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Old February 6th 06, 02:31 PM posted to sci.astro.hubble
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Default Daily #4043

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #4043

PERIOD COVERED: UT February 03,04,05, 2006 (DOY 034,035,036)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

NICMOS 8791

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 2

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/SBC 10739

Internal Flat Field Stability

The stability of the CCD flat fields will be monitored using the
calibration lamps and a sub-sample of the filter set. For the SBC
imaging filters, differences in the low-frequency flat field structure
with wavelength will be assessed. New high signal P-flats will be
obtained for the SBC prisms.

ACS/HRC/WFC 10729

ACS CCDs daily monitor

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. Changes from cycle 13:- The default
gain for WFC is 2 e-/DN. As before bias frames will be collected for
both gain 1 and gain 2. Dark frames are acquired using the default
gain {2}. This program cover the period Oct, 2 2005- May, 29-2006. The
second half of the program has a different proposal number: 10758.

ACS/WFC 10696

Galaxy Populations at Very Large Cluster Radii III: The Outskirts of
CL J1226.9+3332 at z=0.89

We propose to use the Advanced Camera for Surveys to image 10 selected
fields in the outskirts of X-ray luminous cluster Cl J1226.9+3332 at
z=0.89, for a detailed study of those galaxies entering the cluster
for the first time. These data will be combined with the existing ACS
imaging of the inner portions of the cluster, and be analyzed in
parallel with our wide-field two- color ACS mosaics of MS 1054--03
{z=0.83} and RX J0152--13 {z=0.83}. Together, these studies of the
galaxy populations well beyond the virial radii of the clusters will
allow us to directly {1} study the transformation of infalling field
spirals into cluster early-types using the morphology-density relation
to large radii and very low local densities; {2} measure the frequency
of galaxy-galaxy mergers and interactions in the infall region; and
{3} determine the star-formation histories of those field galaxies
most recently accreted by the cluster, using accurate colors,
morphologies, and M/L ratios. The wide-field HST/ACS data will be
supplemented with both wide-field multi-object spectroscopy and
photometric redshifts from ground-based broadband optical and near-IR
imaging. By studying the clusters out to twice their virial radii, the
three clusters in our sample will directly test predictions for the
formation of early- type galaxies and for the transformation of field
galaxies into present-day cluster galaxies.

ACS/WFC 10605

Quantifying Star Formation and Feedback: The M81 Group Dwarf Galaxies

Studies of the impact of star formation via stellar winds and
supernovae {'feedback'} on the properties of a galaxy are of
fundamental importance to understanding galaxy evolution. One crucial
aspect in these studies is a precise census of the recent star
formation in a galaxy. The aim of this proposal is to obtain spatially
resolved star formation histories with a time resolution of roughly 30
Myr over the last 500 Myr in a carefully designed sample using the
absolutely unique capabilities of the ACS. Our sample comprises 10
galaxies in the M81 group which is host to a wide diversity of dwarf
star forming galaxies. They span ranges of 6 magnitudes in luminosity,
1000 in current star formation rate, and 0.5 dex in metallicity. The
ACS observations will allow us to directly observe the strength and
spatial relationships of all of the star formation in these galaxies
in the last 500 Myr. We can then quantify the star formation and
measure {1} the fraction of star formation that is triggered by
feedback, {2} the fraction of star formation that occurs in clusters
and associations, and {3} to what degree future star formation is
governed by the feedback from previous star formation. The ACS
observations will be complemented with high-quality ancillary data
collected by our team for all galaxies {e.g., Spitzer, UV/optical/NIR,
VLA HI}. We will calculate the energy created by star formation events
and compare it to the estimated energy deposited into the local ISM.
This will enable us to construct prescriptions of how star formation
and feedback depend on metallicity, size, gas content, and current
star formation rates in galaxies. Our resolved star formation maps
will be compared with star formation rates inferred from H-alpha, UV,
and IR observations - allowing an independent calibration of these
techniques. Recent ACS imaging by us of one galaxy in the same group
clearly demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed program. Most of
the sample galaxies are located in the CVZ, making this an extremely
efficient program.

