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Daily 3395
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT******* # 3395 PERIOD COVERED: DOY 181 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED ACS/HRC 9379 Near Ultraviolet Imaging of Seyfert Galaxies: Understanding the Starburst-AGN Connection We propose a near-UV snapshot survey of 101 Seyfert galaxies using ACS/HRC and the filter F330W, a configuration which is optimal to detect faint star forming regions around their nuclei. These images will complement optical and near-IR images available in the HST archive, thus providing a panchromatic atlas of the inner regions of active galaxies, which we will use to study the starburst-AGN connection. The main goals of this proposal a {1} Determine the frequency of circumnuclear starbursts in Seyferts, down to levels which cannot be observed from the ground; {2} characterize the observational {fluxes, colors, structure, sizes} and intrinsic {luminosities, masses, ages, global star-formation rate} properties of these clusters; {3} derive the luminosity functions of young star clusters around the nucleus of Seyferts and compare these results with those from normal and starburst galaxies to determine their survival rate close to the AGN; {4} address questions about the relation between AGNs and starbursts, like the possible connection between the masses and luminosities of black holes and starbursts, and the implications for the evolution of the black holes and their host galaxy bulges. By adding UV images to the existing optical and near-IR ones, this project will create an extremely valuable database for astronomers with a broad range of scientific interests, from the properties of the AGN to the properties of their host galaxies. NICMOS/STIS CCD 9405 The Origin of Gamma-Ray Bursts The rapid and accurate localization of gamma-ray bursts {GRBs} promised by a working HETE-2 during the coming year may well revolutionize our ability to study these enigmatic, highly luminous transients. We propose a program of HST and Chandra observations to capitalize on this extraordinary opportunity. We will perform some of the most stringent tests yet of the standard model, in which GRBs represent collimated relativistic outflows from collapsing massive stars. NICMOS imaging and STIS CCD spectroscopy will detect broad atomic features of supernovae underlying GRB optical transients, at luminosities more than three times fainter than SN 1998bw. UV, optical, and X-ray spectroscopy will be used to study the local ISM around the GRB. Chandra spectroscopy will investigate whether the GRB X-ray lines are from metals freshly ripped from the stellar core by the GRB. HST and CTIO infra-red imaging of the GRBs and their hosts will be used to determine whether `dark' bursts are the product of unusually strong local extinction; imaging studies may for the first time locate the hosts of `short' GRBs. Our early polarimetry and late-time broadband imaging will further test physical models of the relativistic blast wave that produces the bright GRB afterglow, and will provide unique insight into the influence of the GRB environment on the afterglow. STIS 9415 Is the Compact HVC Toward Ton S210 Remnant Debris from the Formation of the Local Group? There is a fortuitous coincidence in the positions of the quasar Ton S210 and a compact ionH1 high velocity cloud on the sky that makes it possible to test the hypothesis that such clouds are extragalactic entities located in the Local Group. The HVC toward Ton S210 has H I 21 cm emission properties similar to those of isolated compact HVCs suspected of being Local Group clouds. It has recently been detected in O VI absorption by FUSE, which suggests that either there is hot gas associated with the collapse of the cloud or that the HVC is interacting with a hot, tenuous Galactic halo or Local Group medium. We propose to observe the HVC in absorption against the smooth ultraviolet continuum of Ton S210 with HST/STIS. To answer the question posed in the proposal title, we will combine the STIS observation with extant FUSE and H I 21 cm data to determine the metallicity, elemental abundances, and ionization properties of the HVC. To date, such information has been difficult to obtain for all but a few HVCs, and this is the first time such an opportunity has been available for a compact HVC. The results of this study will bear directly upon the issues of the locations of compact HVCs, the ionization conditions of HVCs detected in O VI absorption, and the possible influence HVCs might have on the chemical