NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #4265
THE NEXT REPORT WILL BE PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 26th 2006
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT # 4265
– Continuing to collect World Class Science
PERIOD COVERED: UT December 21, 2006 (DOY 355)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
ACS/HRC 10556
Neutral Gas at Redshift z=0.5
Damped Lyman-alpha systems {DLAs} are used to track the bulk of the neutral hydrogen gas in the Universe. Prior to HST UV spectroscopy, they could only be studied from the ground at redshifts z>1.65. However, HST has now permitted us to discover 41 DLAs at z<1.65 in our previous surveys. Followup studies of these systems are providing a wealth of information about the evolution of the neutral gas phase component of the Universe. But one problem is that these 41 low-redshift systems are spread over a wide range of redshifts spanning nearly 70% of the age of the Universe. Consequently, past surveys for low-redshift DLAs have not been able to offer very good precision in any small redshift regime. Here we propose an ACS-HRC- PR200L spectroscopic survey in the redshift interval z=[0.37, 0.7] which we estimate will permit us to discover another 41 DLAs. This will not only allow us to double the number of low-redshift DLAs, but it will also provide a relatively high-precision regime in the low-redshift Universe that can be used to anchor evolutionary studies. Fortunately DLAs have high absorption equivalent width, so ACS-HRC-PR200L has high-enough resoultion to perform this proposed MgII-selected DLA survey.
ACS/HRC 10800
Kuiper Belt Binaries: Probes of Early Solar System Evolution
Binaries in the Kuiper Belt are a scientific windfall: in them we have relatively fragile test particles which can be used as tracers of the early dynamical evolution of the outer Solar System. We propose to continue a Snapshot program using the ACS/HRC that has a demonstrated discovery potential an order of magnitude higher than the HST observations that have already discovered the majority of known transneptunian binaries. With this continuation we seek to reach the original goals of this project: to accumulate a sufficiently large sample in each of the distinct populations collected in the Kuiper Belt to be able to measure, with statistical significance, how the fraction of binaries varies as a function of their particular dynamical paths into the Kuiper Belt. Today’s Kuiper Belt bears the imprints of the final stages of giant-planet building and migration; binaries may offer some of the best preserved evidence of that long-ago era.
ACS/HRC/WFPC2/NIC3 10842
A Cepheid Distance to the Coma Cluster
We propose to use the Advanced Camera for Surveys to search for Cepheid variables in two spiral galaxies in the core of the Coma cluster. A direct application of the canonical primary distance indicator at 100 Mpc will measure the far-field Hubble constant free of many of the systematic uncertainties which beset current determinations relying on secondary indicators. Establishing the far-field H_o with Cepheids will provide one of the strongest links in the extragalactic distance scale and will directly calibrate the fiducial fundamental plane of elliptical galaxies in Coma. With ACS/HRC, S/N=5 to 10 or better can be reached for Cepheids with periods of 40d to 70d at mean light in 5 orbits with the F606W filter if H_o=72 km/s/Mpc. Efficient detection and phasing can be done with twelve epochs optimally spaced for periods of 40-70d.
ACS/WFC 10809
The nature of “dry” mergers in the nearby Universe
Recent studies have shown that “dry” mergers of red, bulge-dominated galaxies at low redshift play an important role in shaping today’s most massive ellipticals. These mergers have been identified in extremely deep ground-based images of red sequence galaxies at z ~ 0.1. The ground-based images reach surface brightness limits of AB ~ 29, but lack the resolution to study the morphologies of the galaxies inside the effective radius. Here we propose to obtain ACS images of a representative sample of 40 of these red sequence galaxies: 15 ongoing dry mergers, 15 remnants, and 10 undisturbed objects. We will measure the isophote shapes and ellipticities of the galaxies, their dust content, morphological fine structure {shells and ripples}, AGN content, and their location on the Fundamental Plane. By comparing galaxies in different stages of the merging process we can constrain the amount of gas associated with these red mergers, the effect of active nuclei, and track structural changes. As two galaxies can be observed in a single orbit 20 orbits are requested to observe the 40 galaxies.
