NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #4995

NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #4995

PERIOD COVERED: 5am December 17 – 5am December 18, 2009 (DOY 351/10:00z-352/10:00z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

COS/FUV 11625

Beyond the Classical Paradigm of Stellar Winds: Investigating Clumping, Rotation and the Weak Wind Problem in SMC O Stars

SMC O stars provide an unrivaled opportunity to probe star formation, evolution, and the feedback of massive stars in an environment similar to the epoch of the peak in star formation history. Two recent breakthroughs in the study of hot, massive stars have important consequences for understanding the chemical enrichment and buildup of stellar mass in the Universe. The first is the realization that rotation plays a major role in influencing the evolution of massive stars and their feedback on the surrounding environment. The second is a drastic downward revision of the mass loss rates of massive stars coming from an improved description of their winds. STIS spectroscopy of SMC O stars combined with state-of-the-art NLTE analyses has shed new light on these two topics. A majority of SMC O stars reveal CNO-cycle processed material brought at their surface by rotational mixing. Secondly, the FUV wind lines of early O stars provide strong indications of the clumped nature of their wind. Moreover, we first drew attention to some late-O dwarfs showing extremely weak wind signatures. Consequently, we have derived mass loss rates from STIS spectroscopy that are significantly lower than the current theoretical predictions used in evolutionary models. Because of the limited size of the current sample (and some clear bias toward stars with sharp-lined spectra), these results must however be viewed as tentative. Thanks to the high efficiency of COS in the FUV range, we propose now to obtain high-resolution FUV spectra with COS of a larger sample of SMC O stars to study systematically rotation and wind properties of massive stars at low metallicity. The analysis of the FUV wind lines will be based on our 2D extension of CMFGEN to model axi-symmetric rotating winds.

COS/NUV/FUV 11528

COS-GTO: Studies of the He II Reionization Epoch

Intergalactic Ly-alpha opacity suggests that H I was reionized at z ~ 6, while He II reionization was delayed to z ~ 3. Both epochs are slightly in disagreement with recent (WMAP-3) inferences from the CMB optical depth, which suggest that IGM reionization occurred at z = 10.7 (+2.7, -2.3) (Spergel et al. 2007). However, these two methods are sensitive to different ranges of ionization (neutral fractions), which allows a partially ionized IGM between z = 6-10 produced by early stars and black holes. One of the major contributions of FUSE to cosmological studies was the detection of He II Ly-alpha (Gunn-Peterson) absorption in the spectra of two AGN at redshifts z = 2.72-2.89. The He II absorption is quite patchy between redshifts z = 2.6 and 3.2 probably because the IGM is clumpy and the reionization process is affected by source fluctuations, spectra, and radiative transfer through the IGM. Observations of the He II absorption can therefore be used as diagnostics of the ionizing sources and radiative transport over large (30-50 Mpc) distances through the IGM. The ionizing radiation field appears to be softer (higher He II/H I) in the galaxy voids. These void regions may be ionized by local soft sources (dwarf starburst galaxies), or the QSO radiation may softened by escape from AGN cores and transport through denser regions in the cosmic web. With COS, we will observe the brightest He II target, HE2347-4342, a QSO with z_em = 2.885. Our goal is to obtain a G130M moderate-resolution (R = 20, 000) spectrum from 1145-1450A. Because COS has far greater throughput than either STIS or FUSE, we will be able to resolve and characterize the He II absorption lines. The region shortward of the redshifted He II (Ly-alpha) corresponds to z = 2.77-2.92, where He II exhibits patchy transmission and absorption. The ratio of He II/H I (Ly-alpha line) opacities will provide information on the ionizing radiation field (and ionizing sources) at 1 and 4 ryd. We will perform similar He II studies on three other targets, HS1700+6416, PKS1935-692, and Q0302-003.

