Phase II parameters were edited from existing APT file retrieved from STScI, based on program 10191, which was not executed due to the failure of STIS in 2004. The observational design for the present program is essentially identical to that of 10191. I don't know how the parameters for 10191 were loaded for 11571, and neither did Bill Januszewski whom I spoke with yesterday, but it certainly made Phase II easier this time. ----- Attempting Submission 1 (Tue Jul 01 15:49:25 GMT 2008) ----- Diagnostic messages pertain to POS TARG commands that move the source out of the aperture. Since the program is intended to step the slit in order to obtain 2D coverage, which then places the galaxy nucleus and target coordinates outside the aperture for some exposures, I am assuming that these caution messages do not require action. Assigned ID: 677 ----- Attempting Submission 1 (Fri Mar 07 22:42:05 GMT 2008) ----- A Fundamental Test of Accretion Physics with NGC 4203 The rapid evolution of quasars indicates that supermassive black holes in galaxy nuclei spend most of their time in a relatively quiescent state. Studies of nearby galaxies demonstrate that many such black holes are accreting at a low rate, and appear as low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs). Theoretical arguments suggest that the mode of accretion onto a central black hole may be very different in LLAGNs as compared to high-luminosity systems. The LINER NGC 4203 provides an excellent opportunity to investigate quantitatively the accretion process in a LLAGN, and hence the typical accretion state for a supermassive black hole. Cycle 7 STIS data acquired at one position angle reveal double-peaked H-alpha emission in the nucleus that may trace an accretion disk, and spatially resolved emission that places an upper limit on black-hole mass. We propose observations with STIS to map the two-dimensional velocity field of the circumnuclear gas disk in the central regions of NGC 4203, in order to measure the black-hole mass. This parameter is essential for testing theoretical models of accretion, determining the mass accretion rate, and estimating the radiative efficiency for accreted matter. The results will be important for making sense of LLAGNs, and for translating their measured luminosity into accretion rates that trace the growth of black holes. This is a resubmission of a proposal that was approved for 5 orbits in Cycle 13 (GO-10191) but never carried out due to the failure of STIS.
STIS spectra will be obtained for the nucleus of NGC 4203 at 5 adjacent slit positions to measure spatially resolved nebular emission, which will be used to determine the gas velocity field. The observations will employ the G750M grating at a central wavelength of 6581 A, and the 52X0.1E1 aperture to minimize CTE losses. The slit should be oriented approximately perpendicular (+/- 20 degrees) to an existing STIS spectrum for this object, to optimize spatial coverage. At each slit position, observations will be dithered along the slit to enable cosmic ray and bad pixel rejection. The program will be completed in a single visit of 5 orbits. AGN/QUASARS 12 false 0.0 0.0 false false false false false SUPPORTED GALAXY NUCLEUS LINER LENTICULAR EMISSION LINE NEBULA NLR J2000 12 15 5.0000 +33 11 50.00 J2000 STIS/CCD Spectroscopic No No G750M 6581 POS-TARG DITHER 0.25 LINE false false 3 90.0 STIS-ALONG-SLIT 1 false The scheduling data was generated by CASM 17.2. CASM was run in Phase II mode. /Users/shields/nasa/hst/hstc17/n4203/phase2/OP-cache/hstc17_11571_phase2-v01.xml ORIENT constraint assumes a slit PA of 175.6 to 215.6 degrees, and offset angle of 45 degrees. (Tic-Visit :proposal-id 11571 :visit-id "01" :proposal-version -1 :trans-version "20080609" :date "30-Jun-2008 14:26:03.0" :trans-errors '(:WARNINGS 6 :ERRORS 0 :HEALTH-AND-SAFETY 0 :FATAL-ERRORS 0 :CONTINUABLE-FATALS 0) :number-of-orbits 5 :saa-model "24" :si-bright-earth-limb-angle 20.0 :data-volume 386928 :tdrss-contact-duration 0 :coron NIL ) (Tic-Obset :proposal-id 11571 :visit-id "01" :obset-id "01" :pcs-mode "FGS" ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 11571 :visit-id "01" :orbit-number 1 :pcs-time 333 :si-vis-utilization 2950 :al-overhead-at-end 0 :internal-dur-at-end 0 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3283 :pcs-gap 0 ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 11571 :visit-id "01" :orbit-number 2 :pcs-time 195 :si-vis-utilization 3088 :al-overhead-at-end 0 :internal-dur-at-end 0 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3283 :pcs-gap 0 ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 11571 :visit-id "01" :orbit-number 3 :pcs-time 195 :si-vis-utilization 3088 :al-overhead-at-end 72 :internal-dur-at-end 0 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3283 :pcs-gap 0 ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 11571 :visit-id "01" :orbit-number 4 :pcs-time 195 :si-vis-utilization 3088 :al-overhead-at-end 72 :internal-dur-at-end 0 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3283 :pcs-gap 0 ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 11571 :visit-id "01" :orbit-number 5 :pcs-time 195 :si-vis-utilization 3088 :al-overhead-at-end 75 :internal-dur-at-end 381 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3283 :pcs-gap 0 ) true 5 0