Daily Report #4561

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT****** # 4561

PERIOD COVERED: UT March 05, 2008 (DOY 065)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

FGS 11210

The Architecture of Exoplanetary Systems

Are all planetary systems coplanar? Concordance cosmogony makes that
prediction. It is, however, a prediction of extrasolar planetary
system architecture as yet untested by direct observation for main
sequence stars other than the Sun. To provide such a test, we propose
to carry out FGS astrometric studies on four stars hosting seven
companions. Our understanding of the planet formation process will
grow as we match not only system architecture, but formed planet mass
and true distance from the primary with host star characteristics for
a wide variety of host stars and exoplanet masses. We propose that a
series of FGS astrometric observations with demonstrated 1 millisecond
of arc per-observation precision can establish the degree of
coplanarity and component true masses for four extrasolar systems: HD
202206 {brown dwarf+planet}; HD 128311 {planet+planet}, HD 160691 = mu
Arae {planet+planet}, and HD 222404AB = gamma Cephei {planet+star}. In
each case the companion is identified as such by assuming that the
minimum mass is the actual mass. For the last target, a known stellar
binary system, the companion orbit is stable only if coplanar with the
AB binary orbit.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 11330

NICMOS Cycle 16 Extended Dark

This takes a series of Darks in parallel to other instruments.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8795

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 6

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.

NIC3 11153

The Physical Nature and Age of Lyman Alpha Galaxies

In the simplest scenario, strong Lyman alpha emission from high
redshift galaxies would indicate that stellar populations younger than
10 Myrs dominate the UV. This does not, however, constrain the stellar
populations older than 100 Myrs, which do not contribute to UV light.
Also, the Lyman alpha line can be boosted if the interstellar medium
is both clumpy and dusty. Different studies with small samples have
reached different conclusions about the presence of dust and old
stellar populations in Lyman alpha emitters. We propose HST- NICMOS
and Spitzer-IRAC photometry of 35 Lyman-alpha galaxies at redshift
4.5z6.5, in order to determine their spectral energy distribution
{SED} extending through rest-frame optical. This will allow us to
measure accurately {1} The total stellar mass in these objects,
including old stars which may have formed at redshifts {z 8} not
easily probed by any other means. {2} The dust extinction in the
rest-frame UV, and therefore a correction to their present
star-formation rates. Taken together, these two quantities will yield
the star-formation histories of Lyman alpha galaxies, which form fully
half of the known galaxies at z=4-6. They will tell us whether these
are young or old galaxies by straddling the 4000A break. Data from
NICMOS is essential for these compact and faint {i=25-26th magnitude
AB} high redshift galaxies, which are too faint for good near-IR
photometry from the ground.

NIC3 11334

NICMOS Cycle 16 Spectrophotometry

Observation of the three primary WD flux standards must be repeated to
refine the NICMOS absolute calibration and monitor for sensitivity
degradation. So far, NICMOS grism spectrophotometry is available for
only ~16 stars with good STIS spectra at shorter wavelengths. There
are more in the HST CALSPEC standard star data base with good STIS
spectra that would also become precise IR standards with NICMOS
absolute SED measurements. Monitoring the crucial three very red stars
(M, L, T) for variability and better S/N in the IR. Apparent
variability was discovered at shorter wavelengths during the ACS
cross-calibration work that revealed a ~2% discrepancy of the cool
star fluxes with respect to the hot primary WD standards. About a
third of these stars are bright enough to do in one orbit, the rest
require 2 orbits.

WEPC2 11196

An Ultraviolet Survey 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 starbursts and creating/fueling
central AGN. We propose far {ACS/SBC/F140LP} and near {WFPC2/PC/F218W}
UV imaging of a sample of 27 galaxies drawn from the complete IRAS
Revised Bright Galaxy Sample {RBGS} LIRGs sample and known, from our
Cycle 14 B and I-band ACS imaging observations, to have significant
numbers of bright {23 B 21 mag} star clusters in the central 30
arcsec. The HST UV data will be combined with previously obtained HST,
Spitzer, and GALEX images to {i} calculate the ages of the clusters as
function of merger stage, {ii} measure the amount of UV light in
massive star clusters relative to diffuse regions of star formation,
{iii} assess the feasibility of using the UV slope to predict the
far-IR luminosity {and thus the star formation rate} both among and
within IR-luminous galaxies, and {iv} provide a much needed catalog of
rest- frame UV morphologies for comparison with rest-frame UV images
of high-z LIRGs and Lyman Break Galaxies. These observations will
achieve the resolution required to perform both detailed photometry of
compact structures and spatial correlations between UV and redder
wavelengths for a physical interpretation our IRX-Beta results. The
HST UV data, combined with the HST ACS, Spitzer, Chandra, and GALEX
observations of this sample, will result in the most comprehensive
study of luminous starburst galaxies to date.

WFPC2 11122

Expanding PNe: Distances and Hydro Models

We propose to obtain repeat narrowband images of a sample of eighteen
planetary nebulae {PNe} which have HST/WFPC2 archival data spanning
time baselines of a decade. All of these targets have previous high
signal-to-noise WFPC2/PC observations and are sufficiently nearby to
have readily detectable expansion signatures after a few years. Our
main scientific objectives are {a} to determine precise distances to
these PNe based on their angular expansions, {b} to test detailed and
highly successful hydrodynamic models that predict nebular
morphologies and expansions for subsamples of round/elliptical and
axisymmetric PNe, and {c} to monitor the proper motions of nebular
microstructures in an effort to learn more about their physical nature
and formation mechanisms. The proposed observations will result in
high-precision distances to a healthy subsample of PNe, and from this
their expansion ages, luminosities, CSPN properties, and masses of
their ionized cores. With good distances and our hydro models, we will
be able to determine fundamental parameters {such as nebular and
central star masses, luminosity, age}. The same images allow us to
monitor the changing overall ionization state and to search for the
surprisingly non-homologous growth patterns to bright elliptical PNe
of the same sort seen by Balick & Hajian {2004} in NGC 6543.
Non-uniform growth is a sure sign of active pressure imbalances within
the nebula that require careful hydro models to understand.

