| Program Number | Principal Investigator | Program Title | Links |
| 10551 | Shri Kulkarni, California Institute of Technology | Gamma-Ray Bursts from Start to Finish: A Legacy Approach | Abstract |
| 10556 | David Turnshek, University of Pittsburgh | Neutral Gas at Redshift z=0.5 | Abstract |
| 10599 | Paul Kalas, University of California - Berkeley | Multi-color imaging of two 1 Gyr old debris disks within 20 pc of the Sun: Astrophysical mirrors of our Kuiper Belt | Abstract |
| 10607 | Ben Sugerman, Space Telescope Science Institute | Probing Circumstellar and Interstellar Dust with Scattered-Light Echoes | Abstract |
| 10632 | Massimo Stiavelli, Space Telescope Science Institute | Searching for galaxies at z>6.5 in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field | Abstract |
| 10760 | Michael Garcia, Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory | Black Hole X-ray Novae in M31 | Abstract |
| 10766 | Andreas Zezas, Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory | A Deep X-ray Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud | Abstract |
| 10802 | Adam Riess, Space Telescope Science Institute | SHOES-Supernovae, HO, for the Equation of State of Dark energy | Abstract |
| 10816 | Tom Brown, Space Telescope Science Institute | The Formation History of Andromeda's Extended Metal-Poor Halo | Abstract |
| 10833 | Bradley Peterson, The Ohio State University Research Foundation | Host Galaxies of Reverberation Mapped AGNs | Abstract |
| 10849 | Stanimir Metchev, University of California - Los Angeles | Imaging Scattered Light from Debris Disks Discovered by the Spitzer Space Telescope around 21 Sun-like Star | Abstract |
| 10851 | Raghvendra Sahai, Jet Propulsion Laboratory | Solving the Riddle of the Red Rectangle: Proper Motion Study of a Bipolar Nebula around a Binary | Abstract |
| 10867 | Robert Kirshner, Harvard University | SAINTS - Supernova 1987A INTensive Survey | Abstract |
| 10878 | John O'Meara, The Pennsylvania State University | An ACS Prism Snapshot Survey for z~2 Lyman Limit Systems | Abstract |
| 10882 | William Sparks, Space Telescope Science Institute | Emission Line Snapshots of 3CR Radio Galaxies | Abstract |
| 10895 | Paul Kalas, University of California - Berkeley | Closure on the IRAS Big Four: A High Contrast Study of Epsilon Eridani's Dust Belt in Scattered Light | Abstract |
| 10896 | Paul Kalas, University of California - Berkeley | An Efficient ACS Coronagraphic Survey for Debris Disks around Nearby Stars | Abstract |
| 10905 | R. Tully, University of Hawaii | The Dynamic State of the Dwarf Galaxy Rich Canes Venatici I Region | Abstract |
| 10911 | John P. Blakeslee, Washington State University | Calibration of ACS F814W Surface Brightness Fluctuations | Abstract |
| 10989 | George Benedict, University of Texas at Austin | Astrometric Masses of Extrasolar Planets and Brown Dwarfs | Abstract |
| 10996 | Holland Ford, The Johns Hopkins University | NICMOS J-band Imaging of Strongly Lensing Cluster | Abstract |
| 11015 | John Hughes, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey | The Proper Motion of Supernova Remnant E0509-67.5 | Abstract |
GO 10540: Imaging Nearby Dusty Disks
High-resolution HST image of the face-on debris disk in the G2 dwarf, HD 107146
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Planet formation occurs in circumstellar disks around young stars. Most of the gaseous content of those disks dissipates in less than 10 million years, leaving dusty debris disks that are detectable through reflect light at near-infrared and, to a lesser extent, optical wavelengths. The structure of those disks is affected by massive bodies (i.e. planets and asteroids), which, through dynamical interactions and resonances, can produce rings and asymmetries. Analysis of the rangle of morphological structure in these systems provides insight into the distribution of properties of planetary systems. Disk imaging programs have demonstrated that the HST currently provides the only means of achieving the high-contrast required for the detection of these scattered light disks in the presence of the bright parent stars. The present proposal is using NICMOS to image ten nearby F-type dwarfs. |
GO 10911: Calibration of ACS F814W Surface Brightness Fluctuations
Simulations of a nearby dwarf galaxy, a nearby giant galaxy and a distant giant galaxy; note that
the last is similar in angular size to the dwarf, but has a much smoother brightness distribution
(simulations from Ned Wright's ABC of distances
|
The determination of the Cosmic Distance Scale remains one of the major goals of cosmological programs in the early 21st century. Achieving this goal requires a reliable distance indicator. While observing programs continue to pursue conventional primary distance indicators (such as RR Lyraes and Cepheids) and secondary distance indicators (such as the RGB tip and the Tully-Fisher relation), attention is also being given to the method of surface brightness fluctuations. This method rests primarily on the hypothesis that the stellar populations in most galaxies have similar colour-magnitude diagrams. Thus, the total luminosity of the galaxy is generated by similar stars - mainly red giants. In a nearby low-luminosity galaxy, most of the light comes from a relatively small numebr of giant branch stars; consequently, that galaxy has a "grainier" appearance than a distant high-luminosity galaxy of the same apparent magnitude (see figure). The degree of granularity can therefore serve as a distance indicator. The present program will use ACS (F814W filter) to observe half a dozen galaxies in the Fornax cluster to provide a reliable calibration of this technique. |
Artist's impression of the planets circling the M dwarf, Gl 876
|
The overwhelming majority of extrasolar planetary systems have been identified through radial velocity monitoring, and the detection of the reflex motion of the parent star as it orbits the common center of mass of the system. Just as radial velocities measure the stellar "wobble" introduced along the line of sight, so high precision astrometry can be used to measure motion in the plane of the sky. Combining these data gives the full three-dimensional motions of the system, and a direct measure of the mass of the planetary companion. The Fine Guidance Sensors on HST are the only system currently capable of making observations at the required sub-milliarcscond accuracy, and has already been used for astrometry of four systems, including the M dwarf Gl 876. The current GO program pursues observations of six planetary hosts, and FGS observations of HD 33636 are scheduled over the next week. |