ACS/WFC 10592

An ACS Survey of a Complete Sample of Luminous Infrared Galaxies in
the Local Universe

At luminosities above 10^11.4 L_sun, the space density of far-infrared
selected galaxies exceeds that of optically selected galaxies. These
`luminous infrared galaxies' {LIRGs} are primarily interacting or
merging disk galaxies undergoing enhanced star formation and Active
Galactic Nuclei {AGN} activity, possibly triggered as the objects
transform into massive S0 and elliptical merger remnants. We propose
ACS/WFC imaging of a complete sample of 88 L_IR 10^11.4 L_sun
luminous infrared galaxies in the IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample
{RBGS: i.e., 60 micron flux density 5.24 Jy}. This sample is ideal
not only in its completeness and sample size, but also in the
proximity and brightness of the galaxies. The superb sensitivity,
resolution, and field of view of ACS/WFC on HST enables a unique
opportunity to study the detailed structure of galaxies that sample
all stages of the merger process. Imaging will be done with the F439W
and F814W filters {B and I-band} to examine as a function of both
luminosity and merger state {i} the evidence at optical wavelengths of
star formation and AGN activity and the manner in which instabilities
{bars and bridges} in the galaxies may funnel material to these active
regions, {ii} the relationship between star formation and AGN
activity, and {iii} the structural properties {AGN, bulge, and disk
components} and fundamental parameters {effective radius and surface
brightness} of LIRGs and their similarity with putative evolutionary
byproducts {elliptical, S0 and classical AGN host galaxies}. This HST
survey will also bridge the wavelength gap between a Spitzer imaging
survey {covering seven bands in the 3.6-160 micron range} and a GALEX
UV imaging survey of these galaxies, but will resolve complexes of
star clusters and multiple nuclei at resolutions well beyond the
capabilities of either Spitzer or GALEX. The combined datasets will
result in the most comprehensive multiwavelength study of interacting
and merging galaxies to date.

ACS/HRC 10545

Icy planetoids of the outer solar system

Early HST studies of satellites of Kuiper belt object focussed on the
50-200 km objects that were the largest known at the time. In the past
3 years we have discovered a population of much more rare and much
larger {500-2000+ km} icy planetoids in the Kuiper belt. These objects
are the largest and brightest known in the Kuiper belt and, in the era
when we now know of more than 1000 Kuiper belt objects, these few
planetoids are likely to be the focus of much of the research on
physical properties of the outer solar system for years to come. We
are currently engaged in an intensive program involving Spitzer, Keck,
and other telescopes to study the physical and dynamical properties of
this new population. HST is uniquely capable of addressing one
parameter fundamental to completing the physical picture of these
planetoids: the existence and size of any satellites. The detection
and characterization of satellites to these large planetoids would
allow us to address unique issues critical to the formation and
evolution of the outer solar system, including the measurement of
densities, internal properties, sizes and shapes of these objects, the
study of binary formation as a function of primary size, and the
context of the Pluto-Charon binary. For these bright objects, a
satellite search takes less than a full orbit, allowing the
opportunity for a new project on UV spectroscopy of the planetoids to
piggyback at no added time cost. This poorly explored spectral range
has the potential to show unique signatures of trapped gasses,
cosmochemically important ices, and complex organic materials.

ACS/WFC 10543

Microlensing in M87 and the Virgo Cluster

Resolving the nature of dark matter is an urgent problem. The results
of the MACHO survey of the Milky Way dark halo toward the LMC indicate
that a significant fraction of the halo consists of stellar mass
objects. The VATT/Columbia survey of M31 finds a similar lens fraction
in the M31 dark halo. We propose a series of observations with ACS
that will provide the most thorough search for microlensing toward
M87, the central elliptical galaxy of the Virgo cluster. This program
is optimized for lenses in the mass range from 0.01 to 1.0 solar
masses. By comparing with archival data, we can detect lenses as
massive as 100 solar masses, such as the remnants of the first stars.
These observations will have at least 15 times more sensitivity to
microlensing than any previous survey, e.g. using WFPC2. This is due
to the factor of 2 larger area, factor of more than 4 more sensitivity
in the I-band, superior pixel scale and longer baseline of
observations. Based on the halo microlensing results in the Milky Way
and M31, we might expect that galaxy collisions and stripping would
populate the overall cluster halo with a large number of stellar mass
objects. This program would determine definitively if such objects
compose the cluster dark matter at the level seen in the Milky Way. A
negative result would indicate that such objects do not populate the
intracluster medium, and may indicate that galaxy harassment is not as
vigorous as expected. We can measure the level of events due to the
M87 halo: this would be the best exploration to date of such a lens
population in an elliptical galaxy. Star-star lensing should also be
detectable. About 20 erupting classical novae will be seen, allowing
to determine the definitive nova rate for this giant elliptical
galaxy. We will determine if our recent HST detection of an M87
globular cluster nova was a fluke, or indicative of a 100x higher rate
of incidence of cataclysmic variables and nova eruptions in globulars
than previously believed. We will examine the populations of variable
stars, and will be able to cleanly separate them from microlensing.

