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Daily Report #5036



 
 
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Old February 19th 10, 03:49 PM posted to sci.astro.hubble
Cooper, Joe
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Default Daily Report #5036

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #5036

PERIOD COVERED: 5am February 18 - 5am February 19, 2010 (DOY 049/10:00z-050/10:00z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

ACS/WFC3 11882

CCD Hot Pixel Annealing

All the data for this program is acquired using internal targets
(lamps) only, so all of the exposures should be taken during Earth
occultation time (but not during SAA passages). This program emulates
the ACS pre-flight ground calibration and post launch SMOV testing
(program 8948), so that results from each epoch can be directly
compared. Extended Pixel Edge Response (EPER) and First Pixel Response
(FPR) data will be obtained over a range of signal levels for the Wide
Field Channel (WFC). The High Resolution Channel (HRC) visits have
been removed since it could not be repaired during SM4.

COS/NUV/FUV 11522

COS-GTO: Star Formation/Lyman-Alpha

A sample of 20 star-forming galaxies will be observed with COS G130M.
The galaxies were selected from the Kitt Peak International
Spectroscopic Survey (KISSR) data release and cover a broad range of
luminosity, oxygen abundance, and reddening. The goal of the program
is to characterize the Lyman-alpha properties and establish
correlations with fundamental galaxy properties. Each galaxy will be
observed for one orbit.

COS/NUV/FUV 11727

UV Spectroscopy of Local Lyman Break Galaxy Analogs: New Clues to
Galaxy Formation in the Early Universe

Much of our information about galaxy evolution and the interaction
between galaxies and the IGM at high-z has been provided by the Lyman
Break Galaxies (LBGs). However, it is difficult to investigate these
faint and distant objects in detail. To address this, we have used the
GALEX All-Sky Imaging Survey and the SDSS to identify for the first
time a rare population of low- redshift galaxies with properties
remarkably similar to the high-redshift LBGs. These local "Lyman Break
Analogs" (LBAs) resemble LBGs in terms of morphology, size, UV
luminosity, star formation rate, UV surface brightness, stellar mass,
velocity dispersion, metallicity, and dust content. We are assembling
a wide range of data on these objects with the goal of using them as
local laboratories for better understanding the relevant astrophysical
processes in LBGs. These data include HST imaging (95 orbits in Cy15
and 16), Spitzer photometry and spectroscopy, Chandra and XMM X-ray
imaging and spectroscopy, and near-IR integral field spectroscopy
(VLT, Keck, and Gemini). In this proposal we are requesting the most
important missing puzzle piece: far-UV spectra with a signal-to-noise
and spectral resolution significantly better than available for
typical LBGs. We will use these spectra to study the LBA's galactic
winds, probe the processes that regulate the escape of Ly-a and Lyman
continuum radiation, determine chemical abundances for the stars and
gas, and constrain the form of the high-end of the Initial Mass
Function. Adding these new COS data will give us vital information
about these extraordinary sites of star formation in the local
universe. In so-doing it will also shed new light on the processes
that led to the formation of stars, the building of galaxies, and the
enrichment and heating of the IGM in the early universe.

S/C/STIS/CC/MA/FUV 11621

SDSS J1507: The First Halo CV or the First CV Born With a Brown Dwarf
Donor?

The eclipsing cataclysmic variable (CV) SDSS J1507 has an orbital
period well below the period minimum obeyed by other CVs. Furthermore,
it contains a cool, pulsating primary white dwarf (WD) and a
sub-stellar brown-dwarf (BD) companion. We have now discovered that
J1507 is also a high proper motion star, with a transverse velocity
much higher than other CVs. These characteristics can all be
reconciled if the system is the first Galactic halo CV to be
discovered. However, there is one possible alternative explanation,
according to which the system formed only recently from a detached
WD-BD binary system. Here, we propose a definitive test of these two
scenarios by using time-resolved, FUV + NUV spectroscopy to determine
the metallicity of the system. The outcome of this test will have an
immediate impact on our understanding of the Galactic CV population
and of close binary evolution more generally. We will also measure the
wavelength-dependence of the WD pulsation amplitudes in J1507 and
determine high precision binary parameters based on a combination of
spectroscopic modeling and eclipse analysis. As a result, J1507 will
become the benchmark for theoretical studies of CV evolution and the
first proper calibrator for models of pulsations in accreting WDs.

