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Daily Report #5009



 
 
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Old January 11th 10, 12:51 PM posted to sci.astro.hubble
Bassford, Lynn[_2_]
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Posts: 91
Default Daily Report #5009

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #5009

PERIOD COVERED: 5am January 8 - 5am January 11, 2010 (DOY 008/10:00z-011/10:00z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

WFC3/UVIS 12018

Ultra-Luminous X-Ray Sources in the Most Metal-Poor Galaxies

There is growing observational and theoretical evidence to suggest
that Ultra-Luminous X-ray sources (ULX) form preferentially in low
metallicity environments. Here we propose a survey of 27 nearby (
30Mpc) star-forming Extremely Metal Poor Galaxies (Z5% solar). There
are almost no X-ray observations of such low abundance galaxies (3 in
the Chandra archive). These are the most metal-deficient galaxies
known, and a logical place to find ULX if they favor metal-poor
systems. We plan to test recent population synthesis models which
predict that ULX should be very numerous in metal-poor galaxies. We
will also test the hypothesis that ULX form in massive young star
clusters, and ask for HST time to obtain the necessary imaging data.

WFC3/IR/S/C 11929

IR Dark Current Monitor

Analyses of ground test data showed that dark current signals are more
reliably removed from science data using darks taken with the same
exposure sequences as the science data, than with a single dark
current image scaled by desired exposure time. Therefore, dark current
images must be collected using all sample sequences that will be used
in science observations. These observations will be used to monitor
changes in the dark current of the WFC3-IR channel on a day-to-day
basis, and to build calibration dark current ramps for each of the
sample sequences to be used by Gos in Cycle 17. For each sample
sequence/array size combination, a median ramp will be created and
delivered to the calibration database system (CDBS).

WFC3/UVIS 11924

WFC3/UVIS External and Internal CTE Monitor

CCD detector Charge Transfer Inefficiency (CTI)-induced losses in
photometry and astrometry will be measured using observations of the
rich open cluster NGC6791 and with the EPER (Extended Pixel Edge
Response) method using tungsten lamp flat field exposures. Although we
do not expect to see CTE effects at the outset of Cycle 17, this CTE
monitoring program is the first of a multi-cycle program to monitor
and establish CTE-induced losses with time. We expect to measure CTE
effects with a precision comparable to the ACS measurements.

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 3x3 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 11907

UVIS Cycle 17 Contamination Monitor

The UV throughput of WFC3 during Cycle 17 is monitored via weekly
standard star observations in a subset of key filters covering
200-600nm and F606W, F814W as controls on the red end. The data will
provide a measure of throughput levels as a function of time and
wavelength, allowing for detection of the presence of possible
contaminants.

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).

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.

WFC3/ACS/UVIS 11877

HST Cycle 17 and Post-SM4 Optical Monitor

This program is the Cycle 17 implementation of the HST Optical
Monitoring Program.

The 36 orbits comprising this proposal will utilize ACS (Wide Field
Channel) and WFC3 (UVIS Channel) to observe stellar cluster members in
parallel with multiple exposures over an orbit. Phase retrieval
performed on the PSF in each image will be used to measure primarily
focus, with the ability to explore apparent coma, and astigmatism
changes in WFC3.

The goals of this program are to: 1) monitor the overall OTA focal
length for the purposes of maintaining focus within science tolerances
2) gain experience with the relative effectiveness of phase retrieval
on WFC3/UVIS PSFs 3) determine focus offset between the imagers and
identify any SI-specific focus behavior and dependencies

If need is determined, future visits will be modified to interleave
WFC3/IR channel and STIS/CCD focii measurements.

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.

STIS/CCD 11844

CCD Dark Monitor Part 1

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

WFC3/ACS/IR 11840

Identifying the Host Galaxies for Optically Dark Gamma-Ray Bursts

We propose to use the high spatial resolution of Chandra to obtain
precise positions for a sample of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) with no
optical afterglows, where the optical light is suppressed relative to
the X-ray flux. These bursts are likely to be highly obscured and may
have different environments from the optically bright GRBs. Our
Chandra observations will (unlike Swift XRT positions) allow for the
unique identification of a host galaxy. To locate these host galaxies
we will follow up our Chandra positions with deep optical and IR
observations with HST. The ultimate aim is to understand any
differences between the host galaxies of optically dark and bright
GRBs, and how these affect the use of GRBs as tracers of starformation
and galaxy evolution at high redshift.