COS/NUV/FUV/STIS/CCD/MA1 11692

The LMC as a QSO Absorption Line System

We propose to obtain high resolution, high signal-to-noise observations of QSOs behind the Large Magellanic Clouds. These QSOs are situated beyond the star forming disk of the galaxy, giving us the opportunity to study the distribution of metals and energy in regions lacking significant star formation. In particular, we will derive the metallicities and study the ionization characteristics of LMC gas at impact parameters 3-17 kpc. We will compare our results with high-z QSO absorption line systems.

NIC3/WFC3/IR 11153

The Physical Nature and Age of Lyman Alpha Galaxies

In the simplest scenario, strong Lyman alpha emission from high redshift galaxies would indicate that stellar populations younger than 10 Myrs dominate the UV. This does not, however, constrain the stellar populations older than 100 Myrs, which do not contribute to UV light. Also, the Lyman alpha line can be boosted if the interstellar medium is both clumpy and dusty. Different studies with small samples have reached different conclusions about the presence of dust and old stellar populations in Lyman alpha emitters. We propose HST-NICMOS and Spitzer-IRAC photometry of 35 Lyman-alpha galaxies at redshift 4.5< z < 6.5, in order to determine their spectral energy distribution (SED) extending through rest-frame optical. This will allow us to measure accurately (1) The total stellar mass in these objects, including old stars which may have formed at redshifts (z > 8) not easily probed by any other means. (2) The dust extinction in the rest- frame UV, and therefore a correction to their present star-formation rates. Taken together, these two quantities will yield the star-formation histories of Lyman alpha galaxies, which form fully half of the known galaxies at z=4-6. They will tell us whether these are young or old galaxies by straddling the 4000A break. Data from NICMOS is essential for these compact and faint (i=25-26th magnitude AB) high redshift galaxies, which are too faint for good near-IR photometry from the ground.

STIS/CCD 11844

CCD Dark Monitor Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.

STIS/CCD 11846

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to 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.

WFC3/ACS/UVIS/IR 11570

Narrowing in on the Hubble Constant and Dark Energy

A measurement of the Hubble constant to a precision of a few percent would be a powerful aid to the investigation of the nature of dark energy and a potent “end-to end” test of the present cosmological model. In Cycle 15 we constructed a new streamlined distance ladder utilizing high-quality type Ia supernova data and observations of Cepheids with HST in the near-IR to minimize the dominant sources of systematic uncertainty in past measurements of the Hubble constant and reduce its total uncertainty to a little under 5%. Here we propose to exploit this new route to reduce the remaining uncertainty by more than 30%, translating into an equal reduction in the uncertainty of the equation of state of dark energy. We propose three sets of observations to reach this goal: a mosaic of NGC 4258 with WFC3 in F160W to triple its sample of long period Cepheids, WFC3/F160W observations of the 6 ideal SN Ia hosts to triple their samples of Cepheids, and observations of NGC 5584 the host of a new SN Ia, SN 2007af, to discover and measure its Cepheids and begin expanding the small set of SN Ia luminosity calibrations. These observations would provide the bulk of a coordinated program aimed at making the measurement of the Hubble constant one of the leading constraints on dark energy.

WFC3/IR 11719

A Calibration Database for Stellar Models of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

Studies of galaxy formation and evolution rely increasingly on the interpretation and modeling of near-infrared observations. At these wavelengths, the brightest stars are intermediate mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. These stars can contribute nearly 50% of the integrated luminosity at near infrared and even optical wavelengths, particularly for the younger stellar populations characteristic of high-redshift galaxies (z>1). AGB stars are also significant sources of dust and heavy elements. Accurate modeling of AGB stars is therefore of the utmost importance.

The primary limitation facing current models is the lack of useful calibration data. Current models are tuned to match the properties of the AGB population in the Magellanic Clouds, and thus have only been calibrated in a very narrow range of sub- solar metallicities. Preliminary observations already suggest that the models are overestimating AGB lifetimes by factors of 2-3 at lower metallicities. At higher (solar) metallicities, there are no appropriate observations for calibrating the models.

