Assigned ID: 398 ----- Attempting Submission 1 (Fri Feb 24 13:59:03 GMT 2012) ----- ----- Attempting Submission 1 (Sun Jul 15 16:39:07 GMT 2012) ----- COSMIC-LAB: Hunting for optical companions to binary MSPs in Globular Clusters As part of the project "Cosmic-Lab" aimed at using globular clusters (GCs) as natural laboratories to study dynamics and stellar evolution, here we present a proposal focussed on binary Millisecond Pulsars (MSPs). While the link between these objects and GC dynamics is firmly established, much needs to be still understood in terms of both the details of such a connection and the MSP evolutionary paths. This is mainly because only 7 optical counterparts to binary MSP companions are known to date in GCs. Noteworthy, 4 out of these 7 objects have been discovered by our group, thanks to our large experience in high-precision stellar photometry, spectroscopy and astrometry in crowded stellar fields, and our very efficient collaboration with the major groups leading extensive MSP search in the radio bands. Here we propose to further pursue this prolific route by exploiting the ACS and WFC3 imaging capabilities in order to search for 3 new companions to binary MSPs in two GCs (namely NGC6838 and NGC6544). The selected targets present the double advantage of already showing promising candidate counterparts in archive ACS images and sampling three different stages of the MSP evolution. We also propose phase resolved spectroscopy with STIS to measure the radial velocity curve of COM-M28H, recently discovered by our group. This will allow the full characterization of the system, yielding the direct determination of the pulsar mass (that in MSPs is expected to be significantly larger than the canonical 1.4 Msun, due to heavy mass accretion during the recycling process). Observations are organized in 8 visits (1 for NGC6838, 6 for NGC6544 and 1 for M28H). VISIT 1. Target: the optical companion to a MSP in NGC6838 - 4 orbits - instrument: ACS/WFC. A total of 19 long exposures in the selected optical filters (F606W,F814W) are planned in a proper way to sample the orbital period of the target. Dithering is performed by applying small offsets (via POS TARG keyword) to each exposure using a path already successfully tested in the past. The target is positioned at the aperture WFC1; with this configuration we are also able to sample almost the entire cluster core. Using visit orientation requirements we excluded orientations for which a contamination from spikes of close bright stars is possible. Two short exposures are also planned in order to sample the bright population of the globular cluster. VISIT 2-7. Target: the optical companion to a MSP in NGC6544 - 6 orbits - Instrument: WFC3/UVIS A total of 24 long exposures in the selected optical filters (F390W,F606W) are planned. Exposures are organized in six visits (one orbit each) with appropriate TIMING REQUIREMENT are planned in order to sample the entire orbital period (P~ 10 days) of the main target. Dithering is performed by applying small offsets (via POS TARG keyword) to each exposure using a path already tested in the past. The main target is positioned at the aperture UVIS1 thus allowing to sample also the region where another binary MSP is located. Using visit orientation requirements we excluded orientations for which contamination from close bright star spikes is possible. Two short exposures are also planned in order to sample the bright population of the globular cluster. VISIT 8: Target: the optical companion to the MSP M28H - 8 orbits - Instrument: STIS Since the target is located in a crowded region we plan the acquisition using an offset star (at ~ 1''.8 from the target). A total of 23 exposures with the spectral element G750L, the 52X0.2 aperture, BINAXIS2=2 and CR-SPLIT=NO are planned in a single visit. At the end of the visit we also planned the Fringe Flat Fields. Dithering is performed using the path SLIT-ALONG-SLIT of 2 points for the first orbit and 3 points for the other orbits by setting POINT_SETTING=0''.15 in both cases. Using visit orientation requirements we excluded