Daily Report # 4354

Notice: For the foreseeable future, the daily reports may contain apparent
discrepancies between some proposal descriptions and the listed instrument
usage. This is due to the conversion of previously approved ACS WFC or HRC
observations into WFPC2, or NICMOS observations subsequent to the loss of
ACS CCD science capability in late January.


HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT # 4354

PERIOD COVERED: UT May 02, 2007 (DOY 122)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

WFPC2 10800

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 to continue a
Snapshot program using the ACS/HRC that has a demonstrated discovery
potential an order of magnitude higher than the HST observations that have
already discovered the majority of known transneptunian binaries. With this
continuation we seek to reach the original goals of this project: to
accumulate a sufficiently large sample in each of the distinct populations
collected in the Kuiper Belt to be able to measure, with statistical
significance, how the fraction of binaries varies as a function 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.

WFPC2 10910

HST / Chandra Monitoring of a Dramatic Flare in the M87 Jet

As the nearest galaxy with an optical jet, M87 affords an unparalleled
opportunity to study extragalactic jet phenomena at the highest resolution.
During 2002, HST and Chandra monitoring of the M87 jet detected a dramatic
flare in knot HST-1 located ~1" from the nucleus. Its optical brightness
eventually increased seventy-fold and peaked in 2005; the X- rays show a
similarly dramatic outburst. In both bands HST-1 is still extremely bright
and greatly outshines the galaxy nucleus. To our knowledge this is the first
incidence of an optical or X-ray outburst from a jet region which is
spatially distinct from the core source -- this presents an unprecedented
opportunity to study the processes responsible for non- thermal variability
and the X-ray emission. We propose five epochs of HST/ACS flux monitoring
during Cycle 15, as well as seven epochs of Chandra/ACIS observation {5ksec
each, five Chandra epochs contemporary with HST}. At two of the HST/ACS
epochs we also gather spectral information and map the magnetic field
structure. The results of this investigation are of key importance not only
for understanding the nature of the X-ray emission of the M87 jet, but also
for understanding flares in blazar jets, which are highly variable, but
where we have never before been able to resolve the flaring region in the
optical or X-rays. These observations will allow us to test synchrotron
emission models for the X- ray outburst, constrain particle acceleration and
loss timescales, and study the jet dynamics associated with this flaring
component.

WFPC2 10880

The host galaxies of QSO2s: AGN feeding and evolution at high
luminosities

Now that the presence of supermassive black holes in the nuclei of galaxies
is a well established fact, other questions related to the AGN phenomena
still have to be answered. Problems of particular interest are how the AGN
gets fed, how the black hole evolves and how the evolution of the black hole
is related to the evolution of the galaxy bulge. Here we propose to address
some of these issues using ACS/WFC + F775W snapshot images of 73 QSO2s with
redshifts in the range 0.3z0.4. These observations will be combined with
similar archival data of QSO1s and ground based data of Seyfert and normal
galaxies. First, we will intestigate whether interactions are the most
important feeding mechanism in high luminosity AGNs. This will be done in a
quantitative way, comparing the asymmetry indices of QSO2 hosts with those
of lower luminosity AGNs and normal galaxies. Second, we will do a detailed
study of the morphology of the host galaxies of both QSO types, to determine
if they are similar, or if there is an evolutionary trend from QSO2s to
QSO1s. The results from this project will represent an important step in the
understanding of AGN evolution, and may also introduce a substantial
modification to the Unified Model.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8794

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 5

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.

NIC2 10847

Coronagraphic Polarimetry of HST-Resolved Debris Disks

We propose to take full advantage of the recently commissioned coronagraphic
polarimetry modes of ACS and NICMOS to obtain imaging polarimetry of
circumstellar debris disks that were imaged previously by the HST
coronagraphs, but without the polarizers. It is well established that stars
form in gas-rich protostellar disks, and that the planets of our solar
system formed from a circum-solar disk. However, the connection between the
circumstellar disks that we observe around other stars and the processes of
planet formation is still very uncertain. Mid-IR spectral studies have
suggested that disk grains are growing in the environments of young stellar
objects during the putative planet-formation epoch. Furthermore, structures
revealed in well resolved images of circumstellar disks suggest
gravitational influences on the disks from co-orbital bodies of planetary
mass. Unfortunately, existing imaging data provides only rudimentary
information abou the disk grains and their environments. Our proposed
observations, which can be obtained only with HST, will enable us to
quantitatively determine the sizes of the grains and optical depths as
functions of their location within the disks {i.e., detailed tomography}.
Armed with these well-determine physical and geometrical systemic
parameters, we will develop a set of self- consistent models of disk
structures to investigate possible interactions between unseen planets and
the disks from which they formed. Our results will also calibrate models of
the thermal emission from these disks, that will in turn enable us to infer
the properties of other debris disks that cannot be spatially resolved with
current or planned instruments and telescopes.

