10601( 4) - 09/14/05 08:38 - [ 1] HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVING PROGRAM 10601 Version: 4 Check-in Time: 14-Sep-2005 12:38:22 Title The high proper motion of PSR B0540-69.3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Type Cycle Parallel Pointing Tolerance GO 14 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Investigators Contact? PI: Dr. Peter Lundqvist Stockholm University CoI: Ms. Natalia Serafimovich Stockholm University N CoI: Prof. Yuri Shibanov Ioffe Physical Technical Institute N CoI: Dr. Jesper Sollerman Stockholm University N ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Abstract We wish to pin down the proper motion of the Crab-like pulsar PSR B0540-69.3. HST/WFPC2 archival data have an epoch separation by 4 years which we have already used to obtain a very high transverse velocity, 1190 +/- 560 km/s. The indicated direction of the proper motion is consistent with it being along the southern jet of the pulsar wind nebula. The high velocity could be linked to the high asymmetry of the supernova ejecta, which suggests a highly asymmetric supernova explosion. We need a third epoch of HST imaging to test our present 2-sigma limit. With the suggested observation we will obtain a 1-sigma limit on the transverse motion better than 200 km/s. PSR B0540-69.3 could be the third young pulsar connected to a supernova remnant for which a proper motion is established. The other two are the Crab and Vela pulsars. Both these pulsars have their proper motions aligned with the jet axis of their pulsar wind nebulae. PSR B0540-69.3 could thus be the third object (of three) to reveal that it shares this property. This would provide vital information to supernova explosion and pulsar kick models. PSR B0540-69.3 would undoubtedly also be the most distant pulsar ever for which a proper motion is established. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10601( 4) - 09/14/05 08:38 - [ 2] Observations Description ------------------------ We wish to pin down the proper motion of the Crab-like pulsar PSR B0540-69.3. HST/WFPC2 archival data have an epoch separation by 4 years which we have already used to obtain a very high transverse velocity, 1190 +/- 560 km/s. The indicated direction of the proper motion is consistent with it being along the southern jet of the pulsar wind nebula. The high velocity could be linked to the high asymmetry of the supernova ejecta, which suggests a highly asymmetric supernova explosion. We need a third epoch of HST imaging to test our present 2-sigma limit. We were granted time to do this. Our proposal was submitted as a SNAP proposal, but that was converted by TAC to a 1-orbit GO program. With the suggested observation we will obtain a 1-sigma limit on the transverse motion better than 200 km/s. We will use WFPC2 equipped with the filters F547M and F555W to optimize the comparison with archival data (as was also suggested in the proposal). Real Time Justification ----------------------- Calibration Justification ------------------------- Additional Comments ------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10601( 4) - 09/14/05 08:38 - [ 3] TARGET LIST Fixed Targets ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tar| Target | Target | Target |Coord | Radial | Flux data No | Name | Description | Position |Eqnx | Vel. | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 PSR-B0540- STAR, NEUTRON STAR RA=05H40M11.1730S +/- 0.1", J2000 V = 21.7 69.3 DEC=-69D19'54.41" +/- 0.1", PLATE-ID=06B0 Coordinate Source: HST_IMAGE 10601( 4) - 09/14/05 08:38 - [ 4] Patterns ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pattern_Number: 1 Primary_Pattern Secondary_Pattern Pattern_Type WFPC2-LINE Pattern_Purpose DITHER Number_Of_Points 2 Point_Spacing 0.3535 Line_Spacing Coordinate_Frame POS-TARG Pattern_Orient 45.0 Angle_Between_Sides Center_Pattern NO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pattern_Number: 2 Primary_Pattern Secondary_Pattern Pattern_Type WFPC2-LINE Pattern_Purpose DITHER Number_Of_Points 3 Point_Spacing 0.3535 Line_Spacing Coordinate_Frame POS-TARG Pattern_Orient 45.0 Angle_Between_Sides Center_Pattern NO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10601( 4) - 09/14/05 08:38 - [ 5] Visit: 01 Visit Priority: Visit Requirements: On Hold Comments: Additional Comments: Exposures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Exp | Target | Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Central| Optional |Num| Time | Special Num | Name | Config | Mode | or FOV |Element |Waveln.| Parameters |Exp| | Requirements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 PSR-B0540-6 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F547M 1 520 S PATTERN 1 1-2 9.3 see below ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 PSR-B0540-6 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F547M 1 520 S 9.3 see below ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 PSR-B0540-6 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F555W 1 480 S PATTERN 2 3 9.3 see below ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sub Exposures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target | Exp |Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Cent.|Primary |Secondary |Iteration |CR-SPLIT |Orbit |Duration Name | Num |Config | Mode | or FOV |Element |Wave.|Pattern Pos |Pattern Pos |Num |Num |Number | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PSR-B0540-69.3 1 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F547M 1 none none none 1 260.0 S PSR-B0540-69.3 1 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F547M 2 none none none 1 260.0 S PSR-B0540-69.3 2 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F547M 1 none none none 1 260.0 S PSR-B0540-69.3 2 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F547M 2 none none none 1 260.0 S PSR-B0540-69.3 3 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F555W 1 none none none 1 160.0 S PSR-B0540-69.3 3 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F555W 2 none none none 1 160.0 S PSR-B0540-69.3 3 WFPC2 IMAGE PC1 F555W 3 none none none 1 160.0 S 10601( 4) - 09/14/05 08:38 - [ 6] Summary Form for Proposal 10601 Item Used in this proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Apertures PC1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Configurations WFPC2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Opmodes IMAGE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Proposal Category GO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Requirements PATTERN 1 1-2 PATTERN 2 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spectral Elements F547M F555W ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target Names PSR-B0540-69.3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------