evolution of galaxies. ACS/WFPC2 9481 Pure Parallel Near-UV Observations with WFPC2 within High-Latitude ACS Survey Fields In anticipation of the allocation of ACS high-latitude imaging survey{s}, we request a modification of the default pure parallel program for those WFPC2 parallels that fall within the ACS survey field. Rather than duplicate the red bands which will be done much better with ACS, we propose to observe in the near-ultraviolet F300W filter. These data will enable study of the rest-frame ultraviolet morphology of galaxies at 0z1. We will determine the morphological k-correction, and the location of star formation within galaxies, using a sample that is likely to be nearly complete with multi-wavelength photometry and spectroscopic redshifts. The results can be used to interpret observations of higher redshift galaxies by ACS. ACS 9482 ACS Pure Parallel Lyman-Alpha Emission Survey {APPLES} Ly-alpha line emission is an efficient tool for identifying young galaxies at high redshift, because it is strong in galaxies with young stars and little or no dust --- properties expected in galaxies undergoing their first burst of star- formation. Slitless spectroscopy with the ACS Wide-Field Camera and G800L grism allows an unmatched search efficiency for such objects over the uninterrupted range 4 ~ z ~ 7. We propose the ACS Pure Parallel Ly-alpha Emission Survey {``APPLES''}, to exploit this unique HST capability and so obtain the largest and most uniform sample of high redshift Ly-alpha emitters yet. Parallel observations will allow this survey to be conducted with minimal impact on HST resources, and we will place reduced images and extracted spectra in the public domain within three months of observation. We aim to find ~ 1000 Ly-alpha emitters, 5 times the biggest current sample of Ly-alpha emitters. This unprecedented sample will provide robust statistics on the populations and evolution of Ly-alpha emitters between redshifts 4--7; a robust measurement of the reionization redshift completely independent of the Gunn-Peterson trough; spatial clustering information for Ly-alpha emitters which would let us probe their bias function and hence halo mass as a function of redshift; many galaxies at redshift exceeding 6; and lower redshift serendipitous discoveries. ACS 9565 ACS Post-SMOV UV Contamination Monitor This programme continues the UV sensitivity monitoring campaign {ACS SMOV proposal 9010} of the HRC and SBC after the end of the SMOV period. WFPC2 9592 WFPC2 CYCLE 11 Standard Darks This dark calibration program obtains dark frames every week in order to provide data for the ongoing calibration of the CCD dark current rate, and to monitor and characterize the evolution of hot pixels. Over an extended period these data will also provide a monitor of radiation damage to the CCDs. WFPC2 9596 WFPC2 CYCLE 11 INTERNAL MONITOR This calibration proposal is the Cycle 11 routine internal monitor for WFPC2, to be run weekly to monitor the health of the cameras. A variety of internal exposures are obtained in order to provide a monitor of the integrity of the CCD camera electronics in both bays {gain 7 and gain 15}, a test for quantum efficiency in the CCDs, and a monitor for possible buildup of contaminants on the CCD windows. 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 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1 at gain = 4, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns. STIS/CAL 9609 CCD Read Noise Monitor This proposal measures the read noise of all the amplifiers {A, B, C, D} on the STIS CCD using pairs of bias frames. Full frame and binned observations are made in both Gain 1 and Gain 4, with binning factors of 1x1, 1x2, 2x1 and 2x2. All exposures are internals. Pairs of visits are scheduled for monthly execution. 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/STIS 9664 SDSS Primary Standards The ACS HRC and WFC cameras have Sloan Digital Sky Survey standard filters, the first use of these on HST. Calibration of the u, g, r, i, z filters in ACS will be obtained in order to assure that observers can place HST and SDSS observations on a common system. The SDSS has adopted the 10th magnitude star, BD+17D4708 as their fundamental reference. STIS calibration spectra of this will be obtained over the full 0.2-1.0+ micron range covered by G230LB, G430L and G750L in order to generate a reference spectrum of this star in the HST system in order for SYNPHOT to generate robust synthetic magnitudes {the STIS observations are through the STIS program, 9631, Bohlin PI}. ACS observations will be obtained through the SDSS filters in order to reference u, g, r, i, z photometry to the same fundamental standard used by SDSS. In addition, since this will become a useful additional standard star, we will also obtain observations through the full suite of ACS UV-optical filters in order to assist photometric transformations between different systems ACS 9674 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. STIS 9708 STIS Pure Parallel Imaging Program: Cycle 11 This is the default archival pure parallel program for STIS during cycle 11. 