z~7-8 and z~8-9, and estimates of the contribution of

galaxies to reionization at these epochs, as well as characterization of

their properties (sizes, structure, colors). A quantitative leap in our

understanding of early galaxies, and the timescales of their buildup,

requires a total sample of ~100 galaxies at z~7-8 to ~29 AB mag. We can

achieve this with 192 WFC3 IR orbits on three disjoint fields

(minimizing cosmic variance): the HUDF and the two nearby deep fields of

the HUDF05. Our program uses three WFC3 IR filters, and leverages over

600 orbits of existing ACS data, to identify, with low contamination, a

large sample of over 100 objects at z~7-8, a very useful sample of ~23

at z~8-9, and limits at z~10. By careful placement of the WFC3 IR and

parallel ACS pointings, we also enhance the optical ACS imaging on the

HUDF and a HUDF05 field. We stress (1) the need to go deep, which is

paramount to define L*, the shape, and the slope alpha of the luminosity

function (LF) at these high redshifts; and (2) the far superior

performance of our strategy, compared with the use of strong lensing

clusters, in detecting significant samples of faint z~7-8 galaxies to

derive their luminosity function and UV ionizing flux. Our recent z~7.4

NICMOS results show that wide-area IR surveys, even of GOODS-like depth,

simply do not reach faint enough at z~7-9 to meet the LF and UV flux

objectives. In the spirit of the HDF and the HUDF, we will waive any

proprietary period, and will also deliver the reduced data to STScI. The

proposed data will provide a Legacy resource of great value for a wide

range of archival science investigations of galaxies at redshifts z~2-9.

The data are likely to remain the deepest IR/optical images until JWST

is launched, and will provide sources for spectroscopic follow up by

JWST, ALMA and EVLA.

 

WFC3/IR 11671

 

Kinematic Reconstruction of the Origin and IMF of the Massive Young

Clusters at the Galactic Center

 

We propose to exploit the wide field capabilities of Wide Field Camera 3

to study star formation at the Galactic center. By studying young stars

located in the most physically extreme region of our Galaxy, we can test

star formation theories, which suggest that such environments should

favor high mass stars and, in extreme cases, should suppress star

formation entirely. Specifically, we will measure the proper motions and

photometry of stars over the full extent of the three massive young

clusters that have been identified at the Galactic Center (Arches,

Quintuplet, and the Young Nuclear Star Cluster). These observations are

a factor of ?2000 more efficient than what can be done with ground-based

adaptive optics. Our goals are two-fold. First, we hope to establish the

initial sites of star formation in order to obtain an accurate estimate

of the conditions that led to the stellar populations within these

clusters. Answering this question for the Young Nuclear Star Cluster is

particularly important as it establishes whether or not star formation

can indeed proceed within 0.1 pc of our Galaxy’s supermassive black

hole. Second, we will measure the IMF in the Arches and Quintuplet,

where dynamical evolution is less severe, using proper motions to

determine membership and to reveal the tidal radius. Probing how the

properties of the emergent stellar populations within our Galaxy may be

affected by the physical environment in which they arise is an important

first step to understanding how they might vary as a function of cosmic

time and thereby affect our models of galaxy formation and evolution.

 

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/UVIS 11903

 

UVIS Photometric Zero Points

 

This proposal obtains the photometric zero points in 53 of the 62

UVIS/WFC3 filters: the 18 broad-band filters, 8 medium-band filters, 16

narrow-band filters, and 11 of the 20 quad filters (those being used in

cycle 17). The observations will be primary obtained by observing the

hot DA white dwarf standards GD153 and G191-B2B. A redder secondary

standard, P330E, will be observed in a subset of the filters to provide

color corrections. Repeat observations in 16 of the most widely used

cycle 17 filters will be obtained once per month for the first three

months, and then once every second month for the duration of cycle 17,

alternating and depending on target availability. These observations

will enable monitoring of the stability of the photometric system.

Photometric transformation equations will be calculated by comparing the

photometry of stars in two globular clusters, 47 Tuc and NGC 2419, to

previous measurements with other telescopes/instruments.

 

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 11908

 

Cycle 17: UVIS Bowtie Monitor

 

Ground testing revealed an intermittent hysteresis type effect in the

UVIS detector (both CCDs) at the level of ~1%, lasting hours to days.

Initially found via an unexpected bowtie-shaped feature in flatfield

ratios, subsequent lab tests on similar e2v devices have since shown

that it is also present as simply an overall offset across the entire

CCD, i.e., a QE offset without any discernable pattern. These lab tests

have further revealed that overexposing the detector to count levels

several times full well fills the traps and effectively neutralizes the

bowtie. Each visit in this proposal acquires a set of three 3x3 binned

internal flatfields: the first unsaturated image will be used to detect

any bowtie, the second, highly exposed image will neutralize the bowtie

if it is present, and the final image will allow for verification that

the bowtie is gone.

 

 

-Lynn                                                  

Lynn F. Bassford               office#: 301-286-2876  
Hubble Space Telescope
CHAMP Mission Operations Manager
CHAMP Flight Operations Team Manager
Lockheed Martin Mission Services (LMMS)

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