• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.39.4-40
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• 2017

According to the Korean government's Long-term Space Development Plan 2040, "Creative space science research" is included in a statement to investigate the origin and evolution of the universe by conducting a series of Korean space telescope missions: launch of space telescopes on a small satellite and an international collaboration explorer by 2020, a mid-size domestic space telescope by 2030, and a large size Korea leading international space telescope by 2040. We studied the feasibility of the future Korean Space Telescope (KST) for a mid-size domestic satellite platform. In order to pursue the uniqueness of the science program, we consider a wide range of observing wavelength (0.2um ~ 2.0um) with a spectral resolution of R~6 in the NUV and optical bands, and R~30 for NIR, utilizing an off-axis TMS(Three Mirror System) optics with a wide field of view ($2{\times}4$ degrees) which is optimized for ultra-low surface brightness sources. The main science goals of the mission include investigations of the galaxy formation, cosmic web, and the cosmic background radiation in the NUV-NIR regions. In this paper, we present the science cases and several technical challenges to be resolved along with the future milestones for the success of the KST mission.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.141.1-141.1
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• 2012

CIBER (Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment) is a sounding-rocket borne experiment which is designed to find the evidence of the First stars (Pop.III stars) in the universe. They are expected to be formed between the recombination era at z ~ 1100 and the most distant quasar (z ~ 8). They have never been directly detected due to its faintness so far, but can be observed as a background radiation at around $1{\mu}m$ which is called the Cosmic Near-Infrared Background (CNB). The CIBER is successfully launched on July 10, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, USA. It consists of three kinds of instruments. One of them is a LRS (Low Resolution Spectrometer) which is a refractive telescope of 5.5 cm aperture with spectral resolution of 20 ~ 30 and wavelength coverage of 0.7 to $2.0{\mu}m$ to measure the spectrum of the CNB. Since LRS detects not only CNB but also stellar components, we can study their spectral features with the broad band advantage especially at around $1{\mu}m$ which is difficult at ground observations because of the atmospheric absorption by water vapor. I identified around 300 stars from observed six fields. If we can classify their spectral types with SED fitting, we can study their physical conditions of the stellar atmosphere as well as making a stellar catalogue of continuous stellar spectrum.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.107-116
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• 2020

In this data paper, we share the dataset obtained during 2019 from the test-bed to develop soil moisture estimation technology for upland fields, which was built in Seosan and Taean, South Korea on May 3. T his dataset includes various eco-hydro-meteorological variables such as soil moisture, evapotranspiration, precipitation, radiation, temperature, humidity, and vegetation indices from the test-bed nearby the Automated Agricultural Observing System (AAOS) in Seosan operated by the Korea Meteorological Administration. T here are three remarkable points of the dataset: (1) It can be utilized to develop and evaluate spatial scaling technology of soil moisture because the areal measurement with wide spatial representativeness using a COSMIC-ray neutron sensor as well as the point measurement using frequency/time domain reflectometry (FDR/TDR) sensors were conducted simultaneously, (2) it can be used to enhance understanding of how soil moisture and crop growth interact with each other because crop growth was also monitored using the Smart Surface Sensing System (4S), and (3) it is possible to evaluate the surface water balance by measuring evapotranspiration using an eddy covariance system.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.343-349
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• 2012

The solar proton telescope (SPT) is considered as one of the scientific instruments to be installed in instruments for the study of space storm (ISSS) which is determined for next generation small satellite-1 (NEXTSat-1). The SPT is the instrument that acquires the information on energetic particles, especially the energy and flux of proton, according to the solar activity in the space radiation environment. We performed the simulation to determine the specification of the SPT using geometry and tracking 4 (GEANT4). The simulation was performed in the range of 0.6-1,000 MeV considering that the proton, which is to be detected, corresponds to the high energy region according to the solar activity in the space radiation environment. By using aluminum as a blocking material and adjusting the energy detection range, we determined total 7 channels (0.6~5, 5~10, 10~20, 20~35, 35~52, 52~72, and >72 MeV) for the energy range of SPT. In the SPT, the proton energy was distinguished using linear energy transfer to compare with or discriminate from relativistic electron for the channels P1-P3 which are the range of less than 20 MeV, and above those channels, the energy was determined on the basis of whether silicon semiconductor detector (SSD) signal can pass or not. To determine the optimal channel, we performed the conceptual design of payload which uses the SSD. The designed SPT will improve the understanding on the capture and decline of solar energetic particles at the radiation belt by measuring the energetic proton.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.81-86
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• 2012

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits the Earth within the inner radiation belt, where high-energy protons are produced by collisions of cosmic rays to the upper atmosphere. About 6 astronauts stay in the ISS for a long period, and it should be important to monitor and assess the radiation environment in the ISS. The tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) is an instrument to measure the impact of radiation on the human tissue. KASI is developing a TEPC as a candidate payload of the ISS. Before the detailed design of the TEPC, we performed simulations to test whether our conceptual design of the TEPC will work propertly in the ISS and to predict its performance. The simulations estimated that the TEPC will measure the dose equivalent of about 1:1 mSv during a day in the ISS, which is consistent with previous measurements.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2011

