HST Daily Report # 3330
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT # 3330
PERIOD COVERED: DOYs 87-89
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
ACS 9669
ACS coronagraph stability and vignetting
This is a two-part activity for the purposes of {1} monitoring the
positions ACS
coronagraph’s occulting spots and the "Fastie Finger, " and {2}
determining the
vignetting effects and the ability to flat field images of both point and
extended sources near the edges of the spots and finger.
ACS 9658
ACS Earth Flats
This program will obtain sequences of flat field images by observing the
bright
Earth. Several UV filters from the interim calibration program {9564}
require
additional exposures to obtain the required illumination. A few UV
filters from
this program will be repeated to monitor for changes in the flat fields
and to
verify the interim results. Since no streaks are observed in the UV, the
wavelength coverage is extended to longer wavelengths in order to explore
the
severity of streaks in the flats from clouds in the FOV. We have added
exposures
for the HRC in the visible filters to verify the results derived from the
L-flat
campaign and to explore the severity of streaks. We have also added
exposures on
WFC using the minimum exposure time and using filters which will not
saturate
the brightest WFC pixel by more than 10 times the full well.
ACS 9482
ACS Pure Parallel Lyman-Alpha Emission Survey {APPLES}
Ly-alpha line emission is an efficient tool for identifying young
galaxies at
high redshift, because it is strong in galaxies with young stars and
little or
no dust — properties expected in galaxies undergoing their first burst
of
star- formation. Slitless spectroscopy with the ACS Wide-Field Camera and
G800L
grism allows an unmatched search efficiency for such objects over the
uninterrupted range 4 <~ z <~ 7. We propose the ACS Pure Parallel
Ly-alpha
Emission Survey {“APPLES”}, to exploit this unique HST capability and
so
obtain the largest and most uniform sample of high redshift Ly-alpha
emitters
yet. Parallel observations will allow this survey to be conducted with
minimal
impact on HST resources, and we will place reduced images and extracted
spectra
in the public domain within three months of observation. We aim to find ~
1000
Ly-alpha emitters, 5 times the biggest current sample of Ly-alpha
emitters.
This
unprecedented sample will provide robust statistics on the populations
and
evolution of Ly-alpha emitters between redshifts 4–7; a robust
measurement of
the reionization redshift completely independent of the Gunn-Peterson
trough;
spatial clustering information for Ly-alpha emitters which would let us
probe
their bias function and hence halo mass as a function of redshift; many
galaxies
at redshift exceeding 6; and lower redshift serendipitous discoveries.
ACS 9673
CCD Daily Monitor
This program consists of basic tests to monitor, the read noise, the
development
of hot pixels and test for any source of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This
programme will be executed once a day for the entire lifetime of ACS
ACS 9650
CCD Hot Pixel Annealing
Hot pixel annealing will be performed once every 4 weeks. The CCD TECs
will be
turned off and heaters will be activated to bring the WFC detector
temperature
to about +10C. The HRC temperature will reach about 30C.This state will
be held
for approximately 24 hours, after which the heaters are turned off, the
TECs
turned on, and the CCDs returned to normal operating condition. To assess
the
effectiveness of this procedure, a bias and two dark images will be taken
before
and after the annealing procedure for both WFC and HRC.
ACS 9480
Cosmic Shear With ACS Pure Parallels
Small distortions in the shapes of background galaxies by foreground mass
provide a powerful method of directly measuring the amount and
distribution of
dark matter. Several groups have recently detected this weak lensing by
large-scale structure, also called cosmic shear. The high resolution and
sensitivity of HST/ACS provide a unique opportunity to measure cosmic
shear
accurately on small scales. Using 260 parallel orbits in Sloan textiti
{F775W}
we will measure for the first time: beginlistosetlength sep0cm
setlengthemsep0cm
setlength opsep0cm em the cosmic shear variance on scales <0.7 arcmin, em
the
skewness of the shear distribution, and em the magnification effect.
endlist Our
measurements will determine the amplitude of the mass power spectrum
sigma_8Omega_m^0.5, with signal-to-noise {s/n} ~ 20, and the mass density
Omega_m with s/n=4. They will be done at small angular scales where
non-linear
effects dominate the power spectrum, providing a test of the
gravitational
instability paradigm for structure formation. Measurements on these
scales are
not possible from the ground, because of the systematic effects induced
by PSF
smearing from seeing. Having many independent lines of sight reduces the
uncertainty due to cosmic variance, making parallel observations ideal.
