Page 1 PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS ST ScI Use Only ID 5070c Report Date: 09-May-96:20:23 Version: ********** Check-in Date: ********** 1.Proposal Title: OPTICAL AND ULTRAVIOLET OBSERVATIONS OF RADIO PULSARS - CYC2HIGH-CONT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Scientific Category 3. Proposal For 4. Proposal Type 5. Continuation ID STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS GTO/HSP 3253 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. Only the Crab Pulsar has been observed in the ultraviolet. 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. Likely candidates will also be observed to attempt detection of pulses from pulsars previously undetected in the optical (millisecond pulsars and two binary pulsars). Revision History: Prepared for future cycles submission--BJW 4/24/92; Cycle 3 to cycle 2; Filter revisions--BJW 8/27/92; Update coordinates for OFF-LMC--BJW 10/27/92; Minor change to exposure time--BJW 11/19/92; Change in detector and aperture--BJW 12/1/92; Update STScI version with changes made since 8/27/92--BJW 12/7/92; Removed EARLY ACQ--BJW 1/26/93; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. Scientific Key Words: PULSARS, NEUTRON STARS, SUPERNOVAE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Est obs time (hours) pri: 18.65 par: 0 10. Num targs pri: 7 par: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 2 I. GENERAL FORM Proposal 5070c PI: Robert C. Bless Proposal Title: OPTICAL AND ULTRAVIOLET OBSERVATIONS OF RADIO PULSARS - CYC2HIGH-CONT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. CYCLE 0: Crab Pulsar - Observe through UV and V filter each orbit to use V filter as phase reference. Total time 20 minutes each UV filter and 60 minutes in V--total 3H 2M. CYCLE 2: Vela Pulsar - WFC image(10M) 2 months before to identify field. One hour in each filter (3 filters) in rotation. Repeat until 4 hours of integration per filter are obtained. 12H 11M total. Vela may be in CVZ-- needs dark time. LMC Pulsar - Same as Vela. Needs dark time. Millisecond Pulsars - WFC image 2 months before to explore field. Integrate for 5-1/3 hours in split mode (filters 750W & 320N) for each of two pulsar fields. Other Candidates Needs dark time. 16 hours total. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Justification of need for HST observations. The Space Telescope, besides the obvious access to the UV, provides an opportunity to examine pulse shape, phase as a function of frequency, and polarization 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 provide better model constraints, visual and ultraviolet observations of the Crab, Vela, and LMC pulsars will be obtained. Likely candidates will also be observed to attempt detection of pulses from pulsars previously undetected in the optical (millisecond pulsars and two binary pulsars). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 3 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 = 5070c [ 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 LMC-PULSAR PULSAR IN LMC RA = 5H 40M 11.403S +/- J2000 BKG 1 V=21 0.01S, DEC = -69D 19' 54.256" +/- 0.01" Comments: EXACT OFFSET FROM OFF-LMC TO BE DETERMINED IN WFC EARLY ACQUISITION. POSREF = VANCITTERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 OFF-LMC OFFSET TARGET FOR LMC- RA = 5H 40M 15.448S +/- J2000 1 V=12.3 PULSAR 0.01", DEC = -69D 19' 16.367" +/- 0.07" Comments: GS 9163 462 POSREF = GSC. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EXPOSURE LOGSHEET ID = 5070c [ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 0.3 DEFINE # HSP/ ACQ 1 1S 1 # CTR2 UV2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14.1 OFF-LMC HSP/ ACQ SIZE=15 1 24S 1 1 CYCLE 2 / 14.1- POL 15.8 PCS MODE F / 14.1- 15.8 ONBOARD ACQ FOR 14.25 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14.25 LMC-PULSAR HSP/ SINGLE 6.0 F160LP SAMPLE- 1 1H 1 1 NON-INT POL TIME=0.0003 DATA- FORMAT=BYTE Comments: OBSERVE FOR MAXIMUM TIME POSSIBLE WITHIN ONE ORBIT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15 USE OFF-LMC X200 1 ONBOARD ACQ FOR CTR2 15.25-15.8 SEQ 15 - 15.8 NO GAP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15.25 LMC-PULSAR HSP/ SINGLE 10.0 F140LP SAMPLE- 1 1H 1 1 NON-INT UV2 TIME=0.0003 DATA- FORMAT=BYTE Comments: OBSERVE FOR MAXIMUM TIME POSSIBLE WITHIN ONE ORBIT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15.4 LMC-PULSAR HSP/ SINGLE 10.0 F140LP SAMPLE- 1 1H 1 1 NON-INT UV2 TIME=0.0003 DATA- FORMAT=BYTE Comments: OBSERVE FOR MAXIMUM TIME POSSIBLE WITHIN ONE ORBIT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15.6 LMC-PULSAR HSP/ SINGLE 10.0 F140LP SAMPLE- 1 1H 1 1 NON-INT UV2 TIME=0.0003 DATA- FORMAT=BYTE Comments: OBSERVE FOR MAXIMUM TIME POSSIBLE WITHIN ONE ORBIT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15.8 LMC-PULSAR HSP/ SINGLE 10.0 F140LP SAMPLE- 1 1H 1 1 NON-INT UV2 TIME=0.0003 DATA- FORMAT=BYTE Comments: OBSERVE FOR MAXIMUM TIME POSSIBLE WITHIN ONE ORBIT. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary Form for Proposal 5070c [ 6] Item Used in this proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Configurations HSP/UV2 HSP/POL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Opmodes ACQ SINGLE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optional Parameters SIZE=15 SAMPLE-TIME=0.0003 DATA-FORMAT=BYTE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Proposal for GTO/HSP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ S/C Hours 18.65 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Category STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Sub-category ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Requirements CYCLE 2 / 14.1-15.8; PCS MODE F / 14.1-15.8; ONBOARD ACQ FOR 14.25; NON-INT; ONBOARD ACQ FOR 15.25-15.8; SEQ 15 - 15.8 NO GAP; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spectral Elements F160LP F140LP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target Names LMC-PULSAR OFF-LMC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------