8379(  2) - 12/18/98 16:53  - [  1]

    PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS   ST ScI Use Only
                                                       ID:      8379
                                                       Version: 2
                                                       Check-in Date: 18-Dec-1998
                                                                      16:52:14

1.Proposal Title:
Search for Emission Line Galaxies in the Near Infrared Using the NICMOS Grism Data
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2. Proposal For  3. Cycle
AR               8
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4. Investigators
                                                                                     Contact?
    PI: Lin Yan                           Carnegie Observatories
   CoI: Dr. Wolfram Freudling             European Southern Observatories               N
   CoI: Dr. Patrick McCarthy              Carnegie Observatories                        N
   CoI: Dr. Ray Weymann                   Carnegie Observatories                        N

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5. Abstract

NICMOS has produced a wealth of grism spectroscopic data in the 0.8Mu to 1.9Mu
wavelength range. To date roughly 650 primary and parallel orbits of grism data have
been obtained at high and intermediate galactic latitudes. We propose an archival
research program using this database to search for high redshift emission line
objects, to measure the global star formation history at various epochs and to study
the evolution of field galaxies. We have analyzed nearly all of the G141 grism
(Lambda ~ 1.1Mu - 1.9Mu) exposures taken to date by the public pure-parallel
program. This dataset reaches 3Sigma flux limits of (1 - 0.2)* 10^-16 erg/s/cm^2 for
integration times of 2, 000 to 21, 000 seconds. The NICMOS data have lower flux
limits than all of the previous near-IR emission-line surveys, including those with
the Keck telescopes. We have developed expertise in reducing the NICMOS grism data
and have identified 33 emission-line galaxies in 83 square arc-minutes of G141 data.
In this proposed program, we will: 1) reduce the entire NICMOS grism GO and GTO data
sets; 2) search for emission-line objects over ~ 170 square arcmin, roughly doubling
our present sample; (3) derive the global star formation history to z ~2; (4)
measure the spectral continuum for bright galaxies which don't have emission lines
in our observed wavelength range; and (5) make all of the reduced grism data
available to the public.
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  Data Distribution

  Paper Products:  NO
  Media:           ELECTRONIC
  Blocking Factor: 10
  Ship To:         PI_Address
  Ship Via:
  Email:
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                                                8379(  2) - 12/18/98 16:53  - [  2]

            Summary Form for Proposal  8379

  Item                         Used in this proposal
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  Proposal Category            AR
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