ACS 9476
Galaxy Evolution in the Richest Clusters at z=0.8: the EDisCS Cluster
Sample
The study of distant cluster galaxies requires two key ingredients: {1}
deep
high-resolution imaging, to constrain galaxy structure; and {2} 8m-class
spectroscopy, to measure stellar content, star-formation rates, dynamics,
and
cluster membership. We will reach both conditions with the addition of
HST/ACS
imaging to our suite of VLT {36 nights} and NTT {20 nights} observations
of 10
confirmed clusters at z~0.8, drawn from the ESO Distant Cluster Survey
{EDisCS}.
The proposed HST/ACS data will complement our existing optical/IR imaging
and
spectroscopy with quantitative measures of cluster galaxy morphologies
{i.e.
sizes and shapes, bulge-disk decompositions, asymmetry parameters}, and
with
measurements of cluster masses via weak lensing. Major advantages unique
to the
EDisCS project include: {i} uniform selection of clusters; {ii} large
enough
sample sizes to characterize the substantial cluster-to-cluster variation
in
galaxy populations; {iii} large quantities of high quality data from 8m
telescopes; {iv} uniform measurements of morphologies, spectroscopic and
photometric redshifts, SEDs, star-formation/AGN activities, and internal
kinematics; {v} optical selection of clusters to complement the X-ray
selection
of almost all high-z clusters in the ACS GTO programs; {vi} forefront
numerical
simulations designed specifically to allow physical interpretation of
observed
differences between the high-z and local clusters.
ACS 9420
Intensive Coverage of the Eta Carinae Event in 2003
For a variety of reasons, HST can provide a very special and unique data
set
when Eta Car experiences its next spectroscopic event in mid-2003.
Explaining
the phenomenon is only part of the motivation. This star and its ejecta
have
unique characteristics that make them important for several branches of
astrophysics; and when a spectroscopic event occurs, it’s like varying
the
parameters in an experiment {or rather, set of experiments}. The 2003
event
will
be the last chance in the forseeable future to obtain such a data set.
Eta
Carinae has extreme parameters; it is mysterious in surprisingly basic
ways; and
HST/STIS can gather useful data on it at a terrific rate. As we explain
below,
the proposed data set will be valuable in several independent ways: It
will
help
solve a specific set of current problems, it will constitute a large and
unique
archival data base for both stellar and nebular astrophysics, and it will
be
well-suited for educational uses.
ACS 9352
The Deceleration Test from Treasury Type Ia Supernovae at Redshifts 1.2
to 1.6
Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} provide the only direct evidence for an
accelerating
universe, an extraordinary result that needs a rigorous test. The case
for
cosmic acceleration rests on the observation that SNe Ia at z ~ 0.5 are ~
0.25
mag fainter than they would be in a universe without acceleration. A
powerful
and straightforward way to assess the reliability of the SN Ia
measurement and
the conceptual framework of its interpretation is to look for cosmic
deceleration at z >= 1. This would be a clear signature of a mixed
dark-matter
and dark-energy universe. Systematic errors in the SN Ia result
attributed to
grey dust or cosmic evolution of the SN Ia peak luminosity would not show
this
change of sign. We have demonstrated proof of this concept with a single
SN Ia,
SN 1997ff at z = 1.7, found and followed by HST. The results suggest an
early
epoch of deceleration, but this is too important a conclusion to rest on
just
one object. Here we propose to use HST for observations of six SNe Ia in
the
range 1.2 <= z <= 1.6, that will be discovered as a byproduct from
proposed
Treasury programs for high-latitude ACS surveys. Six objects will provide
a
much
firmer foundation for a conclusion that touches on important questions of
fundamental physics.
ACS/WFC/HRC 9445
Gravitational Microlensing in the NGC 3314A-B Galaxy Pair.
The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to determine the
composition of the dark matter that dominates the masses of galaxies
which
is an
important unsolved problem.