The PHENIX Experiment is the largest of the four experiments that have taken data at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. PHENIX, the Pioneering High Energy Nuclear Interaction eXperiment, is designed specifically to measure direct probes of the collisions such as electrons, muons, and photons. The primary goal of PHENIX is to discover and study a new state of matter called the Quark-Gluon Plasma. Among many particles, muons coming from W-boson decay gives us key information to analyze the spin of proton. Resistive plate chambers are proposed as a suitable solution as a muon trigger because of their fast response and good time resolution, flexibility in signal readout, robustness and the relatively low cost of production. The RPC detectors for upgrade were assembled and their performances were evaluated. The procedure to make the detectors better was optimized and described in detail in this thesis. The code based on ROOT was written and by using this the performance of the detectors made was evaluated, and all of the modules for north muon arm met the criteria and installation at PHENIX completed in November 2009. As RPC detectors that we made showed fast response, capacity of covering wide area with a resonable price and good spatial resolution, this will give the opportunity for applications, such as diagnosis and customs inspection system.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2003

The periodic safety review of operational nuclear power plants requires that the plants should keep a well organized environmental monitoring program. The past records of environment monitoring data were analyzed. and the tritium concentrations of the samples in the surface and ground water around Kori site were measured. It was shown that the tritium concentrations around the Kori site were slightly higher than that of natural background. The change of background tritium concentration was estimated through a numerical modeling. Two different versions of 7 compartments model - the world and the northern hemisphere - defined in NCRP-62 were modeled for the global tritium cycling. The numerical solution of the model was obtained using a computer program, AMBER. The four cases of tritium source-terms into the atmosphere were considered. The results showed that the tritium concentration in the surface soil water was higher than that in sea water or surface stream water. Also, it was shown that the tritium produced by the interaction between cosmic rays and the gases were the major source of tritium, and the tritium produced by nuclear weapon test decreased considerably.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.44.1-44.1
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• 2015

We present joint constraints on the number of effective neutrino species $N_{eff}$ and the sum of neutrino masses ${\Sigma}m_{\nu}$, based on a technique which exploits the full information contained in the one-dimensional Lyman-${\alpha}$ forest flux power spectrum, complemented by additional cosmological probes. In particular, we obtain $N_{eff}=2.91{\pm}0.22$ (95% CL) and ${\Sigma}m_{\nu}$ < 0.15 eV (95% CL) when we combine BOSS Lyman-${\alpha}$ forest data with CMB (Planck+ACT+SPT+WMAP polarization) measurements, and $N_{eff}=2.88{\pm}0.20$ (95% CL) and ${Sigma}m_{\nu}$ < 0.14 eV (95% CL) when we further add baryon acoustic oscillations. Our results tend to favor the normal hierarchy scenario for the masses of the active neutrino species, provide strong evidence for the Cosmic Neutrino Background from $N_{eff}{\approx}3$($N_{eff}=0$ is rejected at more than $14{\sigma}$), and rule out the possibility of a sterile neutrino thermalized with active neutrinos (i.e., $N_{eff}=4$) - or more generally any decoupled relativistic relic with $${\Delta}N_{eff}{\sim_=}1$$ - at a significance of over $5{\sigma}$, the strongest bound to date, implying that there is no need for exotic neutrino physics in the concordance ${\Lambda}CDM$ model.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.543-546
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• 2004

The inverse Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation with electrons in the intracluster medium which has a temperature gradient, was examined by the third-order perturbation theory of the Compton scattering. A new type of the spectrum distortion of the CMB was found and named as gradient T Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (gradT SZE). The spectrum has an universal shape. There is a zero distortion point, the cross over frequency, at 326GHz. When the hotter region locates closer to an observer, the intensity becomes brighter than the CMB in the frequency region lower than the cross over frequency and fainter than the CMB in the frequency region higher than the cross over frequency. When the cooler region locates closer to an observer, the distorted part of the spectrum has an opposite sign to the above case. The amplitude of the spectrum distortion does not de-pend on the electron density and depends on the heat conductivity and the total temperature variation along a line of sight. Therefore, the gradT SZE provides an unique opportunity to measure thermally nonequilibrium electron momentum distribution function in the ICM and combined with the X-ray measurements of the electron temperature distribution provides an opportunity of direct measurement of the heat conductivity in the ICM.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.52.1-52.1
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• 2010

The Japanese infrared (IR) space mission AKARI monitored the brightness in the fields very close to the north ecliptic pole (NEP) with nine wavebands in Infrared Camera (IRC), which cover the wavelength range from 2 to $24{\mu}m$. We reduced the NEP monitor observations and examined the smoothness of the sky background brightness. Our analysis shows that the background brightness is smooth over a frame of about $10'\times10'$ within about 0.1% deviation in mid-IR. Because the zodiacal light (ZL) and emission (ZE) dominate the diffuse sky brightness in the near- and mid-IR wavelengths, the background brightness varies with season through a year. We tried sinusoidal fittings to the observed NEP background brightness. The fitting analysis shows that the sine function is successful in describing the seasonal variation of the ZL and ZE within 2% deviations from the observed brightness, especially for the 15, 18, and $24{\mu}m$ bands, within 0.3%. These results will provide limits and caveats for the studies of the cosmic infrared background radiation.