• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.27.3-27.3
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• 2021

Supernova (SN) cosmology is based on the assumption that the width-luminosity relation (WLR) in the type Ia SN luminosity standardization would not vary with progenitor age. Unlike this expectation, recent age datings of stellar populations in host galaxies have shown significant correlations between progenitor age and Hubble residual (HR). It was not clear, however, how this correlation arises from the SN luminosity standardization process, and how this would impact the cosmological result. Here we show that this correlation originates from a strong progenitor age dependence of the WLR and color-luminosity relation (CLR), in the sense that SNe from younger progenitors are fainter each at given light-curve parameters x1 and c. This is reminiscent of Baade's discovery of two Cepheid period-luminosity relations, and, as such, causes a serious systematic bias with redshift in SN cosmology. We illustrate that the differences between the high-z and low-z SNe in the WLR and CLR, and in HR after the standardization, are fully comparable to those between the correspondingly young and old SNe at intermediate redshift, indicating that the observed dimming of SNe with redshift is most likely an artifact of over-correction in the luminosity standardization. When this systematic bias with redshift is properly taken into account, there is no evidence left for an accelerating universe, and the SN data now support a decelerating cosmic expansion. Since the SN cosmology has long been considered as the most direct evidence for an accelerating universe with dark energy, this finding poses a serious question to one of the cornerstones of the concordance model.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.35.1-35.1
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• 2021

RR Lyrae stars are sensitive probe for the precision stellar astrophysics and also for the cosmic distance scale thanks to their well-defined near-infrared Period-Luminosity relations (PLRs). These horizontal branch variables can be used for primary calibration of the first-rung of population II distance ladder providing an evaluation of the ongoing tension between Cepheid-Supernovae based Hubble constant and the Planck results. Therefore, absolute calibration of RR Lyrae PLRs is now crucial to complement or test the tip of the red giant branch based distances, and in turn, population II star based Hubble constant measurements. While the pulsation models of RR Lyrae can reproduce most observables, they predict a significant metallicity effect on their JHKs-band PLRs that is inconsistent with so-far limited observational studies. We remedy this inconsistency of metallicity dependence in RR Lyrae PLRs by combining their near-infrared observations in the globular clusters of different mean-metallicities with the new parallaxes from the Gaia early data release 3 (EDR3). Our empirical results on Period-Luminosity-Metallicity (PLZ)relations are consistent with theoretical predictions but the precision of absolute calibrations is still affected by the parallax uncertainties and the systematic zero-point offset present in the Gaia EDR3.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.27-70
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• 1997

The brightest stars in galaxies have been used as distance indicators since Hubble. However, the accuracy of the brightest stars for distance estimates has been controversial. Recently, Rozanski & Rowan-Robinson [1994 : MNRAS, 271, 530] argued large errors of this method for the distance determination : 0.58 mag and 0.90 mag, respectively, for the brightest red stars and the brightest blue stars, while Karachentsev & Tikhonov [1994 : A&A, 286, 718] suggested much smaller errors in the distance determination than the former: 0.37 mag for the brightest red stars and 0.46 mag for the brightest blue stars. The reasons for these conflicting results are not yet known. In this study we have investigated the accuracy of this method using a sample of 17 galaxies for which Cepheid distances are known and reliable photometry of the brightest stars are available. We have obtained the calibrations of the relations between the mean luminosities of the three blue and red brightest supergiants (BSGs and RSGs, respectively) and the total luminosities of the parent galaxies: $= 0.21M_B^T- 3.84, \sigma(M_v) = 0.37 mag,\;and\;\delta_{\mu0}=0.47$ mag for the brightest red supergiants, and $= 0.30M_B^T -3.02, \sigma(M_B)\;=\;0.55 mag,\;and\; \delta_{\mu0}=0.79mag$ for the brightest blue supergiants. Also it is found that the errors in the distance determination are reduced by a factor of two, as the observing wavelengths increase from B-band to K-band. In conclusion, the brightest red supergiants are considered to be useful for determining the distances to resolved late-type galaxies.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.80-80
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• 2013

