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Daily 3651
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY REPORT # 3651 PERIOD COVERED: DOYs 191-193 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED NIC2 9875 The Fundamental Plane of Massive Gas-Rich Mergers We propose deep NICMOS H-band imaging of a carefully selected sample of 33 luminous, late-stage galactic mergers. This program is part of a comprehensive investigation of the most luminous mergers in the nearby universe, the ultraluminous infrared galaxies {ULIGs}. The high-resolution HST images will complement an extensive set of ground-based data that include long-slit NIR spectra from a recently approved Large VLT Programme. This unique dataset will allow us to derive with unprecedented precision structural -and- kinematic parameters for a large unbiased sample of objects spanning the entire ULIG luminosity function. These data will refine the fundamental plane of massive gas-rich mergers and enable us to answer the following questions: {1} Do ultraluminous mergers form elliptical galaxies, and in particular, giant ellipticals? {2} Do ULIGs evolve into optically bright QSOs? The results from this detailed study of massive mergers in the local universe will be relevant to understanding galaxy formation and evolution at earlier epochs, and in particular, the dusty sub-mm population that accounts for more than half of the star formation at z 1. WFPC2 9816 Proper motion kinematics in Galactic bulge/bar fields With this proposal we continue a successful programme to measure proper motions in fields in the galactic bulge. We are able to reach accuracies of ca 10km/s in transverse motion at a distance of 8kpc, for thousands of stars per WFPC2 field. In combination with VLT spectroscopic radial velocities and metallicity indices, we will be able to construct a full dynamical and stellar-population model for our Bulge. Previous fields in this programme were on the minor axis; the fields proposed here {using first epoch observations from 1995-1998 from the archive} lie in the first quadrant, on the near side of the Galactic bar. We also wish to establish first-epoch observations in the 4th quadrant, where no suitable data exist so far. ACS/WFC/HRC 9771 The local Hubble flow and the density field within 6 Mpc Great progress has been made recently in accurate distance measurements of nearby galaxies beyond the Local Group based on the luminosity of the tip of the red giant branch {TRGB}. Over the last three years, snapshot surveys with HST have provided us with the TRGB distances for more than a hundred nearby galaxies obtained with an accuracy of about 10%. The local velocity field within 5 Mpc exhibits a significant anisotropy which disagrees with a spherical Virgo-centric flow. The local Hubble flow is very cold, with 1-D rms deviations of ~30 km/s. Cosmological simulations with Cold Dark Matter can only realize such low dispersions with a combination of a low mean density of matter and a substantial component with negative pressure. There may be a constraint on the equation of state w=-p/rho. Our observations will concentrate on 116 galaxies whose expected distances lie within 4 - 6 Mpc, allowing us to trace a Dark Matter distribution in the Local Volume with twice the information currently available. The program is a good one for SNAP mode because the order and rate that the observations are made are not very important, as long as there is good completion over several years. ACS/HRC/WFC 9770 Galaxy Evolution During Half the Age of the Universe: ACS imaging of rich galaxy clusters Detailed studies of nearby galaxies {z0.05} have shown that galaxies have very complex histories of formation and evolution involving mergers, bursts of star formation, and morphological changes. Even so, the global properties of the galaxies {radii, luminosities, rotation velocities, velocity dispersions, and absorption line strengths} follow a number of very tight {empirical} scaling relations, e.g. the Tully-Fisher relation and the Fundamental Plane. These relations place constraints on models for galaxy evolution. The results for nearby galaxies rely on high signal-to-noise spectroscopy and multi-color photometry. With the Gemini Telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope {HST} it is possible to carry out similar detailed studies of galaxies at much larger redshifts, up to z~1.0, equivalent to half the age of the Universe. We have started a project using the scaling relations and aimed at studying the galaxy evolution over the last half of the age of the Universe. The project is based on a large database of spectroscopy and photometry of galaxies in 15 X-ray selected clusters of galaxies with redshifts between 0.15 and 1.0. Spectroscopic observations are being obtained using both Gemini Telescopes; we have observed 6 clusters so far, covering from z=0.18 to z=0.83. We propose to use HST/ACS to image the clusters and determine the morphologies and measure the sizes of the galaxies. At this time we ask for 26 orbits to image four of the clusters in our sample. STIS/MA1/MA2 9739 Are We Missing the Dominant Sites of Star Formation