ACS/WFC 10831
A new wide-separation Einstein Cross at z=2.7
We propose ACS F555W and F814W imaging observations of a new wide-separation Einstein Cross selected from SDSS spectroscopy through a bright anomalous emission line and confirmed recently with Keck imaging and spectroscopy. The source galaxy is a moderately luminous {L~0.2L*} Lyman-alpha emitter at z=2.699, which is magnified and extended by more than a factor of twenty, making it one of the most accessible high-redshift bright Ly-a emitters on the sky. Its apparent flux is only 1.2 magnitudes fainter than MS1612-cB58, making this an ideal system for detailed study of the metallicity and initial mass function of a high-redshift star forming galaxy. The Einstein Radius is ~1.8arcsec, one of the widest known, making future spectroscopic ground-based followup optimal. This angle subtends ~5 kpc at the lens galaxy at z=0.331. The high resolution, high signal to noise imaging we propose to obtain will allow us to build accurate lensing models, including source reconstructions; combined with existing and planned Keck spectroscopy, will make possible a map of the host dark matter halo density profile to greater than one effective light radius; and will reveal lower surface brightness features associated with the bright star-forming knot lensed into the Cross. Finally, it will be an exquisite Hubble Heritage galaxy, which will be indispensable for many other applications. We are requesting a very modest proprietary period, in order to provide high-level reductions and ancillary data publically available simultaneously.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8794
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration – CR Persistence Part 5
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.
NIC2, ACS/WFC 10802
SHOES-Supernovae, HO, for the Equation of State of Dark energy
The present uncertainty in the value of the Hubble constant {resulting in an uncertainty in Omega_M} and the paucity of Type Ia supernovae at redshifts exceeding 1 are now the leading obstacles to determining the nature of dark energy. We propose a single, integrated set of observations for Cycle 15 that will provide a 40% improvement in constraints on dark energy. This program will observe known Cepheids in six reliable hosts of Type Ia supernovae with NICMOS, reducing the uncertainty in H_0 by a factor of two because of the smaller dispersion along the instability strip, the diminished extinction, and the weaker metallicity dependence in the infrared. In parallel with ACS, at the same time the NICMOS observations are underway, we will discover and follow a sample of Type Ia supernovae at z > 1. Together, these measurements, along with prior constraints from WMAP, will provide a great improvement in HST’s ability to distinguish between a static, cosmological constant and dynamical dark energy. The Hubble Space Telescope is the only instrument in the world that can make these IR measurements of Cepheids beyond the Local Group, and it is the only telescope in the world that can be used to find and follow supernovae at z > 1. Our program exploits both of these unique capabilities of HST to learn more about one of the greatest mysteries in science.
WFPC2 10915
ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey
Existing HST observations of nearby galaxies comprise a sparse and highly non-uniform archive, making comprehensive comparative studies among galaxies essentially impossible. We propose to secure HST’s lasting impact on the study of nearby galaxies by undertaking a systematic, complete, and carefully crafted imaging survey of ALL galaxies in the Local Universe outside the Local Group. The resulting images will allow unprecedented measurements of: {1} the star formation history {SFH} of a >100 Mpc^3 volume of the Universe with a time resolution of Delta[log{t}]=0.25; {2} correlations between spatially resolved SFHs and environment; {3} the structure and properties of thick disks and stellar halos; and {4} the color distributions, sizes, and specific frequencies of globular and disk clusters as a function of galaxy mass and environment. To reach these goals, we will use a combination of wide-field tiling and pointed deep imaging to obtain uniform data on all 72 galaxies within a volume-limited sample extending to ~3.5 Mpc, with an extension to the M81 group. For each galaxy, the wide-field imaging will cover out to ~1.5 times the optical radius and will reach photometric depths of at least 2 magnitudes below the tip of the red giant branch throughout the limits of the survey volume. One additional deep pointing per galaxy will reach SNR~10 for red clump stars, sufficient to recover the ancient SFH from the color-magnitude diagram. This proposal will produce photometric information for ~100 million stars {comparable to the number in the SDSS survey} and uniform multi-color images of half a square degree of sky. The resulting archive will establish the fundamental optical database for nearby galaxies, in preparation for the shift of high-resolution imaging to the near-infrared.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.)
HSTARS:
10567 – REacq(2,1,1) failed to RGA control The REacq(2,1,1) scheduled at 355/17:55:05 failed to RGA control. At AOS 17:59:00 flags were set indicating the REacq failed due to receiving stop flags QF2STOPF and QSTOP. OBAD1 had errors of V1= -25.12, V2=-1180.99, V3=-10.73 and RSS=1181.31. OBAD2 showed errors of V1=-1.06, V2=3.48, V3=-2.47 and RSS= 4.40. The Map at 18:02 showed erros of V1=-1.88, V2=1.23, V3=-2.42 and RSS=3.30.
10568 – REAcq (2,1,1) failed to RGA Hold (Gyro Control) At 355/19:42:15 REAcq (2,1,1) scheduled from 355/19:31:05-19:38:16 had failed to RGA Hold (Gyro Control). Flag for QF2STOPF was set. OBAD #1 RSS: 482.12 OBAD #2 RSS: 5.49 OBAD MAP: Not scheduled
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq 08 08
FGS REacq 07 05
OBAD with Maneuver 30 30
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)