WFC3/UVIS 11786

HST Observations of Astrophysically Important Visual Binaries

This is a continuation of a project begun in Cycle 7 and continued up
through Cycle 14. The program consists of annual FGS or WFPC2
observations of three visual binary stars that will yield fundamental
astrophysical results, once their orbits and masses are determined. In
Cycle 17 we are changing WFPC2 to WFC3.

Our targets are the following: (1) Procyon (P = 40.9 yr), for which
our first WFPC2 images yielded an extremely accurate angular
separation of the bright F star and its much fainter white-dwarf
companion. Combined with ground-based astrometry of the bright star,
our observation significantly revised downward the derived masses, and
brought Procyon A into much better agreement with theoretical
evolutionary masses for the first time. With the continued monitoring
proposed here, we will obtain masses to an accuracy of better than 1%,
providing a testbed for theories of both Sun-like stars and white
dwarfs. (2) G 107-70, a close double white dwarf (P = 18.5 yr) that
promises to add two accurate masses to the tiny handful of white-dwarf
masses that are directly known from dynamical measurements. (3) Mu Cas
(P = 20.8 yr), a famous nearby metal- deficient G dwarf for which
accurate masses will lead to the stars' helium contents, with
cosmological implications. For all three stars, we will also be
setting increasingly stringent limits on the presence of
planetary-mass bodies in the systems.

COS/NUV/FUV 11741

Probing Warm-Hot Intergalactic Gas at 0.5 z 1.3 with a Blind
Survey for O VI, Ne VIII, Mg X, and Si XII Absorption Systems

Currently we can only account for half of the baryons (or less)
expected to be found in the nearby universe based on D/H and CMB
observations. This "missing baryons problem" is one of the
highest-priority challenges in observational extragalatic astronomy.
Cosmological simulations suggest that the baryons are hidden in
low-density, shock-heated intergalactic gas in the log T = 5 - 7
range, but intensive UV and X-ray surveys using O VI, O VII, and O
VIII absorption lines have not yet confirmed this prediction. We
propose to use COS to carry out a sensitive survey for Ne VIII and Mg
X absorption in the spectra of nine QSOs at z(QSO) 0.89. For the
three highest-redshift QSOs, we will also search for Si XII. This
survey will provide more robust constraints on the quantity of baryons
in warm-hot intergalactic gas at 0.5 z 1.3, and the data will
provide rich constraints on the metal enrichment, physical conditions,
and nature of a wide variety of QSO absorbers in addition to the
warm-hot systems. By comparing the results to other surveys at lower
redshifts (with STIS, FUSE, and from the COS GTO programs), the
project will also enable the first study of how these absorbers evolve
with redshift at z 1. By combining the program with follow-up galaxy
redshift surveys, we will also push the study of galaxy-absorber
relationships to higher redshifts, with an emphasis on the
distribution of the WHIM with respect to the large-scale matter
distribution of the universe.

ACS/WFC3 11735

The LSD Project: Dynamics, Merging and Stellar Populations of a Sample
of Well- Studied LBGs at z~3

A large observational effort with the ground-based ESO/VLT telescopes
allowed us to obtain deep, spatially-resolved, near-IR spectra of
complete sample of 11 Lyman-Break Galaxies at z~3.1. These
observations were used to obtain, for the first time, the metallicity
and the dynamical properties of a sample of objects that, albeit
small, is representative of the total population of the LBGs. We
propose to use HST to obtain high-resolution optical and near-IR
images of this sample of LBGs in order to study the broad-band
morphology and the stellar light distribution of these galaxies. These
images, exploiting the superior spatial resolution of HST images and
the low- background : 1- will allow a precise measure of the dynamical
mass from the velocity field derived with spectroscopy; 2- will permit
a comparison of the distribution of star formation (from the line
emission) with the underlying stellar population, and, 3- will be used
to check if the complex velocity field and the multiple line-emitting
regions detected in most targets can be ascribed to on-going mergers.
This accurate study will shed light on a number of unsolved problems
still affecting the knowledge of the LBGs.

