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.