Daily Report #4401

Notice: Due to the conversion of some ACS WFC or HRC observations into
WFPC2, or NICMOS observations after the loss of ACS CCD science
capability in January, there may be an occasional discrepancy between
a proposal's listed (and correct) instrument usage and the abstract
that follows it.


HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT # 4401

PERIOD COVERED: UT July 10, 2007 (DOY 191)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

FGS 11214

HST/FGS Astrometric Search for Young Planets Around Beta Pic and AU
Mic

Beta Pic and AU Mic are two nearby Vega-type debris disk stars. Both
of these disk systems have been spatially resolved in exquisite
detail, predominantly via the ACS coronagraph and WFPC-2 cameras
onboard HST. These images exhibit a wealth of morphological features
which provide compelling indirect evidence that these systems likely
harbor short-period planetary body{ies}. We propose to use the
superlative astrometric capabilities of HST/FGS to directly detect
these planets, hence provide the first direct planet detection in a
Vega-type system whose disk has been imaged at high spatial
resolution.

NIC1 11057

Cycle 15 NICMOS dark current, shading profile, and read noise
monitoring program

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the dark current, read
noise, and shading profile for all three NICMOS detectors throughout
the duration of Cycle 15. This proposal is a slightly modified version
of proposal 10380 of cycle 13 and 9993 of cycle12 and is the same as
Cycle 14. that we cut down some exposure time to make the observation
fit within 24 orbits.

NIC1/NIC3 10924

Constraints on the Assembly and Dynamical Masses of z~2 Galaxies

We propose deep NICMOS/NIC2 F160W imaging of seven star-forming
galaxies at z~2. These galaxies comprise an entirely unique sample,
with not only redshifts measured from optical and near-IR spectra, but
also SINFONI/VLT near-IR integral field spectroscopic measurements
providing kinematic maps of H-alpha emission out to radii of =10 kpc.
We aim to determine the dynamical masses and evolutionary states of
these systems, as part of the larger goal of understanding how mass is
assembled in distant galaxies. In order to interpret our novel H-alpha
integral field maps in terms of mass, we require detailed knowledge of
the structural parameters of our target objects at rest-frame optical
wavelengths and on ~1 kpc scales. We want to establish if the mass is
distributed in a disk, bulge, or merging sub-units, and if we can
detect tidal features associated with a merger. F160W imaging with
NICMOS/NIC2 provides the perfect combination of sensitivity and
resolution to address these questions, and arrive at the fundamental
quantity: the dynamical mass.

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.

WFPC2 10818

Very Young Globular Clusters in M31 ?

We propose to use HST's unique high spatial resolution imaging
capabilities to conclusively confirm or refute the presence of alleged
very young globular clusters in M31. Such young globular clusters with
ages 3 Gyr are not present in our galaxy, and, if real, would lead
to a striking difference in the age distribution of the GCs between
M31 and the Millky Way. If the apparent presence of very young
globular clusters in M31 is confirmed through our proposed ACS imaging
{now WFPC2 imaging} with HST, this would suggest major differences in
the history of assembly of the two galaxies, with probable substantial
late accretion into M31 which did not occur in our own galaxy.

WFPC2 11079

Treasury Imaging of Star Forming Regions in the Local Group:
Complementing the GALEX and NOAO Surveys

We propose to use WFPC2 to image the most interesting star-forming
regions in the Local Group galaxies, to resolve their young stellar
populations. We will use a set of filters including F170W, which is
critical to detect and characterize the most massive stars, to whose
hot temperatures colors at longer wavelengths are not sensitive.
WFPC2's field of view ideally matches the typical size of the
star-forming regions, and its spatial resolution allows us to measure
individual stars, given the proximity of these galaxies. The resulting
H-R diagrams will enable studies of star- formation properties in
these regions, which cover largely differing metallicities {a factor
of 17, compared to the factor of 4 explored so far} and
characteristics. The results will further our understanding of the
star-formation process, of the interplay between massive stars and
environment, the properties of dust, and will provide the key to
interpret integrated measurements of star-formation indicators {UV,
IR, Halpha} available for several hundreds more distant galaxies. Our
recent deep surveys of these galaxies with GALEX {FUV, NUV} and
ground-based imaging {UBVRI, Halpha, [OIII] and [SII]} provided the
identification of the most relevant SF sites. In addition to our
scientific analysis, we will provide catalogs of HST photometry in 6
bands, matched corollary ground-based data, and UV, Halpha and IR
integrated measurements of the associations, for comparison of
integrated star-formation indices to the resolved populations. We
envisage an EPO component.