WFC3/ACS/IR 11731

Studying Cepheid Systematics in M81: H-Band Observations

The local value of the Hubble Constant remains one of the most
important constraints in cosmology, but improving on the 10% accuracy
of the HST Key Project is challenging. No improvements will be
convincing until the metallicity dependence is well constrained and
blending effects are fully understood. M81 and its dwarf companion
Holmberg IX are superb laboratories for studying Cepheid systematics
because they contain large numbers of bright Cepheids with a good
spread in metallicity lying at a common, relatively close distance. We
have identified 180 12P 70 day Cepheids in these two galaxies using
the Large Binocular Telescope (compared to 30 in total by the KP), and
will expand the sample further in 2008-2009. We will use 10 orbits
with WFC3/IR to obtain H-band images of 100 Cepheids in M81 to add to
the ACS/BVI calibrations we will obtain from archival data and 1 orbit
with WFC3/UVIS to add B-band data for Holmberg IX. Four band BVIH
photometry will allow us to flux calibrate, estimate extinction,
measure metallicity effects and then check the results in detail. We
can also examine blending effects on WFC3/IR data in a relatively
nearby galaxy before it is applied to more distant galaxies. Our M81
sample is three times larger than the next best sample, that of
NGC4258, and suffers less from blending because M81 is at half the
distance, so it is an excellent laboratory for studying Cepheid
systematics even if it lacks as precise a geometric distance as
NGC4258.

COS/NUV/FUV 11720

Detailed Analysis of Carbon Atmosphere White Dwarfs

We propose to obtain UV spectra for the newly discovered white dwarf
stars with a carbon-dominated atmosphere. Model calculations show that
these stars emit most of their light in the UV part of the
electromagnetic spectrum and that an accurate determination of the
flux in this region is crucial for an accurate determination of the
atmospheric parameters. It will also provide a unique opportunity to
test the atomic data and broadening theory in stellar conditions never
met before. This will play a primordial role in our path to understand
the origin of these objects as well to obtain a better understanding
of the evolution of stars in general. The principal objective we hope
to achieve with these observations are 1) obtain accurate surface
gravity/mass for these stars, 2) constrain/determine the abundance of
other elements (O, He, Mg, Ne etc.), especially oxygen, 3) verify the
accuracy of the various theoretical atomic data used in the model
calculations, 4) understand the origin and evolution of carbon
atmosphere white dwarfs, in particular whether progenitor stars as
massive as 10.5 solar masses can produce white dwarfs, rather than
supernovae. We propose to observe 5 objects chosen carefully to cover
the range of observed properties among carbon atmosphere white dwarfs
(effective temperature, surface gravity, abundance of hydrogen/helium
and magnetic field).

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.

COS/NUV 11705

Physical Properties of Quasar Outflows: From BALs to Mini-BALs

Accretion disk outflows are important components of quasar
environments. They might play a major role in facilitating accretion,
regulating star formation in the host galaxies and distributing metals
to the surrounding gas. They reveal themselves most conspicuously via
broad absorption lines (BALs), but they appear even more frequently in
other guises such as the weaker and narrower "mini-BALs." How are
these diverse outflow features related? Are mini-BALs really just
"mini" versions of the BALs, or do they represent a fundamentally
different type of outflow, with different degrees of ionization,
column densities, mass loss rates, physical origins, etc.?

We propose HST-COS spectroscopy to make the first quantitative
assessment of the outflow physical conditions across the full range of
weak/narrow mini-BALs to strong/broad BALs. Our strategy is to measure
key diagnostic lines (SVI, OVI, CIII, SIV, PV, etc.) at 930A - 1130A
(rest-frame) in a sample of 7 outflow quasars with known mini- BALs
through weak BALs. We will then 1) combine the COS data with
ground-based spectra of the same quasars to include more lines (CIV,
SiIV) at longer wavelengths, and 2) include in our analysis a nearly
identical UV/optical dataset obtained previously for a sample of
quasars with strong BALs. Our study of this combined dataset will be
an essential next step toward a more global understanding of quasar
outflows.

WFC3/IR 11696

Infrared Survey of Star Formation Across Cosmic Time

We propose to use the unique power of WFC3 slitless spectroscopy to
measure the evolution of cosmic star formation from the end of the
reionization epoch at z6 to the close of the galaxy-building era at
z~0.3.Pure parallel observations with the grisms have proven to be
efficient for identifying line emission from galaxies across a broad
range of redshifts. The G102 grism on WFC3 was designed to extend this
capability to search for Ly-alpha emission from the first galaxies.
Using up to 250 orbits of pure parallel WFC3 spectroscopy, we will
observe about 40 deep (4-5 orbit) fields with the combination of G102
and G141, and about 20 shallow (2-3 orbit) fields with G141 alone.

