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Daily Rpt #4999



 
 
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Old December 24th 09, 02:57 PM posted to sci.astro.hubble
Bassford, Lynn[_2_]
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Default Daily Rpt #4999

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #4999

PERIOD COVERED: 5am December 23 - 5am December 24, 2009 (DOY 357/10:00z-358/10:00z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

ACS/WFC3 11138

The Physics of the Jets of Powerful Radio Galaxies and Quasars

We propose to obtain HST polarimetry of the jets of the quasars
1150+497 and PKS 1136-135. Our goal is to solve the riddle of their
high-energy emission mechanism, and tackle issues such as particle
acceleration and jet dynamics. Our targets are the optically brightest
quasar jets, and they span the range of luminosities and beaming
parameters seen in these objects. Recent observations with Spitzer,
HST and Chandra have shed new light on the spectral morphology of
quasar jets, throwing wide open the question of the nature of their
optical and X-ray emission. Three mechanisms are possible, including
synchrotron emission as well as two Comptonization processes.
Polarimetry can uniquely determine which of these mechanisms operates
in the optical. We will compare the optical polarimetry to in-hand
radio polarimetry as well as in-hand and new Spitzer, HST and Chandra
imaging to gain new insights on the structure of these jets, as well
as particle acceleration mechanisms and jet dynamics.

ACS/WFC3 11782

Measuring the Shape and Orientation of the Galactic Dark-Matter Halo
using Hypervelocity Stars

We propose to obtain high-resolution images of five hypervelocity
stars in the Galactic halo in order to establish the first-epoch
astrometric frame for them, as a part of a long- term program to
measure precise proper motions. The origin of these recently
discovered stars, all with positive radial velocities above 540 km/s,
is consistent only with being ejected from the deep potential well of
the massive black hole at the Galactic center. The deviations of their
space motions from purely radial trajectories probe the departures
from spherical symmetry of the Galactic potential, mainly due to the
triaxiality of the dark-matter halo. Reconstructing the full three
dimensional space motion of the hypervelocity stars, through
astrometric proper motions, provides a unique opportunity to measure
the shape and orientation of the dark halo. The hypervelocity stars
allow measurement of the potential up to 75 kpc from the center,
independently of and at larger distances than are afforded by tidal
streams of satellite galaxies such as the Sagittarius dSph galaxy.
HVS3 may be associated with the LMC, rather then the Galactic center,
and would therefore present a case for a supermassive black hole at
the center of the LMC. We request one orbit with ACS/WFC for each of
the five hypervelocity stars to establish their current positions
relative to background galaxies. We will request a repeated
observation of these stars in Cycle 17, which will conclusively
measure the astrometric proper motions.

ACS/WFC3 11879

CCD Daily Monitor (Part 1)

This program comprises basic tests for measuring the read noise and
dark current of the ACS WFC and for tracking the growth of hot pixels.
The recorded frames are used to create bias and dark reference images
for science data reduction and calibration. This program will be
executed four days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) for the duration of
Cycle 17. To facilitate scheduling, this program is split into three
proposals. This proposal covers 352 orbits (22 weeks) from 31 August
2009 to 31 January 2010.

FGS 11871

Long Term Stability of FGS1R in Position Mode

This proposal resumes the Long Term Monitoring of FGS1R in Position
Mode using stars in M35 that are a subset of the FGS "OFAD catalog"
using both the "fall" and "spring" seasons (the spring orient was not
available under two gyro mode). The data acquired by this proposal are
used to update the FGS1R "rhoA & kA" parameters that are associated
with the OFAD solution that is applicable at the observation's epoch.
These values are critical to support sub-milli arcsecond astrometry
with FGS1R.

This particular proposal also include a FGS3 visit to M35 for post SM4
verification of its calibration status.

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 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.

WFC3/ACS/UVIS 11360

Star Formation in Nearby Galaxies

Star formation is a fundamental astrophysical process; it controls
phenomena ranging from the evolution of galaxies and nucleosynthesis
to the origins of planetary systems and abodes for life. The WFC3,
optimized at both UV and IR wavelengths and equipped with an extensive
array of narrow-band filters, brings unique capabilities to this area
of study. The WFC3 Scientific Oversight Committee (SOC) proposes an
integrated program on star formation in the nearby universe which will
fully exploit these new abilities. Our targets range from the
well-resolved R136 in 30 Dor in the LMC (the nearest super star
cluster) and M82 (the nearest starbursting galaxy) to about half a
dozen other nearby galaxies that sample a wide range of star-formation
rates and environments. Our program consists of broad band
multiwavelength imaging over the entire range from the UV to the
near-IR, aimed at studying the ages and metallicities of stellar
populations, revealing young stars that are still hidden by dust at
optical wavelengths, and showing the integrated properties of star
clusters. Narrow-band imaging of the same environments will allow us
to measure star-formation rates, gas pressure, chemical abundances,
extinction, and shock morphologies. The primary scientific issues to
be addressed a (1) What triggers star formation? (2) How do the
properties of star-forming regions vary among different types of
galaxies and environments of different gas densities and compositions?
(3) How do these different environments affect the history of star
formation? (4) Is the stellar initial mass function universal or
determined by local conditions?

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/IR 11644

A Dynamical-Compositional Survey of the Kuiper Belt: A New Window Into
the Formation of the Outer Solar System

The eight planets overwhelmingly dominate the solar system by mass,
but their small numbers, coupled with their stochastic pasts, make it
impossible to construct a unique formation history from the dynamical
or compositional characteristics of them alone. In contrast, the huge
numbers of small bodies scattered throughout and even beyond the
planets, while insignificant by mass, provide an almost unlimited
number of probes of the statistical conditions, history, and
interactions in the solar system. To date, attempts to understand the
formation and evolution of the Kuiper Belt have largely been dynamical
simulations where a hypothesized starting condition is evolved under
the gravitational influence of the early giant planets and an attempt
is made to reproduce the current observed populations. With little
compositional information known for the real Kuiper Belt, the test
particles in the simulation are free to have any formation location
and history as long as they end at the correct point. Allowing
compositional information to guide and constrain the formation,
thermal, and collisional histories of these objects would add an
entire new dimension to our understanding of the evolution of the
outer solar system. While ground based compositional studies have hit
their flux limits already with only a few objects sampled, we propose
to exploit the new capabilities of WFC3 to perform the first ever
large-scale dynamical-compositional study of Kuiper Belt Objects
(KBOs) and their progeny to study the chemical, dynamical, and
collisional history of the region of the giant planets. The
sensitivity of the WFC3 observations will allow us to go up to two
magnitudes deeper than our ground based studies, allowing us the
capability of optimally selecting a target list for a large survey
rather than simply taking the few objects that can be measured, as we
have had to do to date. We have carefully constructed a sample of 120
objects which provides both overall breadth, for a general
understanding of these objects, plus a large enough number of objects
in the individual dynamical subclass to allow detailed comparison
between and within these groups. These objects will likely define the
core Kuiper Belt compositional sample for years to come. While we have
many specific results anticipated to come from this survey, as with
any project where the field is rich, our current knowledge level is
low, and a new instrument suddenly appears which can exploit vastly
larger segments of the population, the potential for discovery -- both
anticipated and not -- is extraordinary.

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 7 7
FGS REAcq 7 7
OBAD with Maneuver 5 7

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)
 




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