NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report # 4603

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT # 4603

Continuing to collect World Class Science

PERIOD COVERED: 5am May 02 – 5am May 05, 2008 (DOY 123/0900z – 126/0900z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8795

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration – CR Persistence Part 6

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.

NIC 11495

The first direct detection of an extrasolar planetary stratosphere?

We request NICMOS grism spectroscopy to observe the transit of WASP-3b. This newly discovered planet is the hottest nearby planet discovered so far. The atmosphere is predicted to be so hot that TiO and VO remain in the gas phase, creating a hot, strongly absorbing stratosphere. This molecular absorption will cause a 6% enhancement in the transit depth at 0.8 microns, compared to that at 1.3 microns. NICMOS/G096 and NICMOS/G141 observations will therefore provide a straightforward test of the hot stratosphere hypothesis. The HST observations will provide a precisely determined radius measurement. This is required to drive advances in theories of planetary formation, evolution, and atmospheric physics and chemistry. The atmospheric TiO and VO absorption is predicted to cause an anomalously high IR brightness temperature for the planet. We need HST’s direct test of the hot stratosphere hypothesis promptly to enable appropriate cold-Spitzer observations to be planned and interpreted. Spitzer is likely to exhaust its cryogens before these observations could be scheduled via the cycle 17 GO process.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 11321

NICMOS Cycle 16 Flats Stability

This calibration proposal is the Cycle 16 NICMOS flat field monitor program. A series of camera 1, 2, & 3 flat fields will be obtained to monitor the health of the cameras.

FGS 11213

Distances to Eclipsing M Dwarf Binaries

We propose HST FGS observations to measure accurate distances of 5 nearby M dwarf eclipsing binary systems, from which model-independent luminosities can be calculated. These objects have either poor or non existing parallax measurements. FGS parallax determinations for these systems, with their existing dynamic masses determined to better than 0.5%, would serve as model-independent anchor points for the low-mass end of the mass-luminosity diagram.

WFPC2 11202

The Structure of Early-type Galaxies: 0.1-100 Effective Radii

The structure, formation and evolution of early-type galaxies is still largely an open problem in cosmology: how does the Universe evolve from large linear scales dominated by dark matter to the highly non-linear scales of galaxies, where baryons and dark matter both play important, interacting, roles? To understand the complex physical processes involved in their formation scenario, and why they have the tight scaling relations that we observe today {e.g. the Fundamental Plane}, it is critically important not only to understand their stellar structure, but also their dark-matter distribution from the smallest to the largest scales. Over the last three years the SLACS collaboration has developed a toolbox to tackle these issues in a unique and encompassing way by combining new non-parametric strong lensing techniques, stellar dynamics, and most recently weak gravitational lensing, with high-quality Hubble Space Telescope imaging and VLT/Keck spectroscopic data of early-type lens systems. This allows us to break degeneracies that are inherent to each of these techniques separately and probe the mass structure of early-type galaxies from 0.1 to 100 effective radii. The large dynamic range to which lensing is sensitive allows us both to probe the clumpy substructure of these galaxies, as well as their low-density outer haloes. These methods have convincingly been demonstrated, by our team, using smaller pilot-samples of SLACS lens systems with HST data. In this proposal, we request observing time with WFPC2 and NICMOS to observe 53 strong lens systems from SLACS, to obtain complete multi-color imaging for each system. This would bring the total number of SLACS lens systems to 87 with completed HST imaging and effectively doubles the known number of galaxy-scale strong lenses. The deep HST images enable us to fully exploit our new techniques, beat down low-number statistics, and probe the structure and evolution of early-type galaxies, not only with a uniform data-set an order of magnitude larger than what is available now, but also with a fully coherent and self-consistent methodological approach!

NIC2/WFPC2 11142

Revealing the Physical Nature of Infrared Luminous Galaxies at 0.3

We aim to determine physical properties of IR luminous galaxies at 0.3 0.8mJy and their mid-IR spectra have already provided the majority

targets with spectroscopic redshifts {0.31 ULIRGs, as in the local Universe. {2} study the co-evolution of star formation and blackhole accretion by investigating the relations between the fraction of starburst/AGN measured from mid-IR spectra vs. HST morphologies, L{bol} and z. {3} obtain the current best estimates of the far-IR emission, thus L{bol} for this sample, and establish if the relative contribution of mid-to-far IR dust emission is correlated with morphology {resolved vs. unresolved}.

NIC1 11117

The Search for Atmospheric Water in the Transiting Planet HD189733b

We propose to use the NICMOS camera to search for transit NIR signatures of atmospheric water in HD189733b. While water absorption bands exist in the optical and IR, space-based NIR signatures are uniquely positioned to offer the best chance at detection. Using narrow band photometric filters, we will be able to detect absorption signatures while the planet is in primary transit. A positive detection would be the first proof of water on an extrasolar planet. Furthermore, it would provide invaluable planetary information, constraining the entire chemistry. As a byproduct of the high SNR required for our primary science goal, we will be able to improve on the value of the planetary radius, a result independent of our primary science objective. The accurate radius estimate, together with planet structure models, will allow constraining the planet interior and its relationship with formation models and stellar metallicity.

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 wavelengths 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.

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               26                 26
FGS REacq               15                 15
OBAD with Maneuver      82                 81

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)