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/IR 11202

The Structure of Early-type Galaxies: 0.1-100 Effective Radii

The structure, formation and evolution of early-type galaxies is still
largely an open problem in cosmology: how does the Universe evolve
from large linear scales dominated by dark matter to the highly
non-linear scales of galaxies, where baryons and dark matter both play
important, interacting, roles? To understand the complex physical
processes involved in their formation scenario, and why they have the
tight scaling relations that we observe today (e.g. the Fundamental
Plane), it is critically important not only to understand their
stellar structure, but also their dark-matter distribution from the
smallest to the largest scales. Over the last three years the SLACS
collaboration has developed a toolbox to tackle these issues in a
unique and encompassing way by combining new non-parametric strong
lensing techniques, stellar dynamics, and most recently weak
gravitational lensing, with high-quality Hubble Space Telescope
imaging and VLT/Keck spectroscopic data of early-type lens systems.
This allows us to break degeneracies that are inherent to each of
these techniques separately and probe the mass structure of early-type
galaxies from 0.1 to 100 effective radii. The large dynamic range to
which lensing is sensitive allows us both to probe the clumpy
substructure of these galaxies, as well as their low-density outer
haloes. These methods have convincingly been demonstrated, by our
team, using smaller pilot-samples of SLACS lens systems with HST data.
In this proposal, we request observing time with WFC3 and NICMOS to
observe 53 strong lens systems from SLACS, to obtain complete
multi-color imaging for each system. This would bring the total number
of SLACS lens systems to 87 with completed HST imaging and effectively
doubles the known number of galaxy-scale strong lenses. The deep HST
images enable us to fully exploit our new techniques, beat down
low-number statistics, and probe the structure and evolution of early-
type galaxies, not only with a uniform data-set an order of magnitude
larger than what is available now, but also with a fully-coherent and
self-consistent methodological approach!

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/IR 11915

IR Internal Flat Fields

This program is the same as 11433 (SMOV) and depends on the completion
of the IR initial alignment (Program 11425). This version contains
three instances of 37 internal orbits: to be scheduled early, middle,
and near the end of Cycle 17, in order to use the entire 110-orbit
allocation.

In this test, we will study the stability and structure of the IR
channel flat field images through all filter elements in the WFC3-IR
channel. Flats will be monitored, i.e. to capture any temporal trends
in the flat fields and delta flats produced. High signal observations
will provide a map of the pixel-to-pixel flat field structure, as well
as identify the positions of any dust particles.

WFC3/IR 11926

IR Zero Points

We will measure and monitor the zeropoints through the IR filters
using observations of the white dwarf standard stars, GD153, GD71 and
GD191B2B and the solar analog standard star, P330E. Data will be taken
monthly during Cycle 17. Observations of the star cluster, NGC 104,
are made twice to check color transformations. We expect an accuracy
of 2% in the wide filter zeropoints relative to the HST photometric
system, and 5% in the medium- and narrow-band filters.

WFC3/IR 11930

IR Gain Measurement

The gain of the IR channel of WFC3 will be measured using a series of
internal flat fields. Using knowledge gained from ground testing, we
propose to collect flat field ramps which will be used to create
photon transfer curves and give a measure of the gain. By using two
filters centered at similar wavelengths but differing bandwidths, we
will be able to search for any flux- dependent changes in the the
measure of the gain.

WFC3/UVIS 11594

A WFC3 Grism Survey for Lyman Limit Absorption at z=2

We propose to conduct a spectroscopic survey of Lyman limit absorbers
at redshifts 1.8 z 2.5, using WFC3 and the G280 grism. This
proposal intends to complete an approved Cycle 15 SNAP program
(10878), which was cut short due to the ACS failure. We have selected
64 quasars at 2.3 z 2.6 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Spectroscopic Quasar Sample, for which no BAL signature is found at
the QSO redshift and no strong metal absorption lines are present at z
2.3 along the lines of sight. The survey has three main

observational goals. First, we will determine the redshift frequency
dn/dz of the LLS over the column density range 16.0 log(NHI) 20.3
cm^-2. Second, we will measure the column density frequency
distribution f(N) for the partial Lyman limit systems (PLLS) over the
column density range 16.0 log(NHI) 17.5 cm^-2. Third, we will
identify those sightlines which could provide a measurement of the
primordial D/H ratio. By carrying out this survey, we can also help
place meaningful constraints on two key quantities of cosmological
relevance. First, we will estimate the amount of metals in the LLS
using the f(N), and ground based observations of metal line
transitions. Second, by determining f(N) of the PLLS, we can constrain
the amplitude of the ionizing UV background at z~2 to a greater
precision. This survey is ideal for a snapshot observing program,
because the on-object integration times are all well below 30 minutes,
and follow-up observations from the ground require minimal telescope
time due to the QSO sample being bright.

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).

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 8 8
FGS REAcq 9 9
OBAD with Maneuver 6 6

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)


 




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