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04 Apr 2003

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT        # 3332

PERIOD COVERED: DOY 91

Part 3 of 4

STIS 9506

A SNAPSHOT SURVEY OF HIGH COLUMN DENSITY, LOW-Z LyAlpha ABSORBERS

We propose a STIS G140L spectroscopic Snapshot program of bright
{V<=16.5} AGN not previously observed in the UV to discover new
high-column density {N_H >= 10^15 cm^-2} LyAlpha absorbers in the
local Universe {z <= 0.45}. Many more of these high column density
systems are needed because: {1} They contribute most of the baryons
to the local IGM; {2} They include systems for which valuable
metallicity and D/H measurements can be made with the Cosmic Origins
Spectrograph {COS}; {3} They include many of the ``warm-hot''
absorbers, thought to be a large baryon reservoir in the local
Universe; and {4} They are most likely to be ``associated'' with
galaxy halos. Because of their low-z, many of these absorbers can be
located relative to galaxies of known redshifts, allowing an
immediate scientific return from these snapshots. Perhaps the most
important, lasting results of this survey require higher resolution
reobservations with COS by our GTO team. Using these snapshots to
select the best targets, we will obtain COS R~22, 000 spectra to
determine the D/H and metallicity of absorbers in galaxy halos,
groups, and voids. We will use pairs and ``constellations'' of AGN to
determine absorber sizes, shapes, and covering factors. Candidate
``warm-hot'' absorbers will be reobserved with COS to determine their
numbers accurately and to assess their metallicity, sizes, and
relationships to galaxies and galaxy groups.

WFPC2 9594

WFPC2 CYCLE 11 SUPPLEMENTAL DARKS pt2/3

This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to
provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot
pixels 

STIS 9606

CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2

Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.

STIS 9608

CCD Bias Monitor - Part 2

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.

STIS 9615

Cycle 11 MAMA Dark Monitor

This test performs the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark
noise. This proposal will provide the primary means of checking on
health of the MAMA detectors systems through frequent monitoring of
the background count rate. The purpose is to look for evidence of
change in dark indicative of detector problem developing.

STIS 9629

MAMA Fold Distribution

The performance of MAMA microchannel plates can be monitored using a
MAMA fold analysis procedure. The fold analysis provides a
measurement of the distribution of charge cloud sizes incident upon
the anode giving some measure of changes in the pulse-height
distribution of the MCP and, therefore, MCP gain. This proposal
executes the same steps as the STIS MAMA Fold Analysis {8860} during
Cycle 9.
 
STIS 9633

STIS parallel archive proposal - Nearby Galaxies - Imaging and
Spectroscopy

Using parallel opportunities with STIS which were not allocated by
the TAC, we propose to obtain deep STIS imagery with both the Clear
{50CCD} and Long-Pass {F28X50LP} filters in order to make
color-magnitude diagrams and luminosity functions for nearby
galaxies. For local group galaxies, we also include G750L slitless
spectroscopy to search for e.g., Carbon stars, late M giants and
S-type stars. This survey will be useful to study the star formation
histories, chemical evolution, and distances to these galaxies. These
data will be placed immediately into the Hubble Data Archive.

WFPC2 9634

POMS Test Proposal: WFII targeted parallel archive proposal

The parallel opportunities available with WFPC2 in the neighborhood
of bright galaxies are treated in a slightly different way from the
normal pure parallels.

Local Group galaxies offer the opportunity for a closer look at young
stellar populations. Narrow-band images in F656N can be used both to
identify young stars via their emission lines, and to map the gas
distribution in star-forming regions. Thus, the filter F656N is added
to the four standard filters. Near more distant galaxies, up to about
10 Mpc, we can map the population of globular clusters; for this
purpose, F300W is less useful, and only F450W, F606W, and F814W will
be used. 

 - Continued -

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