We propose a WFC3/IR SNAP survey of nearby galaxies to create a large database of AGB populations spanning the full range of metallicities and star formation histories. Because of their intrinsically red colors and dusty circumstellar envelopes, tracking the numbers and bolometric fluxes of AGB stars requires the NIR observations we propose here. The resulting observations of nearby galaxies with deep ACS imaging offer the opportunity to obtain large (100-1000’s) complete samples of AGB stars at a single distance, in systems with well-constrained star formation histories and metallicities.

WFC3/UVIS 11643

A Timeline for Early-Type Galaxy Formation: Mapping the Evolution of Star Formation, Globular Clusters, Dust, and Black Holes

While considerable effort has been devoted to statistical studies of the origin of the red sequence of galaxies, there has been relatively little direct exploration of galaxies transforming from late to early types. Such galaxies are identified by their post-starburst spectra, bulge-dominated, tidally-disturbed morphologies, and current lack of gas. We are constructing the first detailed timeline of their evolution onto the red sequence, pinpointing when star formation ends, nuclear activity ceases, globular clusters form, and the bulk of the merging progenitors’ dust disappears. Here we propose to obtain HST and Chandra imaging of nine galaxies, whose wide range of post-starburst ages we have precisely dated with a new UV-optical technique and for which we were awarded Spitzer time. We will address 1) whether the black hole-bulge mass relation arises from nuclear feedback, 2) whether the bimodality of globular cluster colors is due to young clusters produced in galaxy mergers, and 3) what happens to the dust when late types merge to form an early type.

WFC3/UVIS 11714

Snapshot Survey for Planetary Nebulae in Local Group Globular Clusters

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, four, 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 outside the Milky Way. These clusters, some of which may be much younger than their counterparts in our galaxy, 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. This proposal continues a WFPC2 program started in Cycle 16, but with the more powerful WFC3. As a by-product, the survey will also produce color-magnitude diagrams for numerous clusters for the first time, reaching down to the horizontal branch.

WFC3/UVIS 11905

WFC3 UVIS CCD Daily Monitor

The behavior of the WFC3 UVIS CCD will be monitored daily with a set of full-frame, four-amp bias and dark frames. A smaller set of 2Kx4K subarray biases are acquired at less frequent intervals throughout the cycle to support subarray science observations. The internals from this proposal, along with those from the anneal procedure (Proposal 11909), will be used to generate the necessary superbias and superdark reference files for the calibration pipeline (CDBS).

WFC3/UVIS 11908

Cycle 17: UVIS Bowtie Monitor

Ground testing revealed an intermittent hysteresis type effect in the UVIS detector (both CCDs) at the level of ~1%, lasting hours to days. Initially found via an unexpected bowtie-shaped feature in flatfield ratios, subsequent lab tests on similar e2v devices have since shown that it is also present as simply an overall offset across the entire CCD, i.e., a QE offset without any discernable pattern. These lab tests have further revealed that overexposing the detector to count levels several times full well fills the traps and effectively neutralizes the bowtie. Each visit in this proposal acquires a set of three 3×3 binned internal flatfields: the first unsaturated image will be used to detect any bowtie, the second, highly exposed image will neutralize the bowtie if it is present, and the final image will allow for verification that the bowtie is gone.

WFC3/UVIS 11912

UVIS Internal Flats

This proposal will be used to assess the stability of the flat field structure for the UVIS detector throughout the 15 months of Cycle 17. The data will be used to generate on- orbit updates for the delta-flat field reference files used in the WFC3 calibration pipeline, if significant changes in the flat structure are seen.