ACS/WFPC2 9481
Pure Parallel Near-UV Observations with WFPC2 within High-Latitude ACS
Survey
Fields
In anticipation of the allocation of ACS high-latitude imaging survey{s},
we
request a modification of the default pure parallel program for those
WFPC2
parallels that fall within the ACS survey field. Rather than duplicate
the red
bands which will be done much better with ACS, we propose to observe in
the
near-ultraviolet F300W filter. These data will enable study of the
rest-frame
ultraviolet morphology of galaxies at 0<z<1. We will determine the
morphological
k-correction, and the location of star formation within galaxies, using a
sample
that is likely to be nearly complete with multi-wavelength photometry and
spectroscopic redshifts. The results can be used to interpret
observations of
higher redshift galaxies by ACS.
NICMOS 9485
Completing A Near-Infrared Search for Very Low Mass Companions to Stars
within
10 pc of the Sun
Most stars are fainter and less massive than the Sun. Nevertheless, our
knowledge of very low mass {VLM} red dwarfs and their brown dwarf cousins
is
quite limited. Unknown are the true luminosity function {LF},
multiplicity
fraction, mass function, and mass-luminosity relation for red and brown
dwarfs,
though they dominate the Galaxy in both numbers and total mass. The best
way to
constrain these relations is a search for faint companions to nearby
stars.
Such
a search has several advantages over field surveys, including greater
sensitivity to VLM objects and the availability of precise parallaxes
from
which
luminosities and masses can be derived. We propose to complete our
four-filter
NICMOS snapshot search for companions to stars within 10 pc. With a 10
sigma
detection limit of M_J ~ 20 at 10 pc, we can detect companions between 10
and
100 AU that are at least 9 mag fainter than the empirical end of the main
sequence and at least 6.5 mag fainter than the brown dwarf Gl 229B. When
completed, our search will be the largest, most sensitive, volume-limited
search
for VLM companions ever undertaken. Our four-filter search will permit
unambiguous identification of VLM-companion candidates for follow-up
observation. Together with IR speckle and deep imaging surveys, our
program
will
firmly establish the LF for VLM companions at separations of 1-1000 AU
and the
multiplicity fraction of all stars within 10 pc.
NICMOS 9636
Cycle 11 NICMOS dark current, shading profile, and read noise monitoring
program
The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the dark current, read noise,
and
shading profile for all three NICMOS detectors throughout the duration of
Cycle
11. This proposal is a continuation of PID 9321 which covers the period
between
the end of SMOV3B and the onset of Cycle 11.
NICMOS 9377
NICMOS Imaging Polarimetry of Compact Proto-Planetary Nebula Dust Shells
We propose to resolve the structure of 4 proto-planetary nebula {PPN}
dust
shells by means of imaging polarimetry using NICMOS. In our previous
WFPC2
imaging surveys, these PPNs show a compact elliptical nebulosity {of
radius 0.5
to 2"} with a prominently visible central star. These PPNs appear to be
members
of a distinct class of PPNs, compared with bipolar nebulae in which an
optically
thick dust lane obscures the central star. Based on our previous mid-IR
PPN
survey, these PPNs are expected to host an optically thin, edge-on
toroidal
dust
shell as evidence for the intrinsic axisymmetry of the PPN shells caused
by an
equatorially-enhanced mass loss during the asymptotic giant branch phase.
These
PPNs, however, are too compact to be fully resolved at mid-IR even with
large
ground-based telescopes because mid-IR images are diffraction- limited.
The
unique ability of imaging polarimetry at unprecedented high resolution
makes HST
the only instrument capable of isolating dust-scattered, polarized light
from
the shell and directly resolving the structure of compact PPNs without
being
hindered by the dominantly bright central star. These observations and
following
analysis with our radiative transfer code will provide crucial clues to
the
physical mechanism that drives the axisymmetric mass loss from originally
spherically symmetric stars, which still remains to be one of the
fundamental
problems in astrophysics.
NICMOS 8791
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration – CR Persistence Part 2
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 images. Each observation will
need
its own CRMAP, as different SAA passages leave different imprints on the
NICMOS
detectors.
