Page 1 PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS ST ScI Use Only ID 5260c Report Date: 09-May-96:20:29 Version: ********** Check-in Date: ********** 1.Proposal Title: SEARCH FOR OPTICAL VARIABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK HOLESI RPT FOR HOPR 94 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Scientific Category 3. Proposal For 4. Proposal Type 5. Continuation ID STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS RPT/HSP 3255 Sub Category ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Principal Investigator Institution Country Telephone Robert C. Bless WISCONSIN, UNIVERSITY OF USA (608) 262-1715 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Abstract It has been suggested that luminous matter passing through an accretion disk towards the event horizon of a black hole is likely to emit a short series of pulses at an increasing frequency. These so-called dying pulses trains would have a period of the order of milliseconds for stellar mass black holes. A search for such pulse trains will be made among 3 candidate objects. Revision History: based on 1094 targets from 3255 with LMCX-3 replaced with V404 Cyg--MJN 3/19/92; Resubmit GX339-4 target (HOPR94) MJT 8/18/93. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. Scientific Key Words: VARIABLE, INTERACTING BINARIES, BLACK HOLES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Est obs time (hours) pri: 6.22 par: 0 10. Num targs pri: 4 par: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 2 I. GENERAL FORM Proposal 5260c PI: Robert C. Bless Proposal Title: SEARCH FOR OPTICAL VARIABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH BLACK HOLESI RPT FOR HOPR 94 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 Richard L. White SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE USA INSTITUTE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Description of proposed observations. Each object would be monitored for 30 minutes to an hour using about 100 microsec integration times with a broad filter. Each target should be observed more than once (during different x-ray intensity states, for example). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Justification of need for HST observations. ST is required in order to eliminate atmospheric noise, to observe in the UV where burst amplitudes are expected to be larger than in the visual, and to be able to use small apertures. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13. A search is to be made in black hole candidate objects for "dying pulse trains" indicative of matter spiraling towards the event horizon of a black hole. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11. Address Information Name: ROBERT C. BLESS Category: PI Institution: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN Address: SPACE ASTRONOMY LAB. 1150 UNIVERSITY AVE. City: MADISON State: WI Zip Code: 53706 Country: USA Telephone: (608) 262-1715 Telex (or e-mail): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TARGET LIST a) Fixed Targets ID = 5260c [ 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 GX339-4 X-RAY BINARY RA = 17H 02M 49.363S +/- 2000 1 V = 18 +/- 3 1.0", DEC = -48D 47' 22.477" +/- 1.0" Comments: POSREF = ROBINSON ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EXPOSURE LOGSHEET ID = 5260c [ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10 GX339-4 HSP/ ACQ DATA- 1 9M 1 1 CYCLE 2 / 10.0- UV2 FORMAT=WORD 11.0 ONBOARD ACQ FOR 11.0 PCS MODE FINE / 10 -11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11 GX339-4 HSP/ SINGLE 10.0 F140LP SAMPLE- 3 20M 1 1 REPEAT 10.0-11.0 UV2 TIME=0.0001 EVERY 30D +/- 7D DATA- FOR 2 MORE TIMES FORMAT=BYTE NON-INT RT-ANALYSIS Comments: PREFER TDRSS DOWNLINK RATHER THAN TAPE RECORDER. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary Form for Proposal 5260c [ 5] Item Used in this proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Configurations HSP/UV2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Opmodes ACQ SINGLE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optional Parameters DATA-FORMAT=WORD SAMPLE-TIME=0.0001 DATA-FORMAT=BYTE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Proposal for RPT/HSP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ S/C Hours 6.22 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Category STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Sub-category ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Requirements CYCLE 2 / 10.0-11.0; ONBOARD ACQ FOR 11.0; PCS MODE FINE / 10-11; REPEAT 10.0-11.0 EVERY 30D +/- 7D FOR 2 MORE TIMES; NON-INT; RT-ANALYSIS; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spectral Elements F140LP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target Names GX339-4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------