! File: 5255C.PROP ! Database: PEPDB ! Date: 24-FEB-1994:03:16:00 coverpage: title_1: MULTIWAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF THE FLARES AND OSCILLATIONS AE AQR sci_cat: STELLAR ASTROPHYSICS sci_subcat: ERUPTIVE BINARIES proposal_for: GO/DD pi_fname: KEITH pi_lname: HORNE pi_inst: STSCI pi_country: USA pi_phone: 301-338-4964 hours_pri: 5.00 num_pri: 1 fos: Y realtime: N time_crit: Y funds_amount: 50000 funds_length: 12 funds_date: OCT-93 off_fname: HERVEY off_mi: S. off_lname: STOCKMAN off_title: DEPUTY DIRECTOR off_inst: STSCI off_addr_1: 3700 SAN MARTIN DRIVE off_city: BALTIMORE off_state: MD off_zip: 21218 off_country: USA off_phone: 301-338-4730 ! end of coverpage abstract: line_1: The cataclysmic variable AE Aquarii is unique among the objects of its class line_2: because of its large-amplitude, aperiodic flaring activity, which presents a line_3: puzzle to our understanding of the underlying powerhouse. It also harbors the line_4: most rapidly spinning white dwarf known (spin period: 33s). Although AE Aqr line_5: has been the subject of systematic scrutiny at many different bands, and with a line_6: variety of observatories and instruments (including the HST), many puzzling line_7: aspects of its behavior are still not understood. In appreciation of the line_8: potential importance of AE Aqr as a laboratory for studying the physics of line_9: accretion, the Astronomical community has decided to undertake a large, line_10: coordinated campaign for monitoring this system across the electromagnetic line_11: spectrum. We propose to participate in this undertaking by using the HST to line_12: obtain near-UV spectra of AE Aqr with high time resolution simultaneously wiht line_13: other space-based and Earth-based observatories, in particular with the ROSAT line_14: observatory which is scheduled to observe the system in the soft X-ray band. line_15: This project plays up to the particular strengths of the HST, namely its high line_16: sensitivity and spectral resolution in the near-UV band, which is not line_17: accessible by Earth-based telescopes, and its ability to carry out spectroscopy line_18: with extremely high time resolution. ! ! end of abstract general_form_proposers: lname: HORNE fname: KEITH title: PI inst: STSCI country: USA esa: Y ! lname: ERACLEOUS fname: MICHAEL inst: STSCI country: USA esa: N ! lname: LIVIO fname: MARIO inst: STSCI country: USA esa: N ! lname: WELSH fname: WILLIAM mi: F. inst: STSCI country: USA esa: N ! ! end of general_form_proposers block general_form_text: question: 3 section: 1 line_1: We will use the FOS with Blue digicon and G160L grating in RAPID readout mode line_2: with SUB-STEP=2 and READ-TIME=3.2 to obtain 2-second esposures every 3.2s line_3: (assuming a dead time of approx 1.2s). This will provide roughly 10 exposures line_4: per 33s oscillation period. The ultraviolet spectral range 1150-2300 Angstroms line_5: will be recorded in 1st order while a simultaneous record of optical (3500A) line_6: variations is recorded in 0th order. The read time is the shortest that will line_7: permit use of 32-kbit recording on the on-board tape recorder with an line_8: acceptable duty cycle. We need to observe AE Aqr for 5 hours during one of line_9: three ROSAT observing windows, which are as follows: line_11: window ROSAT Date Time dwell line_12: sequence (UT) (UT) (mins) line_14: 1 300395 20-Oct-93 01:28-01:39 11m line_15: 20-Oct-93 04:42-05:06 24m line_16: 20-Oct-93 06:19-06:46 27m line_18: 2 300396 20-Oct-93 19:11-19:41 30m --+ line_19: 20-Oct-93 20:49-21:17 28m | line_20: 21-Oct-93 01:21-01:33 32m | Preferred line_21: 21-Oct-93 02:58-03:20 22m | Window line_22: 21-Oct-93 04:35-05:00 25m | line_23: 21-Oct-93 06:13-06:39 26m --+ ! question: 3 section: 2 line_1: line_2: 3 300393 21-Oct-93 19:05-19:35 30m --+ line_3: 21-Oct-93 01:14-01:28 14m | Second Choice line_4: 21-Oct-93 02:52-03:14 26m __+ line_6: Window 2 is preferred. We wish to cover a complete orbit of AE Aqr in order to line_7: determine the pulse-timing orbit of the UV oscillations, and to perform the line_8: tomographic mapping of the emission-line regions. This will require 7 HST line_9: orbits. A total on-target exposure time of 5 hours will be accumulated given line_10: that the earth will occult AE Aqr roughly half the time, permitting 35-45m line_11: observing per HST orbit. ! question: 4 section: 1 line_1: HST is needed to provide UV sensitivity and time resolution