SNAP 9356
SNAPSHOT survey of the Planetary Nebulae population of the Galactic Bulge
The spectacular structures seen in HST images of planetary nebulae {PNe}
are
generally accepted as originating from hydrodynamical interactions
between
stellar winds: the interacting-stellar wind model {ISW}. Traditionally,
the
shaping is thought to occur after the star becomes hot enough to ionize
the PN.
But recent HST images indicate that the shaping may occur earlier, and
the
newer
GISW model puts the shaping during the pre-planetary nebula evolution.
The
relative importance of both models is not known: GISW shaping will
account for
some fraction of PNe, but estimates range from 15–100 during the PN
phase,
especially for the youngest PNe. We here propose an HST Snapshot survey
of
compact PNe in the Galactic Bulge, to test these predictions. The Bulge
provides
the only PNe population for which progenitor masses are known and nebular
ages
can be measured. In support of these HST measurements we have already
measured
velocity fields and emission line fluxes. The survey will give an
unbiased
sampling of morphologies, and allow evolutionary sequences to be
determined to
test the ISW versus the GISW model. By-products of the survey will be the
determination of nebular masses, diameters and filling factors. We will
also
obtain the White Dwarf mass distribution in the Bulge, and the
initial-final
mass function for low-mass stars.
STIS 9608
CCD Bias Monitor – Part 2
Monitor the bias in the 1×1, 1×2, 2×1, and 2×2 bin settings at gain=1,
and 1×1
at gain = 4, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of
hot
columns.
STIS 9606
CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2
Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.
STIS 9615
Cycle 11 MAMA Dark Monitor
This test performs the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark
noise. This
proposal will provide the primary means of checking on health of the MAMA
detectors systems through frequent monitoring of the background count
rate. The
purpose is to look for evidence of change in dark indicative of detector
problem
developing.
STIS 9706
STIS Pure Parallel Imaging Program: Cycle 10
This is the default archival pure parallel program for STIS during cycle
10.
STIS 9505
The Evolution of Molecular Clouds.
The combined STIS, FUSE and ground-based results will yield information
needed
to understand the role of ablation in the evolution of the central
clouds.
STIS/CCD 9378
Galaxy Dynamics at Very Large Radius using LyAlpha Absorption Lines
We propose to investigate the outer dynamics of the nearby spiral galaxy
NGC1398
at very large galactocentric radii by using the kinematical information
from
Ly-alpha absorption lines in the spectra of 3 background UV-bright
objects {two
Seyferts 1 and one QSO}. It is a unique opportunity to have 3 UV-bright
objects
surrounding one single isolated spiral galaxy, and this will enable us to
measure its disk rotation up to radii several times greater than what is
possible in HI at 21cm, since the UV-bright objects lie at projected
distances
of ~ 80 to 270 kpc. At these large radii we expect to observe the turn
down
from
flat rotation, and be able to determine the size of the dark matter halo
and
hence measure the total mass and mass-to-light ratio of a spiral galaxy.
STIS/CCD/MA1 9357
Towards a global understanding of accretion physics –, Clues from an UV
spectroscopic survey of cataclysmic variables
Accretion inflows and outflows are fundamental phenomena in a wide
variety of
astrophysical environments, such as Young Stellar Objects, galactic
binaries,
and AGN. Observationally, cataclysmic variables {CVs} are particularly
well
suited for the study of accretion processes. We propose to carry out a
STIS UV
spectroscopic snapshot survey of CVs that fully exploits the diagnostic
potential of these objects for our understanding of accretion physics.
This
survey will provide an homogenous database of accretion disc and wind
outflow
spectra covering a wide range of mass transfer rates and binary
inclinations. We
will analyse these spectra with state-of-the-art accretion disc model
spectra
{SYNDISK}, testing our current knowledge of the accretion disc structure,
and,
thereby, providing new insight into the so far not well understood
process of
viscous dissipation. We will use our parameterised wind model PYTHON for
the
analysis of the radiation driven accretion disc wind spectra, assessing
the
fundamental question whether the mass loss rate correlates with the disc
luminosity. In addition, our survey data will identify a number of
systems in
which the white dwarf significantly contributes to the UV flux,
permitting an
analysis of the impact of mass accretion on the evolution of these
compact
stars. This survey will at least double, if not triple, the number of
high-quality accretion disc / wind outflow / accreting white dwarf
spectra, and
we waive our proprietary rights to permit a timely use of this database.
