Daily Report #3749

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT # 3749

PERIOD COVERED: DOYs 338-340

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

NIC3 9846

The Origins of Sub-stellar Masses: Searching for the End of the IMF

Is there a preferred scale that defines the end of the IMF? We propose
to test this hypothesis by conducting a deep spectroscopic survey of
extremely low mass objects in the embedded young cluster associated
with NGC1333. At a distance of only 300pc, this cluster is one of the
nearest examples of a dense young cluster. We will be able to obtain
R=200 spectra and photometry for 40-60 cluster members with masses
between 5-40 Jupiter masses at an age of 1 Myr observed through
A{v}10 mag. This will enable us to estimate temperatures and
luminosities for all sources detected in the survey. We will compare
their positions in an H-R diagram to PMS evolutionary tracks in order
to estimate their ages and masses. For a solar metallicity cloud at a
temperature of 10 K, the minimum mass for fragmentation is thought to
be 10 Jupiter masses. A statistically significant sample of objects
detected below this limit would challenge the role of hierarchical
fragmentation in limiting substellar masses. The proximity of this
cluster combined with the unique sensitivity, wavelength coverage, and
multi-object spectroscopic capability of NICMOS on HST make this
experiment possible.

ACS/HRC 9792

Uncovering the CV population in M15: a deep, time-resolved, far-UV
survey of the

We propose to carry out a deep, far-ultraviolet {FUV}, time-resolved
for faint cataclysmic variables {CVs} and other dynamically-formed
objects in the globular cluster {GC} M15. We will use the ACS/SBC to
carry out 6 epochs of FUV imaging of this cluster in a single filter,
and will use two additional visits to obtain images in other FUV and
NUV filters. Since crowding is not a problem in the FUV, this will
yield time-resolved FUV photometry of all blue objects in the cluster
core. Our CV census will be both deep enough to be essentially
complete and ``broad'' enough to involve all of the following CV
characteristics: {1} UV brightness; {2} blue FUV spectral shape; {3}
strong CIV and HeII emission; {4} short time-scale {$sim$ minutes}
variability {flickering, WD spin}; {6} intermediate time-scale {$sim$
hours} variability {orbital variations}; {7} long time-scale {$sim$
weeks} variability {dwarf nova eruptions}. We will thus find the CV
population in M15, if it exists. In addition, our survey will detect
numerous blue stragglers and hot white dwarfs, as well as any other
blue objects near the core. Finally, our photometry will yield
high-quality FUV light curves of the two low-mass x-ray binaries in
M15.

ACS/WFC 9779

Giant Lya Halos Around High Redshift Radio Galaxies

We propose to use the ACS + ramp filter to image the morphologies of
several high redshift, giant Lya emission line halos associated with
radio galaxies. High redshift radio galaxies are the likely precursors
of the most massive elliptical galaxies known today. There is
increasing evidence that they are forming in the centers of giant
halos in overdense galaxy regions or `protoclusters'. The halos
provide a unique diagnostic to study the formation of these massive
galaxies and determine the importance of AGN/starburst feedback during
this process. The capability of HST to resolve fine detail is
essential for the interpretation of their complex morphologies. Our
targets have also a number of Lya excess galaxies near the halos which
fall within the field-of-view of the ACS + ramp filters. Our images
will resolve these systems and we will investigate whether there is
morphological evidence for starburst outflows. Starburst winds have
been proposed as a source of heat and chemical enrichment for
protoclusters, which may significantly affect their evolution.

ACS/WFC 9722

Life in the fast lane: The dark-matter distribution in the most
massive galaxy clusters in the Universe at z0.5