ACS/WFC/HRC 10536

What Are Stalled Preplanetary Nebulae? An ACS SNAPshot Survey

Essentially all planetary nebulae {PNs} are aspherical, whereas the
mass-loss envelopes of AGB stars are strikingly spherical. Our
previous SNAPshot surveys of a morphologically unbiased sample of
pre-planetary nebulae {PPNs} -- objects in transition between the AGB
and PN evolutionary phases -- show that roughly half our observed
targets are resolved, with bipolar or multipolar morphologies.
Spectroscopic observations of our sample confirm that these objects
have not yet evolved into planetary nebulae. Thus, the transformation
from spherical to aspherical geometries has already fully developed by
the time these dying stars have become PPNs. Although our current
studies have yielded exciting results, they are limited in two
important ways -- {1} the number of well-resolved objects is still
small {18}, and the variety of morphologies observed relatively
multitudinous, hence no clear trends can yet be established between
morphology and other source properties {e.g., near-IR, far-IR colors,
stellar spectral type, envelope mass}, and {2} the current samples are
strongly biased towards small PPNs, as inferred from their low
60-to-25 micron flux ratios [R{60/25}1]. However, the prototype of
objects with R{60/25}1, the Frosty Leo Nebula, has a puzzlingly large
post-AGB age {almost 10^4 yr} and a fairly cool central star, very
different from the expectations of single-star stellar evolutionary
models. A proposed, but still speculative, hypothesis for such objects
is that the slow evolution of the central star is due to backflow of
material onto the mass-losing star, retarding its evolution towards
the PN phase. This hypothesis has significant consequences for both
stellar and nebular evolution. We therefore propose a survey of PPNs
with R{60/25}1 which is heavily weighted towards the discovery of
such "stalled PPNs". Supporting kinematic observations using long-slit
optical spectroscopy {with the Keck}, millimeter and radio
interferometric observations {with OVRO, VLA & VLBA} are being
undertaken. The results from this survey {together with our previous
work} will allow us to draw general conclusions about the complex
mass-outflow processes affecting late stellar evolution, and will
provide crucial input for theories of post-AGB stellar evolution. Our
survey will produce an archival legacy of long-standing value for
future studies of dying stars.

ACS/WFC/NIC3/WFPC2 10530

Probing Evolution And Reionization Spectroscopically {PEARS}

While imaging with HST has gone deep enough to probe the highest
redshifts, e.g. the GOODS survey and the Ultra Deep Field,
spectroscopic identifications have not kept up. We propose an ACS
grism survey to get slitless spectra of all sources in a wide survey
region {8 ACS fields} up to z =27.0 magnitude, and an ultradeep field
in the HUDF reaching sources up to z =28 magnitude. The PEARS survey
will: {1} Find and spectrocopically confirm all galaxies between
z=4-7. {2} Probe the reionization epoch by robustly determining the
luminosity function of galaxies and low luminosity AGNs at z = 4 - 6.
With known redshifts, we can get a local measure of star formation and
ionization rate in case reionization is inhomogeneous. {3} Study
galaxy formation and evolution by finding galaxies in a contiguous
redshift range between 4 z 7, and black hole evolution through a
census of low-luminosity AGNs. {4} Get a robust census of galaxies
with old stellar populations at 1 z 2.5, invaluable for checking
consistency with heirarchical models of galaxy formation. Fitting
these galaxies' spectra will yield age and metallicity estimates. {5}
Study star-formation and galaxy assembly at its peak at 1 z 2 by
identifying emission lines in star-forming galaxies, old populations
showing the 4000A break, and any combination of the two. {6} Constrain
faint white dwarfs in the Galactic halo and thus measure their
contribution to the dark matter halo. {7} Derive spectro-photometric
redshifts by using the grism spectra along with broadband data. This
will be the deepest unbiased spectroscopy yet, and will enhance the
value of the multiwavelength data in UDF and the GOODS fields to the
astronomical community. To this end we will deliver reduced spectra to
the HST archives.

ACS/HRC/WFC 10514

Kuiper Belt Binaries: Probes of Early Solar System Evolution

Binaries in the Kuiper Belt are a scientific windfall: in them we have
relatively fragile test particles which can be used as tracers of the
early dynamical evolution of the outer Solar System. We propose a
Snapshot program using the ACS/HRC that has a potential discovery
efficiency an order of magnitude higher than the HST observations that
have already discovered the majority of known transneptunian binaries.
By more than doubling the number of observed objects in dynamically
hot and cold subpopulations we will be able to answer, with
statistical significance, the question of whether these groups differ
in the abundance of binaries as a result of their particular dynamical
paths into the Kuiper Belt. Today's Kuiper Belt bears the imprints of
the final stages of giant-planet building and migration; binaries may
offer some of the best preserved evidence of that long-ago era.

