Page 1 PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS ST ScI Use Only ID 1225c Report Date: 09-May-96:16:20 Version: ********** Check-in Date: ********** 1.Proposal Title: NEBULOSITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEARBY QSO MR 2251-178 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Scientific Category 3. Proposal For 4. Proposal Type 5. Continuation ID QUASARS & AGN GTO/FOC Sub Category QUASAR EMISSION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Principal Investigator Institution Country Telephone Alec Boksenberg ROYAL GREENWICH OBSERVATORY UNITED KIN 0323-833171 PROFESSOR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Abstract Long-slit spectroscopy of the nearby QSO MR2251-178 will allow us to study the dynamics of its nuclear narrow line region and the link between this region and the surrounding ionized nebulosity, to determine the gas excitation gradients and the total column density of ionized gas. In addition the imaging mode will give the morphology of the ionized gas within the narrow line region and the inner nebulosity and will allow comparison between LyAlpha haloes of low and high redshift QSO's. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. Scientific Key Words: QSO - INTERSTELLAR MATTER - KINEMATICS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Est obs time (hours) pri: 4.00 par: 0 10. Num targs pri: 2 par: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 2 I. GENERAL FORM Proposal 1225c PI: Alec Boksenberg Proposal Title: NEBULOSITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEARBY QSO MR 2251-178 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Proposers: Proposers Institution Country ESA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alec Boksenberg ROYAL GREENWICH OBSERVATORY UNITED KING X Jacqueline Bergeron INSTITUTE OF ASTROPHYSICS, PARIS FRANCE X F. Duccio Macchetto ESA, SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE USA X INSTITUTE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Description of proposed observations. imaging : one exposure of 3000 sec using a narrow filter centred on the Lyalpha redshifted emission line spectroscopy : three exposures, each of about 5000 sec - one along the major axis with a cut-order filter to only get the optical range (information on both the continuum and line emissions) - one along the minor axis without filter to observe the optical and the UV emission lines - one off-centred by about one (or one half) arcsec to obtain after spatial rebinning a higher S/N ratio spectrum for the ionized gas outside the BLR. This tangential spatial rebinning, along about 0.5 to 1 arcsec paralell to the minor axis, does not degrade substantially the emission line profiles and will give detailed emission line ratios (including weaker lines as [0III]Lambda 4363) and allow a search for a possible abdorption component due to the ionized of the nebulosity and outer envelope. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Justification of need for HST observations. Neither the narrow line region, nor the transition zone between the NLR and the nebulosity can be resolved from the ground. The kinematics, spatial distribution, density and ionization gradients of these inner ionized regions of the nearby QSO MR 2251-178 can only be studied with the ST using the long-slit spectroscopy mode of the FOC. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Description of special calibration exposures. Obsrvation of diffuse emission (more crucially the search of stellar absorption lines) requires a dark sky. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Data reduction and analysis plans. We are very familiar with data reduction and analysis of IPCS frames (spectroscopy mode) and CCD images. We foresee a similar type of data analysis with the results from the FOC. At Paris our software facilities are one HP 1000 (RTE 6 operating system) and one Vax 11/780 (VMS 3.4 operating system) on which the IHAP-ESO AND MIDAS-ESO-ECF data reduction systems are installed respectively. Further, there is a software centre in Marseille which is to remain in close contact with the ST Sci (Baltimore) and ECF (Garching). It will follow the software development of these two institutes and provide additional data analysis packages. Some