Our primary science goals at the highest redshifts a (1) Detect Lya
in ~100 galaxies with z5.6 and measure the evolution of the Lya
luminosity function, independent of of cosmic variance; 2) Determine
the connection between emission line selected and continuum-break
selected galaxies at these high redshifts, and 3) Search for the
proposed signature of neutral hydrogen absorption at re-ionization. At
intermediate redshifts we will (4) Detect more than 1000 galaxies in
Halpha at 0.5z1.8 to measure the evolution of the
extinction-corrected star formation density across the peak epoch of
star formation. This is over an order-of-magnitude improvement in the
current statistics, from the NICMOS Parallel grism survey. (5) Trace
``cosmic downsizing" from 0.5z2.2; and (6) Estimate the evolution in
reddening and metallicty in star-forming galaxies and measure the
evolution of the Seyfert population. For hundreds of spectra we will
be able to measure one or even two line pair ratios -- in particular,
the Balmer decrement and [OII]/[OIII] are sensitive to gas reddening
and metallicity. As a bonus, the G102 grism offers the possibility of
detecting Lya emission at z=7-8.8.

To identify single-line Lya emitters, we will exploit the wide
0.8--1.9um wavelength coverage of the combined G102+G141 spectra. All
[OII] and [OIII] interlopers detected in G102 will be reliably
separated from true LAEs by the detection of at least one strong line
in the G141 spectrum, without the need for any ancillary data. We
waive all proprietary rights to our data and will make high-level data
products available through the ST/ECF.

WFC3/ACS/UVIS 11684

The First Proper Motion Measurement for M31: Dynamics and Mass of the
Local Group

We will perform observations to determine the proper motion of the
Andromeda galaxy M31, which has been sought for almost a century
without success. While challenging, this measurement has now become
possible due to the availability of existing deep ACS/WFC images of
several M31 fields. The requested second epoch images will yield the
average shift of the M31 stars with respect to compact galaxies in the
background. Our observing strategy uses six different fields (three
primary and three coordinated parallel) with two different instruments
(ACS and WFC3) to provide a maximum handle on possible systematic
effects. The expected result will be sufficiently accurate to: (a)
discriminate between different histories for the dynamics of the Local
Group; (b) constrain the mass distribution of the Local Group; (c)
determine the details of the expected future merger between M31 and
the Milky Way; (d) infer the past interaction history between M31 and
M33; (e) constrain the internal proper motion kinematics of the M31
spheroid, outer disk, and tidal stream; and (f) obtain a pilot
estimate of the M31 distance through the method of rotational
parallax.

WFC3/UVIS 11675

Stellar Forensics: A Post-Explosion View of the Progenitors of
Core-Collapse

Recent studies have used high spatial resolution HST observations of
SN sites to identify the progenitors of core-collapse SNe on
pre-explosion images. These studies have set constraints about the
nature of massive stars and their evolution just prior to their
explosion as SNe. Now, at late-times when the SNe have faded
sufficiently, it is possible to return to the sites of these
core-collapse SNe to search for clues about the nature of their
progenitors. We request time to conduct deep, late-time,
high-resolution imaging with ACS/HRC of the sites of six core-collapse
SNe. In this program we aim to: 1) confirm our identifications, that
were made with HST pre-explosion images, of the red supergiant
progenitors of four Type IIP SNe (1999ev, 2003gd, 2004A and 2005cs),
by observing if the objects identified as the progenitors are now
missing; 2) place precise constraints on the progenitor of the Type Ic
SN 2007gr by studying its host cluster; and 3) confirm our
identification of an LBV-like outburst of an unstable WR star as
belonging to the progenitor of a Type Ib-n core-collapse SN (2006jc),
using broad and narrow-band imaging to search for emission line stars
in its locality. The deep imaging will also allow to probe the stellar
populations in the immediate vicinities of these SNe, that were
previously obscured by the progenitors and the bright SNe. HST
provides the unique combination of high-resolution optical imaging at
very faint magnitudes that will facilitate this study.

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.