WFPC2 11130

AGNs with Intermediate-mass Black Holes: Testing the Black Hole-Bulge
Paradigm, Part II

The recent progress in the study of central black holes in galactic
nuclei has led to a general consensus that supermassive {10^6-10^9
solar mass} black holes are closely connected with the formation and
evolutionary history of large galaxies, especially their bulge
component. Two outstanding issues, however, remain unresolved. Can
central black holes form in the absence of a bulge? And does the mass
function of central black holes extend below 10^6 solar masses?
Intermediate-mass black holes {10^6 solar masses}, if they exist, may
offer important clues to the nature of the seeds of supermassive black
holes. Using the SDSS, our group has successfully uncovered a new
population of AGNs with intermediate-mass black holes that reside in
low-luminosity galaxies. However, very little is known about the
detailed morphologies or structural parameters of the host galaxies
themselves, including the crucial question of whether they have bulges
or not. Surprisingly, the majority of the targets of our Cycle 14
pilot program have structural properties similar to dwarf elliptical
galaxies. The statistics from this initial study, however, are really
too sparse to reach definitive conclusions on this important new class
of black holes. We wish to extend this study to a larger sample, by
using the Snapshot mode to obtain WFPC2 F814W images from a parent
sample of 175 AGNs with intermediate- mass black holes selected from
our final SDSS search. We are particularly keen to determine whether
the hosts contain bulges, and if so, how the fundamental plane
properties of the host depend on the mass of their central black
holes. We will also investigate the environment of this unique class
of AGNs.

WFPC2 11146

The Role of Stellar Feedback in Galaxy Evolution

Stellar feedback - the return of mass and energy from star formation
to the interstellar medium - is one of the primary engines of galaxy
evolution. Yet, the observational canvass of feedback is incomplete.
We propose to investigate this fundamental aspect of star formation on
one local actively star-forming galaxy, He2-10, selected to occupy an
unexplored niche in the key parameter space of stellar mass. The WFPC2
narrow-band observations in the light of H-beta, [OIII], H-alpha, and
[SII] will: {1} discriminate the feedback-induced shock fronts from
the photoionized regions; {2} map, and provide a complete census of,
the shocks inside and around the starburst regions; and {3} measure
the energy budget of the star-formation-produced shocks. These
observations, joined by our previous data and studies on starbursts,
will yield: {1} the efficiency of the feedback, i.e. the fraction of
the star formation's mechanical energy transported out of the
starburst volume rather than radiated away, in the dual-parameter
space of host's stellar mass and star formation intensity; {2} the
conditions under which feedback morphs from a localized process to a
galactic scale mechanism. The high angular resolution of HST is
crucial for separating the spatially narrow shock fronts {~10 pc=0.2"
at 10 Mpc} from the more extended photoionization fronts. This project
will provide the most comprehensive quantitative foundation of stellar
feedback and a gauge for determining the role of feedback in the
energetics, structure and star formation history of galaxies.

WFPC2 11198

Pure Parallel Imaging in the NDWFS Bootes Field

The NOAO Deep-Wide Field Survey {NDWFS} Bootes field is the target of
one of the most extensive multiwavelength campaigns in astronomy. In
addition to ground-based optical and near-infrared imaging, deep radio
mapping, and extensive spectroscopy, this entire region has been
imaged by the Chandra, Spitzer {IRAC and MIPS}, and GALEX missions.
Robust photometric redshifts {calibrated using over 20,000
spectroscopic redshifts} exist for all sources brighter than R=24.5 or
than 13 uJy at 4.5 microns. To enhance the value of this data set, we
propose pure parallel observations for all approved Cycle 16 programs
in this region that lack coordinated parallel observations. The
primary aim of this program will be to provide a database useful for
the broad range of science programs underway in this region.

WFPC2 11297

Reducing Systematic Errors on the Hubble Constant: Metallicity
Calibration of the Cepheid PL Relation

Reducing the systematic errors on the Hubble constant is still of
significance and of immediate importance to modern cosmology. One of
the largest remaining uncertainties in the Cepheid-based distance
scale (which itself is at the foundation of the HST Key Project
determination of H_o) which can now be addressed directly by HST, is
the effect of metallicity on the Cepheid Period-Luminosity relation.
Three chemically distinct regions in M101 will be used to directly
measure and thereby calibrate the change in zero point of the Cepheid
PL relation over a range of metallicities that run from SMC-like,
through Solar, to metallicities as high as the most metal-enriched
galaxies in the pure Hubble flow. ACS for the first time offers the
opportunity to make a precise calibration of this effect which
currently accounts for at least a third of the total systematic
uncertainty on Ho. The calibration will be made in the V and I
bandpasses so as to be immediately and directly applicable to the
entire HST Cepheid-based distance scale sample, and most especially to
the highest-metallicity galaxies that were hosts to the Type Ia
supernovae, which were then used to extend the the distance scale
calibration out to cosmologically significant distances.

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:

17597-9 - FHST Stuck-on-Bottom Macro Execution

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

************************ SCHEDULED***** SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSacq*************** 07**************** 07
FGS REacq*************** 07**************** 07
OBAD with Maneuver* **** 28**************** 28

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)