Here we describe the observation and calibration procedure for a new G140L observing mode for the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This mode, CENWAV = 800, ...is designed to move the far-UV band fully onto the Segment A detector, allowing for more efficient observation and analysis by simplifying calibration management between the two channels, and reducing the astigmatism in this wavelength region. We also describe some of the areas of scientific interest for which this new mode will be especially suited.
MACS0647-JD is a triply lensed z similar to 11 galaxy originally discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope. The three lensed images are magnified by factors of similar to 8, 5, and 2 to AB mag 25.1, ...25.6, and 26.6 at 3.5 mu m. The brightest is over a magnitude brighter than other galaxies recently discovered at similar redshifts z > 10 with JWST. Here, we report new JWST imaging that clearly resolves MACS0647-JD as having two components that are either merging galaxies or stellar complexes within a single galaxy. The brighter larger component "A" is intrinsically very blue (ss similar to-2.6 +/- 0.1), likely due to very recent star formation and no dust, and is spatially extended with an effective radius similar to 70 +/- 24 pc. The smaller component "B" (r similar to 20-+ 58 pc) appears redder (ss similar to-2 +/- 0.2), likely because it is older (100-200 Myr) with mild dust extinction (AV similar to 0.1 mag). With an estimated stellar mass ratio of roughly 2:1 and physical projected separation similar to 400 pc, we may be witnessing a galaxy merger 430 million years after the Big Bang. We identify galaxies with similar colors in a high-redshift simulation, finding their star formation histories to be dissimilar, which is also suggested by the spectral energy distribution fitting, suggesting they formed further apart. We also identify a candidate companion galaxy "C" similar to 3 kpc away, likely destined to merge with A and B. Upcoming JWST Near Infrared Spectrograph observations planned for 2023 January will deliver spectroscopic redshifts and more physical properties for these tiny magnified distant galaxies observed in the early universe.
We present the science cases and technological discussions that came from the workshop titled "Finding the ultraviolet (UV)-Visible Path Forward" held at NASA GSFC 2015 June 25-26. The material ...presented outlines the compelling science that can be enabled by a next generation space-based observatory dedicated for UV-visible science, the technologies that are available to include in that observatory design, and the range of possible alternative launch approaches that could also enable some of the science. The recommendations to the Cosmic Origins Program Analysis Group from the workshop attendees on possible future development directions are outlined.
The abundance of interstellar molecular nitrogen (N2) is of considerable importance: models of steady-state gas-phase interstellar chemistry, together with millimetre-wavelength observations of ...interstellar N2H+ in dense molecular clouds predict that N2 should be the most abundant nitrogen-bearing molecule in the interstellar medium. Previous attempts to detect N2 absorption in the far-ultraviolet or infrared (ice features) have hitherto been unsuccessful. Here we report the detection of interstellar N2 at far-ultraviolet wavelengths towards the moderately reddened star HD 124314 in the constellation of Centaurus. The N2 column density is larger than expected from models of diffuse clouds and significantly smaller than expected for dense molecular clouds. Moreover, the N2 abundance does not explain the observed variations in the abundance of atomic nitrogen (N I) towards high-column-density sightlines, implying that the models of nitrogen chemistry in the interstellar medium are incomplete.
Here we describe the observation and calibration procedure for a new G140L observing mode for the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). This mode, CENWAV = 800, ...is designed to move the far-UV band fully onto the Segment A detector, allowing for more efficient observation and analysis by simplifying calibration management between the two channels, and reducing the astigmatism in this wavelength region. We also describe some of the areas of scientific interest for which this new mode will be especially suited.
We report the latest design, fabrication, and characterization results of the Next-Generation Microshutter Arrays (NGMSA) for space borne observatory applications. Our modified blade design aims to ...improve overall actuation torque by reducing the electrostatic force between free end of the shutter blade and the adjacent silicon frame, which generates counter torque at intermediate travel range, thus enables pure electrostatic actuation for more reliable and stable microshutter operations. This paper presents the experimental performance results of newly fabricated microshutter arrays with varying design parameters and compares the results with simulation predictions.
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