We propose two-filter ACS observations of a complete sample of 12 very
X-ray luminous galaxy clusters at 0.5z0.7 as a cornerstone of a
comprehensive multi- wavelength study of the properties of the most
massive clusters in the universe. Our sample includes the famous
systems Cl0016+16 and MS0451-03; all other clusters are new
discoveries from the MACS survey. Being the counterparts of the
best-studied systems at lower and higher redshift and comprising ALL
massive clusters at 0.5z0.7 observable from Mauna Kea this sample
will become the ultimate reference for cluster studies at z0.5. HST's
unique capabilities will allow us to: 1} measure accurately the
clusters' dark matter distribution on scales from tens to more than
500/h_50 kpc from observations of strong and weak gravitational
lensing, 2} use galaxy-galaxy lensing to measure the shape, extent,
and mass content of the dark-matter halos of both cluster and field
galaxies, and 3} study the color morphology of mergers and the star
formation history of galaxies in a high-density environment. The
proposed observations are complemented by Chandra observations of all
our targets {all 12 awarded, 11 executed to date} which provide
independent constraints on the dark matter and gas distribution in the
cluster cores, as well a by extensive groundbased observations of weak
lensing on yet larger scales, galaxy dynamics, and the SZ effect.

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.

ACS/WFC/NIC2/WFPC 10413 2 Resolving the Red Giant Population in Early
Type Galaxies

This project addresses the fundamental issue of the age and abundance
of the stellar populations in early type galaxies. We propose deep
imaging observations with ACS/WFC in F606W, F814W, and NICMOS/NIC2 in
F110W, F160W to create optical/IR color-magnitude diagrams of the
upper red giant branch in the nearest example of a bona fide
elliptical galaxy, NGC3379, and simultaneously in the disk and halo of
its companion, the S0 galaxy NGC3384. These observations will build
upon the results from our NICMOS study of NGC3379, which produced the
first deep IR color-magnitude data for a normal, luminous elliptical
galaxy. This is the most direct way to establish the metallicity,
metallicity spread, and presence of intermediate age populations in
these representative Hubble types, exploring their star formation
histories and evolution. The data will enable comparison with M32, the
M31 halo, NGC5128, and other nearby galaxies similarly observed with
HST.

ACS/HRC 10377

ACS Earth Flats

High signal sky flats will be obtained by observing the bright Earth
with the HRC and WFC. These observations will be used to verify the
accuracy of the flats currently used by the pipeline and will provide
a comparison with flats derived via other techniques: L- flats from
stellar observations, sky flats from stacked GO observations, and
internal flats using the calibration lamps. Weekly coronagraphic
monitoring is required to assess the changing position of the spots.

ACS/HRC/WFC 10367

ACS CCDs daily monitor- cycle 13 - part 1

This program consists of a set of basic tests to monitor, the read
noise, the development of hot pixels and test for any source of noise
in ACS CCD detectors. The files, biases and dark will be used to
create reference files for science calibration. This programme will be
for the entire lifetime of ACS.

NIC3 10337

The COSMOS 2-Degree ACS Survey NICMOS Parallels

The COSMOS 2-Degree ACS Survey NICMOS Parallels. This program is a
companion to program 10092.

ACS/WFC 10326

The Morphological, Photometric, and Spectroscopic Properties of
Intermediate Redshift Cluster Galaxies

We will use the ACS/WFC to image 8 fields in the outskirts of the
kT=5.8keV, X-ray cluster RX J0152-13 at z=0.83, for which we obtained
imaging in four central fields during Cycle 11. The resulting
wide-field mosaic of RX J0152-13 will enable direct study of the
population of galaxies falling into this cluster and will provide a
much needed comparison to our on-going wide-field study of the more
massive, 10.5keV cluster MS1054-03 at the same redshift. Imaging RX
J0152-13 to twice its viral radius enables us to: {1} trace the
transformation of infalling field spirals into cluster early-types
using, e.g., the morphology-density relation to large radii and very
low local densities; {2} determine the importance of galaxy-galaxy
interactions, i.e., whether the frequency of such encounters in the
infall region is as unexpectedly high as found in MS1054-03; and {3}
study in detail the star-formation histories of the most recently
accreted members via accurate colors and morphologies. A comparison of
RX J0152-13 with MS1054-03 will also allow us to directly probe the
dependence of galaxy evolution on cluster mass. Only by pairing the
wide-field ACS mosaic of RX J0152-13 with multi-object spectroscopy
from the Magellan, Keck, and VLT telescopes can we test predictions
from galaxy formation models, understand how field spirals evolve into
early-type cluster members, and better constrain the formation of
galaxies in general.