WFC3/IR 11618

WFC3 Observations of VeLLOs and the Youngest Star Forming Environments

The Cores-to-Disks Spitzer Legacy team has discovered a number of
extremely low luminosity sources embedded deep within nearby ( 300
pc) cores previously thought to be starless. With substellar masses,
these low luminosity sources represent either the youngest low-mass
protostars yet detected or the first embedded brown dwarfs. In either
case, they represent a new observed class of sources referred to as
VeLLOs (Very Low Luminosity Objects). We propose WFC3 F160W
observations of a small sample of these sources, to be combined with
deep ground-based observations at Ks, to address a broad set of issues
concerning VeLLOs and the environments within which they are forming.
First, the morphology of their outflow cavities will be traced,
yielding estimates of the inclinations and opening angles of the
cavities and the evolutionary stages of the VeLLOs. Second, our
observations will reveal background stars seen through the densest
regions of cores harboring these VeLLOs.

The color-excesses of the background stars will yield the highest
angular resolution extinction maps necessary to directly probe the
inner density structure of these cores, found very soon after the
onset of collapse, which would constrain the initial conditions of
collapse within these isolated environments. In addition, we will
construct similar maps of the dense pre-protostellar core L694-2 and
the protostellar core B335. These maps will provide a snapshot of the
evolution of the inner density structure of a core prior to low-mass
star formation and soon thereafter, for comparison with the inner
density structure of cores that have formed VeLLOs. Finally, these
extinction maps will enable us to determine the core "centers", or
positions of peak column densities. Comparison of these centers with
the positions of the VeLLOs may yield insight regarding potential
differences between the formation of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs.

WFC3/ACS/UVIS 11603

A Comprehensive Study of Dust Formation in Type II Supernovae with
HST, Spitzer, and Gemini

The recent discovery of three extremely bright Type II SNe, (2007it,
2007oc, 2007od) gives us a unique opportunity to combine observations
with HST, Spitzer, and Gemini to study the little understood dust
formation process in Type II SNe. Priority 1 Spitzer Cycle 5 and band
1 Gemini 2008A time has already been approved for this project. Since
late-time Type II SNe are faint and tend to be in crowded fields, we
need the high sensitivity and high spatial resolution of ACS and
NICMOS/NIC2 for these observations. This project is motivated by the
recent detection of large amounts of dust in high redshift galaxies.
The dust in these high-z galaxies must come from young, massive stars
so Type II SNe could be potential sources. The mechanism and the
efficiency of dust condensation in Type II SN ejecta are not well
understood, largely due to the lack of observational data. We plan to
produce a unique dataset, combining spectroscopy and imaging in the
visible, near- and mid-IR covering the key phase, 400- 700 days after
maximum when dust is known to form in the SN ejecta. Therefore, we are
proposing for coordinated HST/NOAO observations (HST ACS, NICMOS/NIC2
& Gemini/GMOS and TReCS) which will be combined with our Spitzer Cycle
5 data to study these new bright SNe. The results of this program will
place strong constraints on the formation of dust seen in young high
redshift (z5) galaxies.

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.

NIC2/WFC3/IR 11548

Infrared Imaging of Protostars in the Orion A Cloud: The Role of
Environment in Star Formation

We propose NICMOS and WFC3/IR observations of a sample of 252
protostars identified in the Orion A cloud with the Spitzer Space
Telescope. These observations will image the scattered light escaping
the protostellar envelopes, providing information on the shapes of
outflow cavities, the inclinations of the protostars, and the overall
morphologies of the envelopes. In addition, we ask for Spitzer time to
obtain 55-95 micron spectra of 75 of the protostars. Combining these
new data with existing 3.6 to 70 micron photometry and forthcoming
5-40 micron spectra measured with the Spitzer Space Telescope, we will
determine the physical properties of the protostars such as envelope
density, luminosity, infall rate, and outflow cavity opening angle. By
examining how these properties vary with stellar density (i.e.
clusters vs. groups vs. isolation) and the properties of the
surrounding molecular cloud; we can directly measure how the
surrounding environment influences protostellar evolution, and
consequently, the formation of stars and planetary systems.
Ultimately, this data will guide the development of a theory of
protostellar evolution.