in Local UV-Bright Starbursts? We propose to explore the ages, extinctions, and masses of young stellar clusters in four nearby dwarf starburst galaxies {He 2-10, NGC 5253, NGC 4214, and IIZw40}. We will combine available archival data with new, high resolution HST observations from the ultraviolet to the infrared. All four galaxies are known from ground based radio/infrared observations to contain highly obscured, massive stellar clusters, which dominate the far infrared flux. Despite the fact that almost all of the infrared flux comes from regions which are obscured at UV and optical wavelengths, these galaxies are consistent with the well known correlation between the UV slope {beta} and the ratio of far infrared flux to ultraviolet flux at 1600 Angstroms. Because the UV and IR fluxes are decoupled, this observation implies that a simple foreground screen model, where UV photons from hot stars are reprocessed into the infrared by local dust, is not the proper interpretation for why these galaxies follow the beta relation. We propose to investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for this observed correlation in these UV bright galaxies, and explore the implication for high redshift starbursts. ACS/WFC 9727 Exploration of the SN Ia Hubble Diagram at z 1.2 In the spirit of a Treasury proposal, we propose to organize, and deliver to the astronomical community, non-proprietary follow-up observations of ~10 Type Ia supernovae at 1z1.7 that are expected to be discovered in a Cycle 12 Treasury proposal. Together with the currently available sample, this would provide a Hubble diagram with over 20 SNe Ia in this redshift range, where it is possible to test the current cosmological model in the epoch of deceleration: If z ~ 0.5 SNe Ia are fainter due to evolution rather than an accelerating expansion, they should continue to get fainter at even higher redshifts. This size sample will show trends and outliers, and permit a more rigorous treatment of the asymmetric amplification distribution from gravitational lensing. This is a key redshift range for the studies of dark energy that will be done with future surveys {and future instruments now being designed}; this dataset will lay the ground-work for these studies by establishing the simple properties of the supernovae in this redshift range, including magnitudes, colors, and timescales. If considered more appropriate, this proposal could be treated as a part of a Treasury or Director's Discretionary program, since the data would be available to everybody immediately, and we would welcome others who would want to work with us on it. STIS/CCD/MA1 9459 The Response of the White Dwarf in WZ Sge to the Unexpected July 2001 Superoutburst. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to observe WZ Sge, the most extreme dwarf nova and one of the closest known cataclysmic variables, that has undergone a superoutburst in July 2001 after 22 years in quiescence. Because of the uniqueness of this event, two DD proposals were approved, one to observe the outburst itself, and another for us to observe the early decline phase. Here it is proposed to complete our fundamental study of the response of a dwarf nova system to an outburst by continuing our UV coverage of this most extreme outbursting system during its decline to quiescence. This decline is expected to take more than 3 yrs, with the most dramatic changes occurring in the first 2 years. This once-in-a-lifetime chance to obtain high quality, high time {and spectral} resolution FUV data as the decline progresses into the critical transition from the disk- dominated phase to the bare white dwarf, provides an unique opportunity to study the response of the emerging white dwarf, whose chemical abundances, rotation and temperature variation with time bear the imprint of this extraordinary gigantic accretion event. NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8793 NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 4 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/HRC 10272 A Snapshot Survey of the Sites of Recent, Nearby Supernovae During the past few years, robotic {or nearly robotic} searches for supernovae {SNe}, most notably our Lick Observatory Supernova Search {LOSS}, have found hundreds of SNe, many of them in quite nearby galaxies {cz 4000 km/s}. Most of the objects were discovered before maximum brightness, and have follow-up photometry and spectroscopy; they include some of the best-studied SNe to date. We propose to conduct a snapshot imaging survey of the sites of some of these nearby objects, to obtain late-time photometry that {through the shape of the light and color curves} will help reveal the origin of their lingering energy. The images will also provide high-resolution information on the local environment of SNe that are far superior to what we can procure from the ground. For example, we will obtain color-color and color-magnitude diagrams of stars in these SN sites, to determine their progenitor masses and constraints on the reddening. Recovery of the SNe in the new HST images will also allow us to actually pinpoint their progenitor stars in