ACS/WFC 10496

Decelerating and Dustfree: Efficient Dark Energy Studies with
Supernovae and Clusters

We propose a novel HST approach to obtain a dramatically more useful
"dust free" Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} dataset than available with
the previous GOODS searches. Moreover, this approach provides a
strikingly more efficient search-and-follow-up that is primarily pre-
scheduled. The resulting dark energy measurements do not share the
major systematic uncertainty at these redshifts, that of the
extinction correction with a prior. By targeting massive galaxy
clusters at z 1 we obtain a five-times higher efficiency in
detection of Type Ia supernovae in ellipticals, providing a
well-understood host galaxy environment. These same deep cluster
images then also yield fundamental calibrations required for future
weak lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich measurements of dark energy, as
well as an entire program of cluster studies. The data will make
possible a factor of two improvement on supernova constraints on dark
energy time variation, and much larger improvement in systematic
uncertainty. They will provide both a cluster dataset and a SN Ia
dataset that will be a longstanding scientific resource.

FGS 10482

Trigonometric Calibration of the Period- Luminosity Relations for
Fundamental and First-Overtone Galactic

Cepheids are the primary distance indicators for the extragalactic
distance scale and the Hubble constant. The Hubble Constant Key
Project set the zero-point for their Cepheid distance scale by
adopting a distance to the LMC, averaged over a variety of techniques.
However, different methods give an LMC distance modulus ranging from
18.1 to 18.8, and the uncertainty in the Cepheid zero-point is now the
largest contributor to the error budget for H_0. Moreover, the low
metallicity of the LMC raises additional concerns, since the PL
relation probably depends on metallicity. The zero-point can be
determined from Hipparcos parallaxes of Galactic Cepheids out to
several hundred parsecs, but with a typical parallax error of 0.5-1
mas, the Hipparcos error bars are uncomfortably large for this
demanding application. By contrast, HST's FGS1R interferometer can
achieve astrometric accuracy of 0.2 mas. We propose to use FGS1R to
determine trigonometric parallaxes for a sample of 9 nearby Cepheids,
including both fundamental {F} and first-overtone {FO} pulsators. We
show that the improvement in the PL relations for F and FO Cepheids
will be dramatic. We will determine the PL slopes from our nearby
solar- metallicity sample alone, without recourse to nearby galaxies
and the issue of [Fe/H] dependence. The zero-point will be determined
robustly to about 0.05 mag, based on accurate, purely geometrical
measurements. All of this can be achieved in the next few years with
HST, without having to wait for the technically demanding and risky
SIM and GAIA missions well into the next decade.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

10115 - GSAcq(1,2,2) failed to RGA Control (M2G) due to search radius
limit exceeded on FGS-2 035/05:16:22z The GSAcq(1,2,2) scheduled at
035/05:16:22 - 05:24:27 during ZOE period failed to M2G,with
indication flag (SRLEX) on FGS-2 at AOS, due to uncorrected attitude
error introduced after the 2nd OBAD.

10118 - GSacq(1,2,2) failed due to search radius limit exceeded. @
036/19:44:18z GSacq(1,2,2) scheduled at 036/19:40:22 failed at
19:44:18 due to search radius limit exceeded on FGS 2. ESB message
"a05" (FGS Coarse Trac Failed-Search Radius Limit Exceeded) received.
The OBAD before the GSacq showed errors of V1= -4.77, V2= -8.11, V3=
-6.00, RSS= 11.66.

10119 - GSacq(1,2,2) failed due to search radius limit exceeded. @
036/22:41:06z GSacq(1,2,2) scheduled at 036/22:36:35 failed at
22:41:06 due to search radius limit exceeded on FGS 1. A ESB message
"a05" (FGS Coarse Trac Failed-Search Radius Limit Exceeded) received.
the Map at 22:43:52 showed errors of V1= 0.37, V2= -4.04, V3= -0.63,
RSS= 4.10. The OBAD at 22:31:18 showed errors of V1= 13.24, V2= -3.21,
V3= 0.66, RSS= 13.64

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES
FGS GSacq 28 25 Hstar #
10115, # 10118, & # 10119
FGS
REacq 15 15
OBAD with Maneuver 79 79

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

 




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