WF/PC-2 9107
The Fundamental Plane for Nuclear Black Holes.
The WF/PC-2 was used to conduct more in-depth searches for supermassive
black
holes in galaxy centers. Previous work has led to the discoveries that
{1} most
or all hot galaxies contain massive dark objects at their centers,
presumably
black holes; {2} there is a remarkably tight correlation between the
black-hole
mass and the luminosity-weighted velocity dispersion of the hot component
of the
galaxy. This mbh-Sigma relation has a scatter which is <0.3 dex in mbh
and
consistent with zero. This relationship suggests a strong link between
black-hole formation, AGN activity, and galaxy formation, and once it is
understood this link should advance our understanding of all three
processes.
The goal of this proposal is to investigate the scatter in the mbh-Sigma
relation and the role of possible second parameters, by examining a
sample of
galaxies at fixed velocity dispersion Sigma=200+/- 20 kms. This approach
decouples the effects of a second parameter from uncertainties in the
shape of
the mbh-Sigma relation, and minimizes spurious correlations because all
of the
galaxies will be studied using the same well-tested observational and
modeling
techniques.
WFPC2 9699
POMS Test Proposal: WFII backup parallel archive proposal
This is a POMS test proposal designed to simulate scientific plans.
WFPC2 9710
POMS Test Proposal: WFII backup parallel archive proposal
This is a POMS test proposal designed to simulate scientific plans.
WFPC2 9676
POMS Test Proposal: WFII parallel archive proposal
This is the generic target version of the WFPC2 Archival Pure Parallel
program.
The program will be used to take parallel images of random areas of the
sky,
following the recommendations of the 2002 Parallels Working Group.
WFPC2 9594
WFPC2 CYCLE 11 SUPPLEMENTAL DARKS pt2/3
This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to provide
data
for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports
of
potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.)
HSTAR 8978: GS Acquisition (3,2,3) @ 087/16:58:51Z failed to RGA control
due to SRLE
on FGS 2. Prior FHST updates scheduled after the
T2
slew showed good
attitude errors. FHST Map @ 087/17:23:11Z Vehicle
Axis Errors (arcsec)
were V1 = -3.652, V2 = 3.105, and V3 =
2.546. Subsequent GS Re-acquisitions
@ 087/18:36:23Z and 20:17:04Z also failed to RGA
control.
The guide star acquisition for this observation
was
non-nominal, further
analysis will determine if a repeat observation is
required.
HSTAR 8979: GS Acquisition (2,1,2) @ 089/12:01:25Z resulted in FL backup
(2,0,2) using
FGS 2 during ZOE. When data was received, there
were no flags, but FGS 1 had
not resulted in FL, indicating a FL backup
error. Prior FM Updates (U2,3FM)
@ 089/11:45:59Z had a high attitude error of
-112.376, -12.946, 165.058 arcsec.
The guide star acquisition for this observation was
non-nominal, further analysis
will determine if a repeat observation is required.
HSTAR 8980: GS Acquisition (2,1,2) @ 089/17:03:52Z resulted in FL backup
(2,0,2) using
FGS 2 due to SSLE on FGS 1. Prior FM Update
(U2,3RD) @ 089/16:33:48Z had low
attitude errors. Subsequent GS Re-acquisitions @
089/18:37:33Z and 20:17:33Z
resulted in FL backup. Under investigation.
COMPLETED OPS REQs: None
OPS NOTES EXECUTED:
1091-1 Adjust ACS Error Count Limit-Closed 088/1222z
SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES
FGS GSacq 23 22 HSTAR
8978
@087/1658:51z
FGS REacq 23 21 HSTAR
8978
@087/1836,2017z
FHST Update 48 47 088/0455z
LOSS of LOCK
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Successfully completed Command Communication Controller (CCC) Test
087/14:08Z – 14:55Z.
All objectives were met. Testing was conducted out of the SMOR using CCC
located in
the SMOR. OPS account and OPS profiles were used.
Successfully completed CCS On-Line Data Archive Test on 3/28/03 using CCS
"C" String and
SMOR workstations. Testing was executed in OPS account to endure
required
data was
available. Requests for Plots and Reports were generated with no issues
and all
objectives were met.