cases where pre-explosion images exist in the HST archive. Use of ACS rather than WFPC2 will make our snapshot survey even more valuable than our Cycle 9 survey. This Proposal is complementary to our Cycle 13 archival proposal, in which we outline a plan for using existing HST images to glean information about SN environments. ACS/HRC 10130 Systemic Proper Motions of the Magellanic Clouds from Astrometry with ACS: II. Second Epoch Images We request second epoch observations with ACS of Magellanic Cloud fields centered on the 40 quasars in the LMC and SMC for which we have first epoch Cycle 11 data. The new data will determine the systemic proper motion of the Clouds. An extensive astrometric analysis of the first epoch data shows that follow-up observations with a two year baseline will allow us to measure the proper motion of the clouds to within 0.022 mas/year in each of the two orthogonal directions {assuming that we can image 25 quasars, i.e., with a realistic Snapshot Program completion rate}. The best weighted combination of all previous measurements has a seven times larger error than what we expect. We will determine the proper motion of the clouds with 2% accuracy. When combined with HI data for the Magellanic Stream this will constrain both the mass distribution in the Galactic Halo and theoretical models for the origin of the Magellanic Stream. Previous measurements are too crude for such constraints. Our data will provide by far the most accurate proper motion measurement for any Milky Way satellite. FGS 10109 The Distance and Mass of the Neutrino-Luminous White Dwarf PG 0122+200 PG 0122+200 is a pulsating hot white dwarf that is believed to radiate more energy as neutrinos than it does as photons. We propose to measure with FGS the trigonometric parallax of PG 0122+200 and thereby determine its distance, luminosity, and mass. Ongoing investigations from the ground will infer the neutrino luminosity through its effect on the pulsation periods, thus testing standard and non-standard lepton theory, but the stellar mass must first be known. The pulsation spectrum of PG 0122+200 admits two alternative seismological interpretations, each implying a different mass, luminosity, and distance. Measurement of an accurate distance will resolve the matter once and for all and precisely determine the stellar mass. This project represents the first test of lepton physics in dense {log rho = 6} plasma and is relevant to the many areas of stellar physics in which neutrino interactions are important, including recent theories intended to solve the solar-neutrino problem. WFPC2 10071 WFPC2 CYCLE 12 Supplemental Darks Part 3/3 This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. ACS/HRC/WFC 10061 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. ACS/HRC 10050 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. STIS/CCD 10022 STIS CCD Hot Pixel Annealing Cycle 12 The effectiveness of the CCD hot pixel annealing process is assessed by measuring the dark current behavior before and after annealing and by searching for any window contamination effects. In addition CTE performance is examined by looking for traps in a low signal level flat. Follows on from proposal 9612. STIS/CCD 10020 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/CCD 10018 CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2 Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD. ACS/HRC/WFC 10004 The Physics of Relativistic Jets: Chandra Imaging of Extended Jets in Gamma-loud Blazars Extended jets have been a key target for Chandra yet only recently has the kpc-scale jet physics been compared to that of the inner, parsec-scale jets. Such a comparison reveals the jet deceleration, power dissipation, pressure gradient, and confinement mechanism --- all essential ingredients for understanding the relativistic jets that characterize radio- loud AGN. Currently, few data exist to make this comparison. We propose to double the sample, with Chandra observations of 4 gamma-loud blazars: 0954+556 and 1229-021, the only 2 bright radio jets not yet observed by Chandra; and 0208-512 and 3C 454.3, observed in A03 with much too short exposures. We also propose HST multi-band ACS imaging of jet knots in 0208-512, 0954+556 and 3C 454.3. FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY: Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.) HSTAR 9478: GS Acquisition (2,1,1) @ 193/15:33:55Z ended in FL backup on FGS 2 due SSLE on FGS 1 @ 193/15:37:39Z. Under investigation. COMPLETED OPS REQs: 17224-0 - Set up ACS Memory Monitor @ 191/1857z OPS NOTES EXECUTED: None SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES FGS GSacq 26 26 FGS REacq 22 22 FHST Update 37 37 LOSS of LOCK SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: Successfully set-up ACS memory monitor @ 191/18:57Z (OR 17224 with COP 20.28, Step 2). Stored commanding updated a constant term in the ACS Filter Wheel 2 Resolver Fourier correction algorithm during the ACS safemode recovery. This action verifies the new constant and restores the memory monitor on Filter Wheel 2 raw resolver counts. |
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