orientations for which contamination from close bright stars is possible. HOT STARS 12 false 0.0 0.0 false false false false SUPPORTED STELLAR CLUSTER GLOBULAR CLUSTER J2000 J2000 STELLAR CLUSTER GLOBULAR CLUSTER J2000 J2000 STAR BINARY PULSAR J2000 B=15.1+/-0.1 STAR BINARY PULSAR J2000 I=20.07+/-0.1 ACS/WFC Imaging No No F606W ACS/WFC Imaging No No F814W WFC3/UVIS Imaging No No F606W WFC3/UVIS Imaging No No F814W WFC3/UVIS Imaging No No F390W WFC3/UVIS Imaging No No F606W ACS/WFC Imaging No No F606W ACS/WFC Imaging No No F814W STIS/CCD Spectroscopic No No G750L 7751 ACS/WFC Imaging No No F606W ACS/WFC Imaging No No F814W POS-TARG DITHER 0.15 LINE false false 2 90.0 STIS-ALONG-SLIT 3 false POS-TARG DITHER 0.15 LINE false false 3 90.0 STIS-ALONG-SLIT 4 false The scheduling data was generated by CASM 20.2. CASM was run in Phase II mode. /Users/francesco/lavoro/proposal/hst20/phase2/OP-cache/msps_7-v01.xml (Tic-Visit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "01" :proposal-version -1 :trans-version "20120604" :date "15-Jul-2012 18:19:17.0" :trans-errors '(:WARNINGS 0 :ERRORS 0 :HEALTH-AND-SAFETY 0 :FATAL-ERRORS 0 :CONTINUABLE-FATALS 0) :number-of-orbits 4 :saa-model "27" :si-bright-earth-limb-angle 20.0 :data-volume 5968704 :tdrss-contact-duration 0 :coron NIL ) (Tic-Obset :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "01" :obset-id "01" :pcs-mode "FGS" ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "01" :orbit-number 1 :pcs-time 333 :si-vis-utilization 2908 :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 3244 :pcs-gap 0 ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "01" :orbit-number 2 :pcs-time 222 :si-vis-utilization 3021 :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 3244 :pcs-gap 0 ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "01" :orbit-number 3 :pcs-time 222 :si-vis-utilization 3022 :al-overhead-at-end 0 :internal-dur-at-end 347 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3244 :pcs-gap 0 ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "01" :orbit-number 4 :pcs-time 222 :si-vis-utilization 3022 :al-overhead-at-end 0 :internal-dur-at-end 347 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3244 :pcs-gap 0 ) true 4 0 Timing link suitability includes constraints ([03 After 02 by 1.3 to 2.1 days] [04 After 02 by 2.9 to 3.7 days] [05 After 02 by 4.6 to 5.4 days] [06 After 02 by 6.2 to 7.0 days] [07 After 02 by 7.9 to 8.7 days]) The scheduling data was generated by CASM 20.2. CASM was run in Phase II mode. /Users/francesco/lavoro/proposal/hst20/phase2/OP-cache/msps_7-v02.xml (Tic-Visit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "02" :proposal-version -1 :trans-version "20120604" :date "15-Jul-2012 18:20:28.0" :trans-errors '(:WARNINGS 0 :ERRORS 0 :HEALTH-AND-SAFETY 0 :FATAL-ERRORS 0 :CONTINUABLE-FATALS 0) :number-of-orbits 1 :saa-model "29" :si-bright-earth-limb-angle 20.0 :data-volume 1443728 :tdrss-contact-duration 0 :coron NIL ) (Tic-Obset :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "02" :obset-id "02" :pcs-mode "FGS" ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "02" :orbit-number 1 :pcs-time 333 :si-vis-utilization 2919 :al-overhead-at-end 118 :internal-dur-at-end 668 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3253 :pcs-gap 0 ) true 1 0 Timing link suitability includes constraints ([03 After 02 by 1.3 to 2.1 days]) The scheduling data was generated by CASM 20.2. CASM was run in Phase II mode. /Users/francesco/lavoro/proposal/hst20/phase2/OP-cache/msps_7-v03.xml (Tic-Visit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "03" :proposal-version -1 :trans-version "20120604" :date "15-Jul-2012 18:22:45.0" :trans-errors '(:WARNINGS 0 :ERRORS 0 :HEALTH-AND-SAFETY 0 :FATAL-ERRORS 0 :CONTINUABLE-FATALS 0) :number-of-orbits 1 :saa-model "29" :si-bright-earth-limb-angle 20.0 :data-volume 1443728 :tdrss-contact-duration 0 :coron NIL ) (Tic-Obset :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "03" :obset-id "03" :pcs-mode "FGS" ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "03" :orbit-number 1 :pcs-time 333 :si-vis-utilization 2919 :al-overhead-at-end 118 :internal-dur-at-end 668 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3253 :pcs-gap 0 ) true 1 0 Timing link suitability includes constraints ([04 After 02 by 2.9 to 3.7 days]) The scheduling data was generated by CASM 20.2. CASM was run in Phase II mode. /Users/francesco/lavoro/proposal/hst20/phase2/OP-cache/msps_7-v04.xml (Tic-Visit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "04" :proposal-version -1 :trans-version "20120604" :date "15-Jul-2012 18:23:31.0" :trans-errors '(:WARNINGS 0 :ERRORS 0 :HEALTH-AND-SAFETY 0 :FATAL-ERRORS 0 :CONTINUABLE-FATALS 0) :number-of-orbits 1 :saa-model "29" :si-bright-earth-limb-angle 20.0 :data-volume 1154976 :tdrss-contact-duration 0 :coron NIL ) (Tic-Obset :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "04" :obset-id "04" :pcs-mode "FGS" ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "04" :orbit-number 1 :pcs-time 333 :si-vis-utilization 2920 :al-overhead-at-end 116 :internal-dur-at-end 668 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3253 :pcs-gap 0 ) true 1 0 Timing link suitability includes constraints ([05 After 02 by 4.6 to 5.4 days]) The scheduling data was generated by CASM 20.2. CASM was run in Phase II mode. /Users/francesco/lavoro/proposal/hst20/phase2/OP-cache/msps_7-v05.xml (Tic-Visit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "05" :proposal-version -1 :trans-version "20120604" :date "15-Jul-2012 18:23:32.0" :trans-errors '(:WARNINGS 0 :ERRORS 0 :HEALTH-AND-SAFETY 0 :FATAL-ERRORS 0 :CONTINUABLE-FATALS 0) :number-of-orbits 1 :saa-model "29" :si-bright-earth-limb-angle 20.0 :data-volume 1154976 :tdrss-contact-duration 0 :coron NIL ) (Tic-Obset :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "05" :obset-id "05" :pcs-mode "FGS" ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "05" :orbit-number 1 :pcs-time 333 :si-vis-utilization 2920 :al-overhead-at-end 116 :internal-dur-at-end 668 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3253 :pcs-gap 0 ) true 1 0 Timing link suitability includes constraints ([06 After 02 by 6.2 to 7.0 days]) The scheduling data was generated by CASM 20.2. CASM was run in Phase II mode. /Users/francesco/lavoro/proposal/hst20/phase2/OP-cache/msps_7-v06.xml (Tic-Visit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "06" :proposal-version -1 :trans-version "20120604" :date "15-Jul-2012 18:23:32.0" :trans-errors '(:WARNINGS 0 :ERRORS 0 :HEALTH-AND-SAFETY 0 :FATAL-ERRORS 0 :CONTINUABLE-FATALS 0) :number-of-orbits 1 :saa-model "29" :si-bright-earth-limb-angle 20.0 :data-volume 1154976 :tdrss-contact-duration 0 :coron NIL ) (Tic-Obset :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "06" :obset-id "06" :pcs-mode "FGS" ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "06" :orbit-number 1 :pcs-time 333 :si-vis-utilization 2920 :al-overhead-at-end 116 :internal-dur-at-end 668 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3253 :pcs-gap 0 ) true 1 0 Timing link suitability includes constraints ([07 After 02 by 7.9 to 8.7 days]) The scheduling data was generated by CASM 20.2. CASM was run in Phase II mode. /Users/francesco/lavoro/proposal/hst20/phase2/OP-cache/msps_7-v07.xml (Tic-Visit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "07" :proposal-version -1 :trans-version "20120604" :date "15-Jul-2012 18:23:33.0" :trans-errors '(:WARNINGS 0 :ERRORS 0 :HEALTH-AND-SAFETY 0 :FATAL-ERRORS 0 :CONTINUABLE-FATALS 0) :number-of-orbits 1 :saa-model "29" :si-bright-earth-limb-angle 20.0 :data-volume 1154976 :tdrss-contact-duration 0 :coron NIL ) (Tic-Obset :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "07" :obset-id "07" :pcs-mode "FGS" ) (Tic-Orbit :proposal-id 12932 :visit-id "07" :orbit-number 1 :pcs-time 333 :si-vis-utilization 2920 :al-overhead-at-end 116 :internal-dur-at-end 668 :dark-offset NIL :dark-utilization 0 :max-dark-utilization 1920 :low-sky "N" :pcs-visibility 3253 :pcs-gap 0 ) true 1 0 /Users/francesco/lavoro/proposal/hst20/phase2/OP-cache/msps_7-v08.xml The scheduling data was generated by CASM 20.2. CASM was run in Phase II mode. 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