대규모 광도곡선 자료에서 다양한 주기변광성들의 정확한 주기를 효율적으로 검출하는 실험을 시도하였다. 실험을 위해 OGLE-III 맥동 변광성(RR Lyrae, Delta Scuti, Cepheid) 목록 중, I 필터로 관측된 총 31,324개의 광도 곡선을 사용하였다. 이 실험에 사용한 주기분석 알고리즘 MS_Period(Multi-Step period searching method)는 주기를 놓치지 않기 위해 두 가지 다른 방법(Multi Polynomial function, Phase Dispersion)으로 후보 주기를 구하고 정밀주기를 도출하기 위해 후보 주기 주변부를 Spline fitting을 통해 재탐색하는 방법이다. 기존의 MS_Period 방식은 주기 탐색 간격(dP/P)이 일정하였으나, 우리는 탐색 주기 구간을 나누고 짧은 주기에서는 작은 간격으로, 긴 주기에서는 보다 넓은 간격으로 주기를 탐색하는 과정을 추가하였다. 그 결과 98% 이상의 별에서 OGLE-III와 거의 일치하는 주기를 얻었으며, 긴 주기에서의 불필요한 정밀 탐색을 회피함으로써 분석시간도 단축되었다. 주기 결정이 어려운 경우들은 주로 1) periodogram에서 실제 주기가 아닌 1일 근처에서 noise보다 큰 peak가 보이는 경우, 2) 하나의 별에 대해 여러 주기가 비슷한 Phase diagram을 보이고, periodogram에서도 비슷한 peak를 갖는 경우, 3) OGLE-III의 주기와 전혀 다른 주기만 찾은 경우, 4) OGLE-III에서 제시하지 않은 혼합된 주기의 존재가 의심되는 경우인 것을 확인하였고, 각 사례들의 특징을 살펴보았다.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.45.1-45.1
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• 2013

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are a powerful tool to investigate the expansion history of the universe, because their peak luminosity is as bright as a galaxy and is known as an excellent standard candle. Since the discovery of the acceleration of the universe based on the observations of SNe Ia, higher than ever accuracy of their peak luminosity is needed to investigate various problems in cosmology. We started a project to improve the accuracy of the calibration of the peak luminosity of SNe Ia by measuring accurate distances to nearby resolved galaxies that host SNe Ia. We derive accurate distances to the SN Ia host galaxies using the method to measure the luminosity of the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB). In this study we present the results for M66 and M96 in the Leo I Group which are nearby spiral galaxies hosting SN 1989B and SN 1998bu, respectively. We obtain VI photometry of resolved stars in these galaxies from F555W and F814W images in the Hubble Space Telescope archive. We derive the distances to these galaxies from the luminosity of the TRGB. With these results we derive absolute maximum magnitudes of two SNe (SN 1989B in M66 and SN 1998bu in M96). We derive a value of the Hubble constant from the optical magnitudes of these SNe Ia and SN 2011fe in M101 based on our TRGB analysis. This value is similar to the values derived from recent estimates from WMAP9 and Planck results, but smaller than other recent determinations based on Cepheid calibration for SNe Ia luminosity.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.34.4-35
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• 2021

We present the TESS photometry and our high-resolution spectra of the semi-detached Algol EW Boo. For an orbital period study, we collected all available times of minima including ours for the last 30 years. It is found that the eclipse timing variation of the system can be represented by a periodic oscillation of 18.5±1.0 yr plus a secular period increase with a rate of [dP/dt]_orb=-6(±3)×10^-8 d yr^-1. From our observed spectra, the effective temperature of the primary star was determined to be T_eff,1=8560±118 K. From a simultaneous analysis of the TESS light and our double-lined radial velocity curves, the absolute masses, radii, and luminosities are M₁=2.30±0.07M_⊙, M₂=0.38±0.01M_⊙, R₁=1.92±0.02 R_⊙, R₂=1.27±0.01 R_⊙, L₁=1.92±0.02 L_⊙, and L₂=0.752±0.007 L_⊙, respectively. Multiple frequency analyses were carried out for the light residuals after subtracting the binary star model. We detected a total of 75 frequencies in the region of 16.50-104.8 day-1. Our results demonstrate that the more hotter primary star of EW Boo is a δ Sct pulsator by considering its position in the δ Scuti region of the Cepheid instability strip and pulsational characteristics.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.165-171
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• 2016

Purpose: Human parechovirus (HPeV) is an increasingly recognized pathogenic cause of central nervous system (CNS) infection in neonates. However, HPeV infections have not been studied in older children. This study determined the prevalence and clinical features of HPeV CNS infection in children in Korea. Methods: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays were performed using HPeV-specific, 5' untranslated, region-targeted primers to detect HPeV in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from children presenting with fever or neurologic symptoms from January 1, 2013, to July 31, 2014. HPeV genotyping was performed by sequencing the viral protein 3/1 region. Clinical and laboratory data were retrospectively abstracted from medical records and compared with those of enterovirus (EV)-positive patients from the same period. Results: Of 102 CSF samples, six (5.9%) were positive for HPeV; two of 21 EV-positive samples were co-infected with HPeV. All samples were genotype HPeV3. Two HPeV-positive patients were <3 months of age and four others were over 1 year old. While HPeV-positive infants under 1 year of age presented with sepsis-like illness without definite neurologic abnormalities, HPeV-positive children over 1 year of age presented with fever and neurologic symptoms such as seizures, loss of consciousness, and gait disturbance. The CSF findings of HPeV-positive patients were mostly within the normal range, whereas most (73.7%) EV-positive patients had pleocytosis. Conclusions: Although HPeV is typically associated with disease in young infants, the results of this study suggest that HPeV is an emerging pathogen of CNS infection with neurologic symptoms in older childhood.