NIC2 10849

Imaging Scattered Light from Debris Disks Discovered by the Spitzer Space
Telescope around 21 Sun-like Stars

We propose to use the high-contrast capability of the NICMOS coronagraph to
image a sample of newly discovered circumstellar disks associated with
Sun-like stars. These systems were identified by their strong thermal
infrared {IR} emission with the Spitzer Space Telescope as part of the
Spitzer Legacy Science program titled "The Formation and Evolution of
Planetary Systems" {FEPS, P.I.: M.Meyer}. Modeling of the thermal excess
emission from the spectral energy distributions alone cannot distinguish
between narrowly confined high-opacity disks and broadly distributed,
low-opacity disks. By resolving light scattered by the circumstellar
material, our proposed NICMOS observations can break this degeneracy, thus
revealing the conditions under which planet formation processes are occuring
or have occured. For three of our IR-excess stars that have known
radial-velocity planets, resolved imaging of the circumstellar debris disks
may further offer an unprecedented view of planet-disk interactions in an
extrasolar planetary system. Even non-detections of the light scattered by
the circumstellar material will place strong constraints on the disk
geometries, ruling out disk models with high optical depth. Unlike previous
disk imaging programs, our program contains a well-defined sample of ~1
solar mass stars covering a range of ages from 3 Myr to 3 Gyr, thus allowing
us to study the evolution of disks from primordial to debris for the first
time. The results from our program will greatly improve our understanding of
the architecture of debris disks around Sun-like stars, and will create a
morphological context for the existence of our own solar system. This
proposal is for a continuation of an approved Cycle 14 program {GO/10527,
P.I.: D. Hines}.

NIC2 10802

SHOES-Supernovae, HO, for the Equation of State of Dark energy

The present uncertainty in the value of the Hubble constant {resulting in an
uncertainty in Omega_M} and the paucity of Type Ia supernovae at redshifts
exceeding 1 are now the leading obstacles to determining the nature of dark
energy. We propose a single, integrated set of observations for Cycle 15
that will provide a 40% improvement in constraints on dark energy. This
program will observe known Cepheids in six reliable hosts of Type Ia
supernovae with NICMOS, reducing the uncertainty in H_0 by a factor of two
because of the smaller dispersion along the instability strip, the
diminished extinction, and the weaker metallicity dependence in the
infrared. In parallel with ACS, at the same time the NICMOS observations are
underway, we will discover and follow a sample of Type Ia supernovae at z
1. Together, these measurements, along with prior constraints from WMAP,
will provide a great improvement in HST's ability to distinguish between a
static, cosmological constant and dynamical dark energy. The Hubble Space
Telescope is the only instrument in the world that can make these IR
measurements of Cepheids beyond the Local Group, and it is the only
telescope in the world that can be used to find and follow supernovae at z
1. Our program exploits both of these unique capabilities of HST to learn
more about one of the greatest mysteries in science.

NIC3 10792

Quasars at Redshift z=6 and Early Star Formation History

We propose to observe four high-redshift quasars {z=6} in the NIR in order
to estimate relative Fe/Mg abundances and the central black hole mass. The
results of this study will critically constrain models of joint quasar and
galaxy formation, early star formation, and the growth of supermassive black
holes. Different time scales and yields for alpha-elements {like O or Mg}
and for iron result into an iron enrichment delay of ~0.3 to 0.6 Gyr. Hence,
despite the well-known complexity of the FeII emission line spectrum, the
ratio iron/alpha - element is a potentially useful cosmological clock. The
central black hole mass will be estimated based on a recently revised back
hole mass - luminosity relationship. The time delay of the iron enrichment
and the time required to form a supermassive black hole {logM8 Msol, tau
~0.5Gyr} as evidenced by quasar activity will be used to date the beginning
of the first intense star formation, marking the formation of the first
massive galaxies that host luminous quasars, and to constrain the epoch when
supermassive black holes start to grow by accretion.

