Page 1 PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS ST ScI Use Only ID 5780 Report Date: 18-Jul-95:17:58 Version: ********** Check-in Date: ********** 1.Proposal Title: The Spectrum of LMC Pulsar B0540-69; Carryover ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Scientific Category 3. Proposal For 4. Proposal Type 5. Continuation ID Hot Stars AUG/HSP 4888 Sub Category ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Principal Investigator Institution Country Telephone Robert C. Bless University of Wisconsin U.S.A. 608-262-1715 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Abstract PSR B0540-69, a 50 ms pulsar located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, is the most distant pulsar known. B0540-69 is one of the few pulsars for which a second time derivative of rotational frequency has been measured. High Speed Photometer observations in a UV + visible passband (1600 - 7000 angstroms) showed a pulse profile identical to that in the X-ray region, with the same pulsed fraction (van Citters et al 1994). The rotational frequency observed by HSP, when compared with previous measurements, gave a value of 2.28 (0.02) for the braking index. B0540-69 is similar to the Crab pulsar in its rotational perior and associated synchrotron- emitting nebula (a "plerion"), but its pulse profile and braking index are strikingly different. We propose her to obtain an objective prism spectrum of B0540 -69 to compare its spectral energy distribution in the UV and blue with that of the Crab pulsar and to determine the fractional part of our UV plus visible pulse profile due to UV photons. Our objective prism spectrum with the FOS Blue detector will measure the relative energy distribution between ~1850 and ~5000 angstroms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Est obs time (hours) pri: 3.1 par: 0 10. Num targs pri: 1 par: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11. Instruments requested: FOS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 2 I. GENERAL FORM Proposal 5780 PI: Robert C. Bless Proposal Title: The Spectrum of LMC Pulsar B0540-69; Carryover ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Proposers: Proposers Institution Country ESA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Robert C. Bless Univ. of Wisc U.S.A. G. W. Van Citters NSF U.S.A. Joseph F. Dolan NASA GSFC U.S.A. Patricia T. Boyd NASA GSFC U.S.A. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Description of proposed observations. We will acquire B0540-69 by first acquiring a nearby V=12.3 guide star catalog star, and then offsetting a known distance and direction to the pulsar. This method, using the measured offset from a WFPC early acquisiton image taken for our HSP program, acquired the pulsar with better than 0.5" accuracy in an HSP 0.32" radius aperture. No emission or absorption line are expected in the spectrum of Bo540-69 because the standard model of pulsar emission predicts the radiation is a type of synchrotron emission. We will obtain an objective prism spectrum with the FOS Blue detector to measure the realtive energy distribution between ~1850 and ~5000 angstroms with spectral resolution ranging from ~5 angstroms in the far UV to ~220 angstroms in the blue. Assuming a power-law spectrum for the pulsar proportional to 1/frequency, the FOS simulator predicts a count rate of 0.08 counts/s diode at 2700 angstroms (55 angstroms/diode). A 2 hour exposure would give 575 counts/ diode at 2700 angstroms, or a S/N of 24. The S/N would be about 8 at 1850 angstroms, and about 30 at 4000 angstroms. The spectrum should be well exposed longward of 2200 angstroms. Shortward of 2200 angstroms, individual diodes can be co-added to give a S/N of ~ 20. At 1850 angstroms, 7 diodes can be co-added to give a S/N of 20 at a resolution of 35 angstroms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Justification of need for HST observations. See Phase I Proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. Description of special scheduling requirements. None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Description of special calibration exposures. None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Data reduction and analysis plans. See Phase I Proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. Additional comments or special requests. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Description of previous HST work. See Phase I Proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10. Resources to be supplied by investigator's institution(s). See Phase I Proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11. Address Information Page 3 Name: Robert C. Bless Category: PI Institution: Address: Univ. of Wisconsin Space Astronomy Laboratory 1150 University Avenue City: Madison State: WI Zip Code: 53706 Country: U.S.A. Telephone: 608-262-1715 Telex (or e-mail): bless@larry.sal.wisc.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name: Joseph F. Dolan Category: CON Institution: Address: NASA Goddard SFC Mail Code 681 City: Greenbelt State: MD Zip Code: 20707 Country: U.S.A. Telephone: 301-286-5920 Telex (or e-mail): tejfd@larry.sal.wisc.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TARGET LIST a) Fixed Targets ID = 5780 [ 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 B0540-69 B,160 RA-OFF = -4.045S +/- 0.01S, J2000 1 V=22.7 DEC-OFF = -37.889" +/- 0.01", FROM 2 Comments: PULSAR IN LMC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 GS-9163-462 A,104 RA = 5H 40M 15.448S +/- J2000 1 V=12.3 0.01S, DEC = -69D 19' 16.367" +/- 0.07", Comments: OFFSET TARGET FOR LMC PULSAR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EXPOSURE LOGSHEET ID = 5780 [ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 GS-9163-462 FOS/BL ACQ/ 4.3 G400H SCAN-STEP- 1 5.0S 1 1 ONBOARD ACQ FOR PEAK Y=1.204 1.2 SEARCH-SIZE-X=1 CYCLE 4 / 1-2 SEARCH-SIZE-Y=3 SEQ 1-2 NON-INT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.2 GS-9163-462 FOS/BL ACQ/ 1.0 G400H SCAN-STEP- 1 6.0S 1 1 ONBOARD ACQ FOR PEAK X=0.602 1.4 SCAN-STEP- Y=0.602 SEARCH-SIZE-X=6 SEARCH-SIZE-Y=2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.4 GS-9163-462 FOS/BL ACQ/ 0.3 G400H SCAN-STEP- 1 8.0S 1 1 ONBOARD ACQ FOR PEAK X=0.172 2.0 SCAN-STEP- Y=0.172 SEARCH-SIZE-X=5 SEARCH-SIZE-Y=5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 B0540-69 FOS/BL ACCUM 1.0 PRISM 1 2.0H 1 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary Form for Proposal 5780 [ 6] Item Used in this proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Configurations FOS/BL ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Opmodes ACQ/PEAK ACCUM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optional Parameters SCAN-STEP-Y=1.204 SEARCH-SIZE-X=1 SEARCH-SIZE-Y=3 SCAN-STEP-X=0.602 SCAN-STEP-Y=0.602 SEARCH-SIZE-X=6 SEARCH-SIZE-Y=2 SCAN-STEP-X=0.172 SCAN-STEP-Y=0.172 SEARCH-SIZE-X=5 SEARCH-SIZE-Y=5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Proposal for AUG/HSP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ S/C Hours 3.1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Category Hot Stars ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Sub-category ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Requirements ONBOARD ACQ FOR 1.2; CYCLE 4 / 1-2; SEQ 1-2 NON-INT; ONBOARD ACQ FOR 1.4; ONBOARD ACQ FOR 2.0; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spectral Elements G400H PRISM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target Names B0540-69 GS-9163-462 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------