HST Daily Report #3344

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT #3344

PERIOD COVERED: DOY 107

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

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.

STIS/CCD/MA1 9184

A Survey for Missing Baryons in Highly Ionized Intergalactic Gas at Low
Redshift.

with the STIS FUV E140M echelle mode {7 km s^-1 resolution}. Combined
with archival data, this will
increase the sample redshift path by a factor of ~7 compared to the
published data. With the echelle
data, we will {1} measure the number of O VI absorbers per unit
redshift
{dN/dz} and their minimum
cosmological mass density with a limiting equivalent width of W_Lambda
~50 mAngstrom , {2} examine
whether the O VI absorption arises in photoionized, collisionally
ionized, or multiphase gas, and {3}
study the dependence of the O VI system properties on environment. In
addition to testing this
prediction regarding the location of the missing baryons, the data will
have applications to many other
topics such as low-z LyAlpha absorbers and the physical properties and
abundances of gas in the Milky
Way halo.

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 9401

The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey

We propose the most comprehensive imaging survey to date of
low-redshift,
early-type galaxies. Our goal
is to exploit the exceptional imaging capabilities of the ACS by
acquiring deep images — in the SDSS
g^ and z^ bandpasses — for 163 E, S0, dE, dE, N and dS0 galaxies in
Virgo, the nearest rich cluster.
This extraordinary dataset would likely constitute one of the
principal
legacies of HST, and would
have widespread applications for many diverse areas of astrophysics.
Our
immediate scientific
objectives are threefold: {1} measure metallicities, ages and radii for
the many thousands of globular
clusters {GCs} in these galaxies, and use this information to derive
the
protogalactic mass spectrum of
each galaxy; {2} measure the central luminosity and color profile of
each galaxy, and use this
information to carry out a completely independent test of the merging
hierarchy inferred from the GCs,
with the aid of N-body codes that simulate the merger of galaxies
containing massive black holes; and
{3} calibrate the z^ -band SBF method, measure Virgo’s 3-D structure,
and
carry out the definitive
study of the GC luminosity function’s precision as a standard candle.
Our
proposed Virgo Cluster Survey
will yield a database of unprecedented depth, precision and
uniformity,
and will enable us to study
the record of galaxy and cluster formation in a level of detail which
will never be possible with more
distant systems.

NICMOS 9423

NICMOS Observations of Transient Infrared Jets in the Galactic
Microquasar GRS1915+105

We propose to use HST/NICMOS to make Target of Opportunity observations
of the galactic microquasar
GRS1915+105. This source possesses transient radio jets which exhibit
apparent superluminal motions,
and resolved infrared emission from these jets has been observed in
GRS1915+105 {Sams, Eckart, and
Sunyaev, 1996; Eikenberry and Fazio, 1996}. Because the jet ejection
events are correlated with X-ray
outbursts, we will use observations of X-ray flares with the Rossi
X-Ray
Timing Explorer to trigger the
HST observations. We will then monitor GRS1915+105 periodically with
NICMOS, obtaining relative
astrometry, photometry, polarimetry, and grism spectroscopy of the jets
and the parent object. These
observations will allow us to greatly increase our understanding of the
jets’ radiative mechanisms and
physical conditions, and their evolution with time. We require the
capabilities of HST and NICMOS due
to the small angular separations between the jets and the parent object
{increasing from ~ 0.1 to ~ 0.8
arcsec over the span of the TOO observations} and the high reddening
towards GRS1915+105 {A_V ~ 30
mag}.

ACS 9454

The Nature of the UV Continuum in LINERs: A Variability Test

LINERs may be the most common AGNs, and the signposts of accretion onto
the massive black holes present
in most galaxies. However, the LINER spectrum is the result of UV
excitation, and, in at least some
LINERs, a nuclear cluster of hot stars, rather than an AGN, dominates
the
energetics in the UV. Thus,
it is still unknown if the UV continuum, or the optical emission lines
it
excites, have anything to do
with an AGN. The demographics and accretion physics of low-luminosity
AGNs hinge on this question. We
propose to search for variability in a sample of 17 LINERs with compact
UV nuclei. Variability can
reveal an AGN component in the UV continuum, even when its light is not
dominant. We will test
systematically the handful of non-definitive reports of UV variability,
and potentially quantify the
AGN contribution to the UV emission. Variability in all or most objects
will be strong evidence that
LINERs mark dormant AGNs in most galaxies. Alternatively, a general
null
detection of variability will
suggest that, even in LINERs with additional AGN signatures, the UV
continuum is stellar in origin.
Contemporaneous monitoring with the VLA/VLBA of 11 objects which have
radio cores {five of which we
already know are radio-variable} will reveal the relations between UV
and
radio variations. The
UV-variable objects will be targeted for future, better-sampled,
monitoring.