ACS/WFC 10286

Probing the Dynamics and Shock Physics of the Cas A Supernova Remnant

Cassiopeia A {Cas A; SN 1680} is the youngest known and closest
example of an oxygen-rich, core-collapse supernova remnant. A two-year
WFPC2 survey of part of the remnant yielded many new insights
including realization of the stunning amount of fine- scale detail
present in the ejecta, and the first precise location of the reverse
shock front in the main shell via rapid emission and structural
changes visible over 2 yrs. In addition, these data revealed over 100
new ejecta knots located out ahead of the forward blast wave in a
small region where only a handful were known from ground-based images.
We propose a follow-up survey program aimed at obtaining hi-res images
of the entire remnant in the ejecta's four major emission lines. A
separate set of ACS and NIC3 [Si VI] images of the NW reverse shock
filaments will be taken 3-4 months following the main Cycle 12 survey
images. These will allow us to the trace individual ejecta knot
deceleration dynamics, excitation, and evolution during reverse shock
passage. Analysis of the emission line fluxes will make use of custom
shock models generated by us for Cas A. These data will also provide
data on outer knot chemistry and expansion asymmetries particularly in
regard to the collimation of the NE and SW jets of O, Si, Ca- rich
ejecta. A major aim of this program is to acquire a superb two-year
image database covering the entire remnant to allow a detailed shock
physics and dynamics study.

ACS/WFC 10217

The ACS Fornax Cluster Survey

The two rich clusters nearest to the Milky Way, and the only large
collections of early- type galaxies within ~ 25 Mpc, are the Virgo and
Fornax Clusters. We propose to exploit the exceptional imaging
capabilities of the ACS/WFC to carry out the most comprehensive
imaging survey to date of early-type galaxies in Fornax: the ACS
Fornax Cluster Survey. Deep ACS/WFC images -- in the F475W {g'} and
F850LP {z'} bands -- will be acquired for 44 E, S0, dE, dE, N and dS0
cluster members. In Cycle 11, we initiated a similar program targeting
early-type galaxies in the Virgo Cluster {the ACS Virgo Cluster
Survey; GO-9401}. Our proposed survey of Fornax would yield an
extraordinary dataset which would complement that already in hand for
Virgo, and allow a definitive study of the role played by environment
in the structure, formation and evolution of early-type galaxies and
their globular cluster systems, nuclei, stellar populations, dust
content, nuclear morphologies and merger histories. It would also be a
community resource for years to come and, together with the ACS Virgo
Cluster Survey, constitute one of the lasting legacies of HST.

NIC2 10173

Infrared Snapshots of 3CR Radio Galaxies

Radio galaxies are an important class of extragalactic objects: they
are one of the most energetic astrophysical phenomena and they provide
an exceptional probe of the evolving Universe, lying typically in high
density regions but well-represented across a wide redshift range. In
earlier Cycles we carried out extensive HST observations of the 3CR
sources in order to acquire a complete and quantitative inventory of
the structure, contents and evolution of these important objects.
Amongst the results, we discovered new optical jets, dust lanes,
face-on disks with optical jets, and revealed point-like nuclei whose
properties support FR-I/BL Lac unified schemes. Here, we propose to
obtain NICMOS infrared images of 3CR sources with z0.3 as a major
enhancement to an already superb dataset. We aim to deshroud dusty
galaxies, study the underlying host galaxy free from the distorting
effects of dust, locate hidden regions of star formation and establish
the physical characteristics of the dust itself. We will measure
frequency and spectral energy distributions of point-like nuclei,
expected to be stronger and more prevalent in the IR, seek spectral
turnovers in known synchrotron jets and find new jets. We will
strongly test unified AGN schemes and merge these data with existing
X-ray to radio observations. The resulting database will be an
incredibly valuable resource to the astronomical community for years
to come.

