NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #4447
Notice: Due to the conversion of some ACS WFC or HRC observations into WFPC2, or NICMOS observations after the loss of ACS CCD science capability in January, there may be an occasional discrepancy between a proposal’s listed (and correct) instrument usage and the abstract that follows it.
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT # 4447
– Continuing to collect World Class Science
PERIOD COVERED: UT September 13, 2007 (DOY 256)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
ACS/SBC WFPC2 11175
UV Imaging to Determine the Location of Residual Star Formation in Galaxies Recently Arrived on the Red Sequence
We have identified a sample of low-redshift {z = 0.04 – 0.10} galaxies that are candidates for recent arrival on the red sequence. They have red optical colors indicative of old stellar populations, but blue UV-optical colors that could indicate the presence of a small quantity of continuing or very recent star formation. However, their spectra lack the emission lines that characterize star-forming galaxies. We propose to use ACS/SBC to obtain high- resolution imaging of the UV flux in these galaxies, in order to determine the spatial distribution of the last episode of star formation. WFPC2 imaging will provide B, V, and I photometry to measure the main stellar light distribution of the galaxy for comparison with the UV imaging, as well as to measure color gradients and the distribution of interstellar dust. This detailed morphological information will allow us to investigate the hypothesis that these galaxies have recently stopped forming stars and to compare the observed distribution of the last star formation with predictions for several different mechanisms that may quench star formation in galaxies.
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 DARKs. 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.
NIC3 11107
Imaging of Local Lyman Break Galaxy Analogs: New Clues to Galaxy Formation in the Early Universe
We have used the ultraviolet all-sky imaging survey currently being conducted by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer {GALEX} to identify for the first time a rare population of low- redshift starbursts with properties remarkably similar to high-redshift Lyman Break Galaxies {LBGs}. These “compact UV luminous galaxies” {UVLGs} resemble LBGs in terms of size, SFR, surface brightness, mass, metallicity, kinematics, dust, and color. The UVLG sample offers the unique opportunity of investigating some very important properties of LBGs that have remained virtually inaccessible at high redshift: their morphology and the mechanism that drives their star formation. Therefore, in Cycle 15 we have imaged 7 UVLGs using ACS in order to 1} characterize their morphology and look for signs of interactions and mergers, and 2} probe their star formation histories over a variety of timescales. The images show a striking trend of small-scale mergers turning large amounts of gas into vigorous starbursts {a process referred to as dissipational or “wet” merging}. Here, we propose to complete our sample of 31 LBG analogs using the ACS/SBC F150LP {FUV} and WFPC2 F606W {R} filters in order to create a statistical sample to study the mechanism that triggers star formation in UVLGs and its implications for the nature of LBGs. Specifically, we will 1} study the trend between galaxy merging and SFR in UVLGs, 2} artificially redshift the FUV images to z=1-4 and compare morphologies with those in similarly sized samples of LBGs at the same rest-frame wavelenghts in e.g. GOODS, UDF, and COSMOS, 3} determine the presence and morphology of significant stellar mass in “pre-burst” stars, and 4} study their immediate environment. Together with our Spitzer {IRAC+MIPS}, GALEX, SDSS and radio data, the HST observations will form a unique union of data that may for the first time shed light on how the earliest major episodes of star formation in high redshift galaxies came about. This proposal was adapted from an ACS HRC+WFC proposal to meet the new Cycle 16 observing constraints, and can be carried out using the ACS/SBC and WFPC2 without compromising our original science goals.
NIC3 11335
NICMOS Defocus parameter test
This proposal tests the new NICMOS non-nominal focus positions, which are implemented in the front-end systems and are specified in the Phase II using the CAMERA-FOCUS=DEFOCUS Optional Parameter. The targets from Proposals 9832 and 11063 are used in this Proposal. The GO Proposal 9832 is an example of how GOs may use the new non-nominal focus implementation for detector 3. Proposal 11063 is the NICMOS focus monitor, which will be used to verify the non-nominal focus for all 3 detectors.
S/C 11163
Accreting Pulsating White Dwarfs in Cataclysmic Variables
Recent ground-based observations have increased the number of known pulsating white dwarfs in close binaries with active mass transfer {cataclysmic variables} from 5 to 11 systems. Our past Cycles 8 and 11 STIS observations of the first 2 known, followed by our Cycle 13 SBC observations of the next 3 discovered, revealed the clear presence of the white dwarf and increased amplitude of the pulsations in the UV compared to the optical. The temperatures derived from the UV spectra show 4 systems are much hotter than non- interacting pulsating white dwarfs. A larger sample is needed to sort out the nature of the instability strip in accreting pulsators i.e. whether effects of composition and rotation due to accretion result in a well-defined instability strip as a function of Teff.
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.
WFPC2 11218
Snapshot Survey for Planetary Nebulae in Globular Clusters of the Local Group
Planetary nebulae {PNe} in globular clusters {GCs} raise a number of interesting issues related to stellar and galactic evolution. The number of PNe known in Milky Way GCs, 4, is surprisingly low if one assumes that all stars pass through a PN stage. However, it is likely that the remnants of stars now evolving in Galactic GCs leave the AGB so slowly that any ejected nebula dissipates long before the star becomes hot enough to ionize it. Thus there should not be ANY PNe in Milky Way GCs–but there are four! It has been suggested that these PNe are the result of mergers of binary stars within GCs, i.e., that they are descendants of blue stragglers. The frequency of occurrence of PNe in external galaxies poses more questions, because it shows a range of almost an order of magnitude. I propose a Snapshot survey aimed at discovering PNe in the GC systems of Local Group galaxies more distant than the Magellanic Clouds. These clusters, some of which may be much younger than their counterparts in the Milky Way, might contain many more PNe than those of our own galaxy. I will use the standard technique of emission-line and continuum imaging, which easily discloses PNe.
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 08 08 FGS REacq 07 07 OBAD with Maneuver 30 30
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)