sufficient to line_2: detect the 33 and 16.5s oscillations, and the flares. IUE has been used to line_3: define the time-averaged spectrum of AE Aqr (see figure), but it is useless for line_4: the high time-resolution observartions we need here. Ground-based studies have line_5: been important in establishing the basic nature of the AE Aqr system, the line_6: existence of flares and oscillations, the binary orbit and white dwarf spin line_7: period, and have raised the questions that are being addressed in this HST line_8: experiment. ! question: 5 section: 1 line_1: We need observations on 7 consecutive HST orbits to cover the full 9.88 hour line_2: binary orbit period. ! question: 6 section: 1 line_1: ! question: 7 section: 1 line_1: ! question: 8 section: 1 line_1: ! question: 9 section: 1 line_1: ! question: 10 section: 1 line_1: ! !end of general form text general_form_address: lname: HORNE fname: KEITH category: PI inst: STSCI addr_1: 3700 SAN MARTIN DRIVE city: BALTIMORE state: MD zip: 21218 country: USA phone: 410-338-4964 ! ! end of general_form_address records fixed_targets: targnum: 1 name_1: AE-AQR descr_1: A,151,154,161 pos_1: PLATE-ID = 02C4, pos_2: RA = 20H 40M 9.02S +/- 0.5", pos_3: DEC = -0D 52' 15.5" +/- 0.5" equinox: J2000 pm_or_par: N pos_epoch_bj: B pos_epoch_yr: 1980.55 comment_1: VARIABLE STAR, comment_2: UV MAY VARY BY 1MAG IN 10MIN. fluxnum_1: 1 fluxval_1: V = 10.8 +/- 1.1 fluxnum_2: 1 fluxval_2: B-V = 0.8 fluxnum_3: 2 fluxval_3: F-CONT(1500) = 3 +/- 1 E-13 ! ! end of fixed targets ! No solar system records found ! No generic target records found exposure_logsheet: linenum: 1.000 sequence_1: DEFINE sequence_2: AEAQR targname: AE-AQR config: FOS/BL opmode: ACQ/PEAK aperture: 4.3 sp_element: G160L num_exp: 1 time_per_exp: 10S fluxnum_1: 1 priority: 1 req_1: ONBOARD ACQ FOR 1.5; req_2: GROUP 1-3 NO GAP; req_3: SPATIAL SCAN; req_4: AT 20-OCT-93:17:41:00 +/- 2H; comment_1: BRIGHT VARIABLE STAR. comment_2: UV MAY VARY BY 1MAG IN 10MIN. ! linenum: 1.500 sequence_1: DEFINE sequence_2: AEAQR targname: AE-AQR config: FOS/BL opmode: ACQ/PEAK aperture: 1.0 sp_element: G160L num_exp: 1 time_per_exp: 10S fluxnum_1: 1 priority: 1 req_1: ONBOARD ACQ FOR 2-3; req_2: SPATIAL SCAN; ! linenum: 2.000 sequence_1: DEFINE sequence_2: AEAQR targname: AE-AQR config: FOS/BL opmode: RAPID aperture: 4.3 sp_element: G160L num_exp: 1 time_per_exp: 15M priority: 1 param_1: READ-TIME=3.2, param_2: SUB-STEP=2 comment_1: RAPID READOUTS FOR FLARES, AND comment_2: 16.5S OSCILLATIONS. USE THIS 15M comment_3: EXPOSURE IN SAME HST ORBIT AS comment_4: TARGET ACQUISITION IF POSSIBLE. comment_5: OTHERWISE BOOST EXPOSURE TIME comment_6: AND USE TO FILL NEXT HST ORBIT. ! linenum: 2.500 sequence_1: DEFINE sequence_2: AEAQR targname: AE-AQR config: FOS/BL opmode: RAPID aperture: 4.3 sp_element: G160L num_exp: 7 time_per_exp: 40M priority: 1 param_1: READ-TIME=3.2, param_2: SUB-STEP=2 comment_1: 9.88 HR BINARY PERIOD TAKES 7 OR MORE comment_2: CONSECUTIVE HST ORBITS. ASSUME 40M PER comment_3: HST ORBIT. RAPID READOUTS FOR FLARES, comment_4: AND 16.5S OSCILLATIONS. BOOST EXPOSURE comment_5: TIME TO FILL OUT THE HST ORBIT. ! linenum: 3.000 sequence_1: DEFINE sequence_2: AEAQR targname: AE-AQR config: FOS/BL opmode: RAPID aperture: 4.3 sp_element: PRISM num_exp: 1 time_per_exp: 5M priority: 2 param_1: READ-TIME=3.2, param_2: SUB-STEP=2 comment_1: RAPID READOUT REQUIRED FOR FLARES, comment_2: AND 16.5 AND 33 SEC OSCILLATIONS. comment_3: OK TO ADJUST EXPOSURE TIME AND USE comment_4: TO FILL IN A GAP E.G. BEFORE OR comment_5: AFTER THE ROSAT WINDOW. ! linenum: 4.000 sequence_1: USE sequence_2: AEAQR req_1: CYCLE 3 / 1-4 ; comment_1: TAKE UV SPECTRA DURING ROSAT WINDOW comment_2: FROM UT 20-OCT:19:11 TO 21-OCT:06:39. comment_3: START TARGET ACQUISITION EARLY ENOUGH comment_4: TO ALLOW TIME FOR PEAKUP BEFORE START comment_5: OF ROSAT WINDOW. 2ND CHOICE WINDOW comment_6: IS UT 21-OCT:19:05 TO 22-OCT:03:14. ! ! end of exposure logsheet scan_data: line_list: 1 fgs_scan: cont_dwell: D dwell_pnts: 3 dwell_secs: 1.00 scan_width: 0.0000 scan_length: 2.8000 sides_angle: 90.0000 number_lines: 1 scan_rate: 0.0000 first_line_pa: 0.0000 scan_frame: S/C len_offset: 1.4 wid_offset: 0.0 ! line_list: 1.5 fgs_scan: cont_dwell: D dwell_pnts: 6 dwell_secs: 1.00 scan_width: 0.7000 scan_length: 3.5000 sides_angle: 90.0000 number_lines: 2 scan_rate: 0.0000 first_line_pa: 90.0000 scan_frame: S/C len_offset: 1.75 wid_offset: 0.35 ! ! end of scan data