COS/FUV 11541

COS-GTO: Cool, Warm, and Hot Gas in the Cosmic Web and in Galaxy Halos

COS G130M and G160M 20, 000 resolution observations will be obtained
for 17 QSOs to study cool, warm and hot gas in the cosmic web and in
galaxy halos. 5 QSOs with z from 0.177 to 0.574 and sum z = 1.68 will
be observed with S/N = 40-50 per resolution element. 12 QSOs with z =
0.286 to 0.669 and sum z = 5.57 will be observed with S/N = 30-40. The
observations will allow a wide range of IGM studies including
determining the frequency of occurrence of the different types of
absorption systems detected, along with studies of the physical
conditions and elemental abundances in the different systems. Special
emphasis will be given to a study of the properties of highly ionized
IGM as traced by O VI, O V, O IV, N V, and C IV. The high S/N of the
observations will allow a search for broad Lyman alpha absorption and
weak metal line absorption that can be crucial for the evaluation of
physical conditions and elemental abundances. Supporting ground based
observations will allow studies of the association of the absorbers
with galaxy structures along the 17 lines of sight. The overall goal
of the program will be to obtain the information that will allow an
assessment of the baryonic content of the IGM as revealed by UV and
EUV absorption lines seen in the spectra of QSOs.

NIC1/WFC3/IR 11205

The Effects of Multiplicity on the Evolution of Young Stellar Objects:
A NICMOS Imaging Study

We propose to use NICMOS to investigate the multiplicity of young
stellar objects (YSOs) in the Orion B molecular cloud. Previous
observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope have revealed a
remarkable star forming filament near the NGC 2068 reflection nebula.
The population of YSOs associated with the filament exhibit a
surprisingly wide range of circumstellar evolutionary states, from
deeply embedded protostars to T Tauri accretion disks. Many of the
circumstellar disks themselves show evidence for significant dust
evolution, including grain growth and settling and cleared inner
holes, apparently in spite of the very young age of these stars. We
will estimate the binary fraction of a representative sample of
objects in these various stages of evolution in order to test whether
companions may play a significant role in that evolution.

WFC3/IR 11189

Probing the Early Universe with GRBs

Cosmology is beginning to constrain the nature of the earliest stars
and galaxies to form in the Universe, but direct observation of
galaxies at z6 remains highly challenging due to their scarcity,
intrinsically small size, and high luminosity distance. GRB
afterglows, thanks to their extreme luminosities, offer the
possibility of circumventing these normal constraints by providing
redshifts and spectral information which couldn't be obtained through
direct observation of the host galaxies themselves. In addition, the
association of GRBs with massive stars means that they are an
indicator of star formation, and that their hosts are likely
responsible for a large proportion of the ionizing radiation during
that era. Our collaboration is conducting a campaign to rapidly
identify and study candidate very high redshift bursts, bringing to
bear a network of 2, 4 and 8m telescopes with near-IR instrumentation.
Swift has proven capable of detecting faint, distant GRBs, and
reporting accurate positions for many bursts in near real-time. Here
we propose to continue our HST program of targeting GRBs at z~6 and
above. HST is crucial to this endeavor, allowing us (a) to
characterize the basic properties, such as luminosity and color, and
in some cases morphologies, of the hosts, which is essential to
understanding these primordial galaxies and their relationship to
other galaxy populations; and (b) to monitor the late time afterglows
and hence compare them to lower-z bursts and test the use of GRBs as
standard candles.

WFC3/IR 11108

Near Infrared Observations of a Sample of z~6.5-6.7 Galaxies

The majority of the most distant galaxies discovered to date have been
found by strong Lyman alpha emission at red optical wavelengths. An
accurate estimate of the star formation rates for these objects
requires a measurement of the line-free UV continuum, which must be
taken at infrared wavelengths. Here we propose to obtain imaging with
WFC3 in the F140W filter for a sample of 9 Lyman alpha galaxies with
redshifts z~6.5 up to z=6.740 from a complete, flux-limited widefield
narrowband and multi-color survey conducted on the 8-m Subaru
Telescope. This program will investigate galaxy morphologies and star
formation for a uniform sample of the highest redshift galaxies now
known.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS from 364:

#12159 SE PTAS review found that REAcq(1,2,1) @2009/364/22:58:31z took
2 attempts to achieve FL because of a double star.

Observations possibly affected: WFC3 #101-106 Proposal #11108

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSAcq 25 25
FGS REAcq 23 23
OBAD with Maneuver 20 20

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)
 




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