WFPC2 11218

Snapshot Survey for Planetary Nebulae in Globular Clusters of the
Local Group

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, 4, 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
more distant than the Magellanic Clouds. These clusters, some of which
may be much younger than their counterparts in the Milky Way, 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.

WFPC2 11229

SEEDS: The Search for Evolution of Emission from Dust in Supernovae
with HST and Spitzer

The role that massive stars play in the dust content of the Universe
is extremely uncertain. It has long been hypothesized that dust can
condense within the ejecta of supernovae {SNe}, however there is a
frustrating discrepancy between the amounts of dust found in the early
Universe, or predicted by nucleation theory, and inferred from SN
observations. Our SEEDS collaboration has been carefully revisiting
the observational case for dust formation by core- collapse SNe, in
order to quantify their role as dust contributors in the early
Universe. As dust condenses in expanding SN ejecta, it will increase
in optical depth, producing three simultaneously observable phenomena:
{1} increasing optical extinction; {2} infrared {IR} excesses; and {3}
asymmetric blue-shifted emission lines. Our SEEDS collaboration
recently reported all three phenomena occurring in SN2003gd,
demonstrating the success of our observing strategy, and permitting us
to derive a dust mass of up to 0.02 solar masses created in the SN. To
advance our understanding of the origin and evolution of the
interstellar dust in galaxies, we propose to use HST's WFPC2 and
NICMOS instruments plus Spitzer's photometric instruments to monitor
ten recent core-collapse SNe for dust formation and, as a bonus,
detect light echoes that can affect the dust mass estimates. These
space-borne observations will be supplemented by ground-based
spectroscopic monitoring of their optical emission line profiles.
These observations would continue our 2-year HST and Spitzer
monitoring of this phenomena in order to address two key questions: Do
all SNe produce dust? and How much dust do they produce? As all the SN
are witin 15 Mpc, each SN stands an excellent chance of detection with
HST and Spitzer and of resolving potential light echoes.

WFPC2 11289

SL2S: The Strong Lensing Legacy Survey

Recent systematic surveys of strong galaxy-galaxy lenses {CLASS,
SLACS, GOODS, etc.} are producing spectacular results for galaxy
masses roughly below a transition mass M~10^13 Mo. The observed lens
properties and their evolution up to z~0.2, consistent with numerical
simulations, can be described by isothermal elliptical potentials. In
contrast, modeling of giant arcs in X-ray luminous clusters {halo
masses M ~10^13 Mo} favors NFW mass profiles, suggesting that dark
matter halos are not significantly affected by baryon cooling. Until
recently, lensing surveys were neither deep nor extended enough to
probe the intermediate mass density regime, which is fundamental for
understanding the assembly of structures. The CFHT Legacy Survey now
covers 125 square degrees, and thus offers a large reservoir of strong
lenses probing a large range of mass densities up to z~1. We have
extracted a list of 150 strong lenses using the most recent CFHTLS
data release via automated procedures. Following our first SNAPSHOT
proposal in cycle 15, we propose to continue the Hubble follow-up
targeting a larger list of 130 lensing candidates. These are
intermediate mass range candidates {between galaxies and clusters}
that are selected in the redshift range of 0.2-1 with no a priori
X-ray selection. The HST resolution is necessary for confirming the
lensing candidates, accurate modeling of the lenses, and probing the
total mass concentration in galaxy groups up to z~1 with the largest
unbiased sample available to date.

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)

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

FGS GSacq*********************** 8**************** 8
FGS REacq*********************** 7**************** 7
OBAD with Maneuver******* ***** 30************** 30

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)