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 parallel images of random areas of the sky, following the recommendations of the 2002 Parallels Working Group. ACS/HRC/WFC 9728 Tracing the History of Cosmic Expansion to z~2 with Type Ia Supernovae Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} provide the only direct evidence for an accelerating universe, an extraordinary result that needs the most rigorous test. The case for cosmic acceleration rests on the observation that SNe Ia at z = 0.5 are about 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 SNe Ia result attributed to grey dust or cosmic evolution of the SN Ia peak luminosity would not show this change of sign. We have obtained a toehold on this putative ``epoch of deceleration'' with SN 1997ff at z = 1.7, and 3 more at z 1 from our Cycle 11 program, all found and followed by HST. However, this is too important a test to rest on just a few objects, anyone of which could be subject to a lensed line-of-sight or misidentification. Here we propose to extend our measurement with observations of twelve SNe Ia in the range 1.0 z 1.5 or 6 such SNe Ia and 1 ultradistant SN Ia at z = 2, that will be discovered as a byproduct from proposed Treasury and DD programs. These objects will provide a much firmer foundation for a conclusion that touches on important questions of fundamental physics. ACS/HRC 9746 Binary systems in the Kuiper Belt The properties of the orbits of Kuiper belt object {KBO} satellites hold keys to fundamental insight into masses and densities of KBOs, the interaction history of the early solar system, the internal structure of distant ice-rock bodies, and even the genesis of the Pluto-Charon binary. Within the past 18 months, 9 KBO satellite systems have been discovered, allowing for the first time the possibility of characterizing a sample of KBO satellite orbital properties. We propose HRC observations to determine satellite orbits in the 6 best cases. We have carefully devised a strategy for each of these 6 systems to make maximum use of ground-based observations, previous HST observations, and the smallest possible number of new HST observations. Our proposed observations will efficiently provide highly reliable orbital solutions which are critical to achieving the scientific promise available from the study of these systems. Our strategy relies heavily on extensive Monte Carlo simulations to define optimal times of observing such that each new point obtained gives maximum leverage for refining the orbital solution. We find that with this strategy we can provide mass solutions for all 6 systems to an accuracy of better than 10% using only 25 new HST observations. This highly efficient program provides extreme scientific output with optimal use of scarce resources. ACS 9984 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. FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY: Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.) HSTAR 9065:* GS Acquisition (2,3,3) @ 181/18:36:14Z resulted in FL backup on FGS 2. HST was in LOS at time of event, upon AOS, there were no FGS flags indicating SRLEX or SSLEX. Under investigation. HSTAR 9066:* GS Acquisition (1,2,2) @ 182/02:18:27Z, which began in ZOE period, resulted in FL backup (1,0,1) using FGS 1 due to SSLE on FGS 2.* See HSTAR 9064, used same double star. Under investigation. COMPLETED OPS REQs: NONE OPS NOTES EXECUTED: 1115-0* CCC IP CONFIG Connections @ 181/10:10z ************************* SCHEDULED**** SUCCESSFUL*** FAILURE TIMES FGS GSacq************* 13********************** 13 FGS REacq************* 07*********************** 07 FHST Update*********** 26*********************** 26 LOSS of LOCK SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: Battery 4 Capacity Test started on schedule at 1st opportunity (OR 16996-1 with attached Battery 4 Capacity Test script). SM-4 SMGT SR 3.1.1 System Readiness test was completed on schedule.* Main objectives were verified. |
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