Page 1 PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS ST ScI Use Only ID 1101c Report Date: 09-May-96:16:09 Version: ********** Check-in Date: ********** 1.Proposal Title: OPTICAL AND ULTRAVIOLET OBSERVATIONS OF RADIO PULSARS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Scientific Category 3. Proposal For 4. Proposal Type 5. Continuation ID STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS GTO/HSP Sub Category ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Principal Investigator Institution Country Telephone Robert C. Bless WISCONSIN, UNIVERSITY OF USA 608-262-1715 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Abstract In spite of extensive efforts only two definite (Crab and Vela) and one probable (in SNR 0540-693) radio pulsars have been detected at optical wavelengths. Most efforts at modeling the optical emission mechanism are constrained only by the Crab Pulsar observations. To provide better model constraints, visual and ultraviolet observations of the Crab, Vela, and LMC pulsars will be obtained (see HSP 1101). The HSP recently acquired high time resolution data of the Crab pulsar in the visual. Before choosing the central wavelength and width of several ultraviolet filters, an exploratory observation of the Crab in a broad-band UV filter is necessary. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. Scientific Key Words: PULSARS, NEUTRON STARS, SUPERNOVAE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Est obs time (hours) pri: 1.00 par: 0 10. Num targs pri: 7 par: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 2 I. GENERAL FORM Proposal 1101c PI: Robert C. Bless Proposal Title: OPTICAL AND ULTRAVIOLET OBSERVATIONS OF RADIO PULSARS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Proposers: Proposers Institution Country ESA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ G. W. Van Citters NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION USA Robert C. Bless WISCONSIN, UNIVERSITY OF USA Joseph F. Dolan NASA, GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT USA CENTER James L. Elliot MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF USA TECHNOLOGY Edward L. Robinson TEXAS, UNIVERSITY OF USA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Description of proposed observations. Crab Pulsar - Observe through a UV filter for the maximum time possible in one orbit. Total time: 20 minutes for the Mode II acquisition in one orbit, and about 40 minutes of high speed photometry in the next. Total: 1.0 hours (2 orbits). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Justification of need for HST observations. The Space Telescope, besides the obvious access to the UV, provides an opportunity to examine pulse shape and phase as a function of frequency with lower sky background levels, better discrimination against nebular contamination and lack of scintillation noise. Significant improvement over ground-based data is expected. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Description of special calibration exposures. Relating Space Telescope observations of pulsars to previous ground-based data will, in some cases, require calibration of the Space Telescope clock to +/- 10 msec to enable phase comparisons. This can be done after the observations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13. To assist in selecting filters, bandwidths, and exposure times for HSP 1101, high speed UV photometry of the Crab will be obtained. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11. Address Information Name: ROBERT C. BLESS Category: PI Institution: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN Address: WASHBURN OBSERVATORY 475 N. CHARTER STREET City: MADISON State: WI Zip Code: 53706 Country: USA Telephone: 608-262-1715 Telex (or e-mail): 265452-UOFWISC-MDS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: G. W. VAN CITTERS Category: CON Institution: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Address: DIV. OF ASTRONOMICAL SCI. 1800 G STREET, N.W. City: WASHINGTON State: DC Zip Code: 20550 Country: USA Telephone: 202-357-9793 Telex (or e-mail): 982-438 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TARGET LIST a) Fixed Targets ID = 1101c [ 3] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tar| Target | Target | Target |Coord | Radial |Acqui|FLX| Flux data No | Name | Description | Position |Eqnx | Vel. |Prblm|REF| | | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 PSR0531+21 PULSAR RA = 05H 34M 31.94S +/- 1", 2000 1 V=16 CRAB PULSAR DEC = +22D 00' 52.15" +/- 1" Comments: POSREF = PROPOSAL 1383. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EXPOSURE LOGSHEET ID = 1101c [ 4] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |10 | 11 | 12 |13 |14| 15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Line | Seq | Target |Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Central| Optional |Num| Time | S/N |Flx|Pr| Special Number | Name | Name |Config| Mode |or FOV |Element |Waveln.| Parameters |Exp| |Rel. Time|Ref| | Requirements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 PSR0531+21 HSP/ ACQ 1 10M 1 1 CYCLE 0 / 1-2 UV2 ONBOARD ACQ FOR 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 PSR0531+21 HSP/ SINGLE 1.0 F160LP SAMPLE- 1 28M 400 1 1 UV2 TIME=0.0000108 DATA- FORMAT=BYTE PRECISION=HIGH Comments: USE 1 MEGABIT DOWNLINK. ADJUST EXPOSURE TO FIT ORBIT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary Form for Proposal 1101c [ 5] Item Used in this proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Configurations HSP/UV2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Opmodes ACQ SINGLE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optional Parameters SAMPLE-TIME=0.0000108 DATA-FORMAT=BYTE PRECISION=HIGH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Proposal for GTO/HSP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ S/C Hours 1.00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Category STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Sub-category ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Requirements CYCLE 0 / 1-2; ONBOARD ACQ FOR 2; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spectral Elements F160LP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target Names PSR0531+21 CRAB PULSAR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------