WFC3/UVIS/IR 11700

Bright Galaxies at z>7.5 with a WFC3 Pure Parallel Survey

The epoch of reionization represents a special moment in the history of the Universe as it is during this era that the first galaxies and star clusters are formed. Reionization also profoundly affects the environment where subsequent generations of galaxies evolve. Our overarching goal is to test the hypothesis that galaxies are responsible for reionizing neutral hydrogen. To do so we propose to carry out a pure parallel WFC3 survey to constrain the bright end of the redshift z>7.5 galaxy luminosity function on a total area of 176 arcmin^2 of sky. Extrapolating the evolution of the luminosity function from z~6, we expect to detect about 20 Lyman Break Galaxies brighter than M_* at z~8 significantly improving the current sample of only a few galaxies known at these redshifts. Finding significantly fewer objects than predicted on the basis of extrapolation from z=6 would set strong limits to the brightness of M_*, highlighting a fast evolution of the luminosity function with the possible implication that galaxies alone cannot reionize the Universe. Our observations will find the best candidates for spectroscopic confirmation, that is bright z>7.5 objects, which would be missed by small area deeper surveys. The random pointing nature of the program is ideal to beat cosmic variance, especially severe for luminous massive galaxies, which are strongly clustered. In fact our survey geometry of 38 independent fields will constrain the luminosity function like a contiguous single field survey with two times more area at the same depth. Lyman Break Galaxies at z>7.5 down to m_AB=26.85 (5 sigma) in F125W will be selected as F098M dropouts, using three to five orbits visits that include a total of four filters (F606W, F098M, F125W, F160W) optimized to remove low-redshift interlopers and cool stars. Our data will be highly complementary to a deep field search for high-z galaxies aimed at probing the faint end of the luminosity function, allowing us to disentangle the degeneracy between faint end slope and M_* in a Schechter function fit of the luminosity function. We waive proprietary rights for the data. In addition, we commit to release the coordinates and properties of our z>7.5 candidates within one month from the acquisition of each field.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

#12134 REAcq(1,2,1) @351/10:25z failed to gyro control

Observation affected: WFC3 #90-95 Proposal #11643.

#12135 GSAcq(1,2,1) @351/13:02z & REAcq(1,2,1) @ 351/14:05z, 15:41z & 17:17z failed due to search radius limit exceeded

Observations affected: COS #89-93 Proposal# 11692; WFC3 #100-104 Proposal# 11700

#12136 GSAcq(2,3,3) @352/02:26:03z, REAcq(2,3,3) @352/04:02:17z & REAcq(2,3,3) @352/07:14:00z failed to gyro control with search radius limit exceeded on FGS-2

REAcq(2,3,3) @352/05:38:09z was successful in acquiring fine lock on both FGS 2 and 3.

Observations affected: COS #94-96 & #98 Proposal #11727; WFC3 #120-126 & #131-132 Proposal #11696

#12137 GSAcq(2,1,1) @352/09:19:33z acquires with fine lock backup on FGS 1 and scan step limit exceeded on FGS 2 @352/09:23:05z

FGS 2 acquired and lost lock twice between 352/09:22:54 and 09:24:46

Observation possibly affected: WFC3 #135 Proposal #11208.

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:

#18568-1 LBBIAS Updates for Extended Gyro Guiding Intervals (Generic) @351/11:24z, 351/14:25z, 351/15:58z, 351/17:16z, 352/03:29z, 352/06:40z

#18787-0 LBBIAS Gyro Bias Update @351/10:52z

#18789-0 LBBIAS Gyro Bias Update @351/17:04z

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                        SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSAcq                  8             6

FGS REAcq                  7             1

OBAD with Maneuver         4             4

LOSS of LOCK                             1

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

2nd Gyro 3 Reconfiguration to Backup Heater:

The Gyro 3 heater controller was switched to the backup controller at 350/21:45. Initial biases measurements up to 351/01:50 were nominal, however the GS acquisition at 351/02:57 failed to Loss of Lock (LOL) looping which is indicative of a bias issue. Subsequent biases appeared to increase in the V2 and V3 axes and acquisitions between 06:07 and 10:27 failed due to search radius limit exceeds (SRLEX) or LOL looping while efforts were made to correct the bias. The GS acquisition at 12:01 was successful and performed an onboard bias update. The GS acquisition at 13:05 failed due to a dim star and another full acquisition will not occur until 19:01. Another LBBIAS update is in work to correct the bias.