NIC2 10169

Star Formation in Luminous Infrared Galaxies: giant HII Regions and
Super Star Clusters

Luminous Infrared Galaxies {LIRGs, LIR = 10^11-10^12Lsol} and
Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies {LIR10^12Lsol} account for
approximately 75% of all the galaxies detected in the mid-infrared in
the redshift range z=0-1.5. In the local universe it is found that
LIRGs are predominantly powered by intense star formation {SF}.
However, the physical conditions and processes governing such dramatic
activity over scales of tens to a few hundred parsecs are poorly
known. In the last decade HST has been playing a significant role,
mainly with the discovery of super star clusters {SSCs}, and more
recently, giant HII regions. Based on observations of a few LIRGs, we
found that these giant HII regions and associated SSCs appear to be
more common in LIRGs than in normal galaxies, and may dominate the
star formation activity in LIRGs. A larger sample is required to
address fundamental questions. We propose an HST/NICMOS targeted
campaign of a volume limited sample {v5200km/s} of 24 LIRGs. This
proposal will probe the role of giant HII regions in the overall
energetics of the current star formation, their relation to SSCs, and
the dependence of star formation properties on other parameters of
LIRGs. Such detailed knowledge of the SF properties of LIRGs in the
local universe is essential for understanding galaxies at high
redshift.

NIC2 10160

The nuclear scattering geometry of Seyfert galaxies

Orientation-based unification schemes are now well-established as the
basis for understanding the relationships between different classes of
AGN. However, our recent study of the optical polarization properties
of Seyfert 1 galaxies indicates that scattered light emerging from
these objects often follows a different path to that in Seyfert 2's,
indicating that the simplest unification geometry is incomplete. We
have developed a generic scattering model for Seyfert nuclei which
includes a compact, equatorial scattering region located within the
circum-nuclear torus and the 'classic' polar scattering region outside
it. We propose to test this model by using NICMOS to make NIR imaging
observations that will allow us to isolate the two scattering regions
within individual objects.

ACS/HRC 10137

Cluster Archeology: The Origin of Ultra-compact Dwarf Galaxies

Ultra-compact dwarf {UCD} galaxies are a new type of galaxy we have
discovered in the central regions of the Fornax and Virgo galaxy
clusters. Our most recent observations in the Fornax Cluster show that
UCDs outnumber normal galaxies in the centre of that cluster. Here we
propose snapshot imaging of UCDs in the Fornax and Virgo clusters to
test theories of how these fascinating objects formed. In particular
we wish to image Virgo cluster UCDs for which we have ground-based
Keck spectroscopy to test predictions that they formed more recently
than the Fornax UCDs.

ACS/WFC/WFPC2 10092

The COSMOS 2-Degree ACS Survey

We will undertake a 2 square degree imaging survey {Cosmic Evolution
Survey -- COSMOS} with ACS in the I {F814W} band of the VIMOS
equatorial field. This wide field survey is essential to understand
the interplay between Large Scale Structure {LSS} evolution and the
formation of galaxies, dark matter and AGNs and is the one region of
parameter space completely unexplored at present by HST. The
equatorial field was selected for its accessibility to all
ground-based telescopes and low IR background and because it will
eventually contain ~100, 000 galaxy spectra from the VLT-VIMOS
instrument. The imaging will detect over 2 million objects with I 27
mag {AB, 10 sigma}, over 35, 000 Lyman Break Galaxies {LBGs} and
extremely red galaxies out to z ~ 5. COSMOS is the only HST project
specifically designed to probe the formation and evolution of
structures ranging from galaxies up to Coma-size clusters in the epoch
of peak galaxy, AGN, star and cluster formation {z ~0.5 to 3}. The
size of the largest structures necessitate the 2 degree field. Our
team is committed to the assembly of several public ancillary datasets
including the optical spectra, deep XMM and VLA imaging, ground-based
optical/IR imaging, UV imaging from GALEX and IR data from SIRTF.
Combining the full-spectrum multiwavelength imaging and spectroscopic
coverage with ACS sub-kpc resolution, COSMOS will be Hubble's ultimate
legacy for understanding the evolution of both the visible and dark
universe.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary
reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be
investigated.) None


COMPLETED OPS REQs:None

OPS NOTES EXECUTED:None

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES
FGS Gsacq 18 18
FGS Reacq 24 24
FHST Update 33 33
LOSS of LOCK


SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: None