WFPC2 10845

HUNTING FOR OPTICAL COMPANIONS TO BINARY MILLISECOND PULSARS IN TERZAN 5 AND
NGC6266

We propose deep WFPC2 and NICMOS observations to search for optical
companions to binary millisecond pulsar {MSPs} in two Globular Clusters
{GCs}: Terzan 5 and NGC6266. Terzan 5 has the largest MSP population of any
GC: 33 MSP {17 in binary systems} have been discovered up to now in this
stellar system. NGC6266 ranks fifth among the GC for wealth of MSPs but it
is the only one in which all the {six} detected MSPs are in binary systems.
Only 5 optical counterparts to binary MSP companions are known in GCs {two
of them have been discovered by our group}: hence even the addition of a few
new identifications are crucial to investigate the variety of processes
occurring in binary MSPs in dense environment. The observations proposed
here would easily double/triple the existing sample of known MSP companions,
allowing the first meaningful study of the phenomena which drive the
formation and evolution of these exotic systems. Moreover, since most of
binary MSP in GC are formed via stellar interactions in the high density
regions of the cluster, the determination of the nature of the companion and
the incidence of this collisionally induced population have a significant
impact on our knowledge of the cluster dynamics. Even more interesting, the
study of the optical companions to NSs in a GC allows to derive tighter
constraints {than those obtainable for NS binaries in the galactic field} on
the properties {mass, orbital inclination and so on} of the compation star.
This has, in turn, an intrisic importance for fundamental physics since it
offers the opportunity of measuring the mass of the NS and hence to put
constraints to the equation of state of matter at nuclear equilibrium
density.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

10797 - REacq(1,2,1) failed to RGA control

The REacq(1,2,1) scheduled at 123/01:24:40 failed to RGA contro1. At
01:28:330 Stop flags QF1STOPF and QSTOP were received for FGS 1. OBAD1
showed errors of V1=-31.98, V2=-793.32, V3= -21.99, and RSS=794.27. OBAD2
showed errors of V1=1.35, V2= -3.78, V3=1.32, and RSS= 4.22. The map at
01:32:58 showed errors of V1=-2.89, V2=12.54, V3=-4.03, and RSS=13.49.

REACQ(1,2,1) at 03:00:31 also failed with QF1STOPF and QSTOP flags received
at 03:04:14. OBAD prior ro REACQ had RSS error of 14.97 arcseconds

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:

18062-0 - MSS KF Initialization Convergence Testing for SMS 120 (Test # 1)
18066-3 - PCS KF OOT Support, 122/18:15
18061-1 - MSS KF Adding Gyro1 Convergence Testing for SMS 120 (Test # 24)
18054-0 - Preview KF Sun Vector Data via Telemetry Diags, Generic
18062-0 - MSS KF Initialization Convergence Testing for SMS 120 (Test #4)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSacq 10 10
FGS REacq 05 03
OBAD with Maneuver 30 30

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

Evaluation of Universal Kalman Filter performance continued. Multiple text
segments were executed, all of them successfully. Details follow.

Background Kalman Filter Operation Flash Report for day 122.

The KF was halted at 122/11:26 (OR 18062-0) during orbit day and during a
T2G guiding interval. The filter was restarted at 122/11:27 with the CCS
input disabled, during an M2G period, during a vehicle slew and during a
fast changing B-field. The filter was activated with only the MSS enabled.
All UKF parameters showed nominal operation. The test was an MSS
Initialization test case during a vehicle slew and during a fast changing
B-field (M_0_IVF, Test #1). The MSS/CSS default KF configuration was
restored at 122/12:11.

The KF was halted at 122/17:48 during orbit day with no vehicle slew and
during an F2G guiding interval. The filter was restarted at 122/17:50 with
the CSS input disabled. The Gyro1 sensor input was added to the converged KF
at 122/17:59 during orbit day and with no ongoing vehicle maneuver. The
Gyro1 sensor input was then removed at 122/18:20 during orbit day, during a
vehicle slew and during a slow changing B-field. All UKF parameters showed
nominal operation. The test was an MSS/Gyro1 test case with the Gyro1 input
removed from an already converged KF with the MSS and Gyro1 sensor input
enabled, during a vehicle maneuver and during a slow changing B-field
(M_G1_HVS, Test #24).

The CSS sensor input was re-enabled at 122/19:04 to restore the default
MSS/CSS configuration of the filter. The KF estimated sun vector TMDIAG slot
1 was overwritten at 122/17:59 and restored at 122/19:06. The KF was halted
at 122/19:56 (OR 18062-0) during orbit day and during an M2G guiding
interval. The filter was restarted at 122/19:58 during orbit day with no
ongoing vehicle maneuver and during a slow changing B-field. All UKF
parameters showed nominal operation. The test was an MSS Only Initialization
with the vehicle inertially fixed and during a slow changing B-field
(M_0_INS, Test #4). The KF was halted, the CCS sensor input was re-enabled
and the KF restarted at 122/20:25 to reconfigure the KF to its default
configuration. The test above completed testing for day 122.