ACS 9468

ACS Grism Parallel Survey of Emission- line Galaxies at Redshift z pl
7

We propose an ACS grism parallel survey to search for emission-line
galaxies toward 50 random lines of
sight over the redshift interval 0 < z pl 7. We request ACS parallel
observations of duration more than
one orbit at high galactic latitude to identify ~ 300 HAlpha
emission-line galaxies at 0.2 pl z pl
0.5, ~ 720 O IILambda3727 emission-line galaxies at 0.3 pl z pl 1.68,
and
pg 1000 Ly-alpha
emission-line galaxies at 3 pl z pl 7 with total emission line flux
f pg
2* 10^-17 ergs s^-1 cm^-2 over
578 arcmin^2. We will obtain direct images with the F814W and F606W
filters and dispersed images with
the WFC/G800L grism at each position. The direct images will serve to
provide a zeroth order model both
for wavelength calibration of the extracted 1D spectra and for
determining extraction apertures of the
corresponding dispersed images. The primary scientific objectives are
as
follows: {1} We will
establish a uniform sample of HAlpha and O II emission-line galaxies at
z<1.7 in order to obtain
accurate measurements of co-moving star formation rate density versus
redshift over this redshift
range. {2} We will study the spatial and statistical distribution of
star
formation rate intensity in
individual galaxies using the spatially resolved emission-line
morphology
in the grism images. And {3}
we will study high-redshift universe using Ly-alpha emitting galaxies
identified at z pl 7 in the
survey. The data will be available to the community immediately as they
are obtained.

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 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.

STIS 9606

CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2

Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.

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 9614

STIS CCD Imaging Flats C11

Investigate flat-field stability over a monthly period.

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.

ACS 9655

ACS Post-SMOV UV Contamination Monitor

A standard star field {NGC6681} is observed about once a month through
all the ACS broad band UV
filters. NGC6681 hosts several UV spectro – photometric standard stars
for which accurate spectra have
been {and will continue to be} measured with STIS. The target cannot be
observed for three months from
mid november through to mid february, so the standard star GRW+70 will
be
observed twice in its stead.
This programme continues the UV sensitivity monitoring campaign {ACS
SMOV
proposal 9010} of the HRC and
SBC after the end of the SMOV period. An SBC dark current measurement
is
taken as the last exposure of
each SBC sequence.

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 9705

M87 Jet

As the nearest galaxy with an optical jet, M87 affords an unparallelled
opportunity to study
extragalactic jet phenomena at the highest resolution. Monitoring of
the
jet of M87 by Chandra and HST
has detected massive variability in one knot of M87’s jet. During
March-July 2002, knot HST-1
brightened by a factor of 2 in both X-rays and optical. Following those
observations, M87 became
unobservable, as in August-October the Sun approaches to within 5
degrees. Chandra monitoring resumes
in November; however, there are no HST observations of M87 scheduled
until May 2003. We therefore
request five HST observations during the period November 2002-April
2003,
scheduled to correspond with
the Chandra observations. Based on its track record of X-ray
variability
in the last year, and optical
variability and superluminal motion {speeds of 6c} since 1994, we
expect
continued variability, with
comparable timescales. The proposed observations will monitor the
optical
morphology, spectrum and
magnetic field configuration of the jet, and allow us to model the
mechanisms responsible for this
variability, the first seen in a spatially resolved jet. The results of
this investigation are of key
importance not only for understanding the nature of the X-ray emission
of
the M87 and its relationship
to the lower energy, radio-optical continuum, but also for
understanding
flares in blazar jets, which
are highly variable but where we have never before been able to resolve
the flaring region in the
optical or X-rays. Given the SED observed in M87, the flare emission is
probably synchrotron radiation
from a fresh particle injection threshold. Not only will these
observations allow us to check this
hypothesis, they will allow us to constrain the particle acceleration
and
loss timescales as well as
the jet dynamics {which produce and affect the magnetic field
configuration} associated with this
flaring component.

STIS 9706

STIS Pure Parallel Imaging Program: Cycle 10

This is the default archival pure parallel program for STIS during
cycle 10.

WFPC2 9709

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 paralell images of random areas of the sky, following the
recommendations of the 2002
Parallels Working Group.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

Significant Spacecraft Anomalies:
(The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal
performance
that will be investigated.)

HSTARs:

• 8992 – STIS Target Acquisition Failure – Third Sub-Exposure Blank @ 096/2000z
• 8993 – Battery 6 Current Breaks Limit @ 108/0333z
• 8994 – GSacq(1,2,1) results to Finelock Backup (2,0,2) @ 108/0517z

COMPLETED OPS REQs:
None

OPS NOTES EXECUTED:
None

                                        SCHEDULED     SUCCESSFUL   
FAILURE TIMES
FGS GSacq                              12               12
FGS REacq                               5                         5
FHST Update                           24                24
LOSS of LOCK

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: None