• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2011

We study near-infrared properties of the old open cluster King 11, based on the 2MASS photometric data. We determine the location of the red giant clump(RGC) in the (K, J - K) colo-magnitude diagram and derive the distance modulus of King 11 to be $(m-M)_0$ = $12.50{\pm}0.10$ using the mean K magnitude of RGC. From the red giant branch slope - [Fe/H] relation we obtain the metallicity of this cluster, [Fe/H]=$-0.17{\pm}0.07$. The age and interstellar reddening of this cluster are estimated to be log t = $9.48{\pm}0.05$, E(B-V)=$0.90{\pm}0.03$, by applying Padova isochrone fits to the data.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.157-160
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• 2007

I present a model to explain the mass segregation and shallow mass functions observed in the central parts of starburst stellar clusters. The model assumes that the initial pre-stellar cores mass function resulting from the turbulent fragmentation of the proto-cluster cloud is significantly altered by the cores coalescence before they collapse to form stars. With appropriate, yet realistic parameters, this model based on the competition between cores coalescence and collapse reproduces the mass spectra of the well studied Arches cluster. Namely, the slopes at the intermediate and high mass ends, as well as the peculiar bump observed at $6M_{\bigodot}$. This coalescence-collapse process occurs on a short timescale of the order of the free fall time of the proto-cluster cloud (i.e., a few $10^4$ years), suggesting that mass segregation in Arches and similar clusters is primordial. The best fitting model implies the total mass of the Arches cluster is $1.45{\times}10^5M_{\bigodot}$, which is slightly higher than the often quoted, but completeness affected, observational value of a few $10^4M_{\bigodot}$. The model implies a star formation efficiency of ${\sim}30$ percent which implies that the Arches cluster is likely to a gravitationally bound system.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.53-57
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• 2016

We present an optical UBVRI photometric analysis of the poorly studied open star cluster IC 2156 using Sloan Digital Sky Survey data in order to estimate its astrophysical properties. We compare these with results from our previous studies that relied on the 2MASS JHK near-infrared photometry. The stellar density distributions and color-magnitude diagrams of the cluster are used to determine its geometrical structure, real radius, core and tidal radii, and its distance from the Sun, the Galactic plane, and the Galactic center. We also estimate, the age, color excesses, reddening-free distance modulus, membership, total mass, luminosity function, mass function, and relaxation time of the cluster.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.79-92
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• 2017

We present a BV I optical photometric study of the old open cluster Ruprecht 6 using the data obtained with the SMARTS 1.0 m telescope at the CTIO, Chile. Its color-magnitude diagrams show the clear existence of the main-sequence stars, whose turn-off point is located around $V{\approx}18.45mag$ and $B-V{\approx}0.85mag$. Three red clump (RC) stars are identified at V = 16.00 mag, I = 14.41 mag and B - V = 1.35 mag. From the mean $K_s-band$ magnitude of RC stars ($K_s=12.39{\pm}0.21mag$) in Ruprecht 6 from 2MASS photometry and the known absolute magnitudes of the RC stars ($M_{K_S}=-1.595{\pm}0.025mag$), we obtain the distance modulus to Ruprecht 6 of $(m-M)_0=13.84{\pm}0.21mag$ ($d=5.86{\pm}0.60kpc$). From the ($J-K_s$) and (B - V ) colors of the RC stars, comparison of the (B - V ) and (V - I) colors of the bright stars in Ruprecht 6 with those of the intrinsic colors of dwarf and giant stars, and the PARSEC isochrone fittings, we derive the reddening values of E(B - V ) = 0.42 mag and E(V - I) = 0.60 mag. Using the PARSEC isochrone fittings onto the color-magnitude diagrams, we estimate the age and metallicity to be: $log(t)=9.50{\pm}0.10(t=3.16{\pm}0.82Gyr)$ and $[Fe/H]=-0.42{\pm}0.04dex$. We present the Galactocentric radial metallicity gradient analysis for old (age > 1 Gyr) open clusters of the Dias et al. catalog, which likely follow a single relation of $[Fe/H]=(-0.034{\pm}0.007)R_{GC}+(0.190{\pm}0.080)$ (rms = 0.201) for the whole radial range or a dual relation of $[Fe/H]=(-0.077{\pm}0.017)R_{GC}+(0.609{\pm}0.161)$ (rms = 0.152) and constant ([Fe/H] ~ -0.3 dex) value, inside and outside of RGC ~ 12 kpc, respectively. The metallicity and Galactocentric radius ($13.28{\pm}0.54kpc$) of Ruprecht 6 obtained in this study seem to be consistent with both of the relations.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.147-155
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• 2008

We present UBV I photometry of the old open cluster NGC 1193. Color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of this cluster show a well defined main sequence and a sparse red giant branch. For the inner region of r < 50", three blue straggler candidates are newly found in addition to the objects Kaluzny (1988) already found. The color-color diagrams show that the reddening value toward NGC 1193 is E(B - V ) = $0.19{\pm}0.04$. From the ultraviolet excess measurement, we derived the metallicity to be [Fe/H]= $-0.45{\pm}0.12$. A distance modulus of ${(m\;-\;M)}_0$ = $13.3{\pm}0.15$ is obtained from zero age main sequence fitting with the empirically calibrated Hyades isochrone of Pinsonneault et al. (2004). CMD comparison with the Padova isochrones by Bertelli et al. (1994) gives an age of log t = $9.7{\pm}0.1$.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.153-155
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• 2007

We have analyzed H and $K_s$-band images of the Arches cluster obtained using the NIRC2 instrument on Keck with the laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO) system. With the help of the LGS AO system, we were able to obtain the deepest ever photometry for this cluster and its neighborhood, and derive the background-subtracted present-day mass function (PDMF) down to $1.3M_{\bigodot}$ for the 5"-9" annulus of the cluster. We find that the previously reported turnover at $6M_{\bigodot}$ is simply due to a local bump in the mass function (MF), and that the MF continues to increase down to our 50 % completeness limit ($1.3M_{\bigodot}$) with a power-law exponent of ${\Gamma}$ = -0.91 for the mass range of 1.3 < M/$M_{\bigodot}$ < 50. Our numerical calculations for the evolution of the Arches cluster show that the ${\Gamma}$ values for our annulus increase by 0.1-0.2 during the lifetime of the cluster, and thus suggest that the Arches cluster initially had ${\Gamma}$ of $-1.0{\sim}-1.1$, which is only slightly shallower than the Salpeter value.