application programmes to image analysis, part of the software developed by A. Bijaoui at the Nice Observatory, are currently adapted on the VAX by A. Llebaria (at the "French Pilot Centre for the Space Telescope" in Marseille). We rely upon the ST Sci for software related to first step geometric and photometric corrections, and wavelength calibration. However we can do these first step calibrations, if we receive all the frame allowing to define the instrument characteristics. In addition we have access to the UK STARLINK system at RGO. Page 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13. Imaging and long-slit spectroscopy of the nearby QSO MR 2251-178 will provide information on the inner ionized region and the transition zone between the NLR and the extended nebulosity. In particular this will allow a study of the kinematics (stellar and gaseous components), spatial distribution, density and excitation gradients (gaseous component) within the inner 5 kpc width of spatial resolution of 170 pc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11. Address Information Name: JACQUELINE BERGERON Category: CON Institution: INSTITUT D'ASTROPHYSIQUE Address: 98 BIS BOULEVARD ARAGO 75014 City: PARIS State: Zip Code: Country: FRANCE Telephone: 1.3201425 Telex (or e-mail): 270070 C/OIAP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: ALEC BOKSENBERG Category: PI Institution: ROYAL GREENWICH OBSERVATORY Address: HERSTMONCEUX CASTLE BN27 1RP City: HAILSHAM, EAST SUSSEX State: Zip Code: Country: UNITED KINGDOM Telephone: (44)323-833171 Telex (or e-mail): 87451 RGOBSY G ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TARGET LIST a) Fixed Targets ID = 1225c [ 4] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 MR2251-178 NEARBY QSO RA = 22H 51M 25.9S +/- 0.1S, 1950 Z=0.0639 EXT 1 F-LINE(1216) = 4 +/- 2 E-15 DEC = -17D 50' 56.7" +/- 1" 8 2 F-LINE(5007) = 5 +/- 2 E-14 Comments: POINT TOL 0.1". POSITION IS GASP COG ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 MR2251-178W NEBULOSITY AROUND R = 1.0" , 1950 Z=0.0639 EXT 1 F-LINE(1216) = 4 +/- 2 E-15 NEARBY QSO PA = 270D , 8 FROM 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EXPOSURE LOGSHEET ID = 1225c [ 5] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 MR2251-178 FOC/48 ACQ 128X128 F140W 1 120S 1 1 ONBOARD ACQ FOR 7 -ASLIT GUID TOL 0.05"/5-9 CYCLE 1 ORIENT 350D +/- 10D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6 ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 1 INT ACQ FOR 8,9 CYCLE 1 ORIENT 80D +/- 10D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7 MR2251-178 FOC/48 SPEC 256X102 G450M 3600- PIXEL=25X25 1 2000S 2 1 SAME ORIENT FOR 7 4-SLIT 5300 AS 5 CYCLE 1 DARK TIME SAME POS FOR 7 AS 5 Comments: ORIENT 350D +/- 10D IS EQUALLY GOOD. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8 MR2251-178 FOC/48 SPEC 256X102 GRAT- 1 2000S 1 1 DARK TIME 4-SLIT PRISM 2 SAME POS FOR 8-9 AS 6 SAME ORIENT FOR 8- 9 AS 6 CYCLE 1 Comments: ORIENT 260D +/- 10D IS EQUALLY GOOD ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9 MR2251-178W FOC/48 SPEC 256X102 ^ 1 2000S 1 1 DARK TIME 4-SLIT CYCLE 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary Form for Proposal 1225c [ 6] Item Used in this proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Configurations FOC/48 ^ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Opmodes ACQ ^ SPEC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optional Parameters PIXEL=25X25 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Proposal for GTO/FOC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ S/C Hours 4.00 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Category QUASARS & AGN ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Sub-category QUASAR EMISSION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Requirements ONBOARD ACQ FOR 7; GUID TOL 0.05"/5-9; CYCLE 1; ORIENT 350D +/- 10D; INT ACQ FOR 8,9; ORIENT 80D +/- 10D; SAME ORIENT FOR 7 AS 5; CYCLE 1; DARK TIME; SAME POS FOR 7 AS 5; SAME POS FOR 8-9 AS 6; SAME ORIENT FOR 8-9 AS 6; CYCLE 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spectral Elements F140W ^ G450M GRAT-PRISM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target Names MR2251-178 MR2251-178W ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------