• 천문학회보
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• 제39권1호
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• pp.83.1-83.1
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• 2014

Open clusters consisting of a co-spatial and coeval population with a similar chemical composition are a superb astrophysical test bed in both stellar and galactic astronomy. We introduce not only several scientific issues relating to these objects but also comprehensive studies of the two young open clusters Westerlund 1 and IC 1848 formed in extremely different star-forming conditions. Westerlund 1 is known as the most massive starburst cluster in the Galaxy. Located in the Scutum-Centaurus spiral arm, the cluster is relatively close to the Galactic Center. The apparent surface density is very high. On the other hand, IC 1848 is a core cluster within the large-scale star-forming region W5 lying in the Perseus arm. Unlike Westerlund 1, IC 1848 with a putatively low metallicity exhibits a low surface density. We present the fundamental parameters of those young clusters, such as reddening, distance, and age, obtained from the broadband photometric analysis. The stellar initial mass function (IMF) of the clusters is used to investigate the effects of the different star-forming conditions on the star formation activity. With the results of previous studies for several young open clusters, our preliminary results support a possibility that star formation activity may be affected by the environmental factors or the initial condition of natal clouds. In addition, we shortly discuss the age scale and spread of pre-main sequence stars to understand the formation processes of star clusters.

• 천문학회지
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.81-88
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• 2000

The international ultraviolet explorer (IUE) spectra of a low dispersion $\~6{\AA}$, have been investigated for two Seyfert 1 galaxies, Mrk 335 and NGC 4051, well known for the line variability. The electron densities of broad line region (BLR) of these variable Seyfert 1 galaxies have been derived, which showed a non-linear abrupt variation from $10^8$ to $10^{10} cm-3$ within a month. We also found the excitation (or temperature) changes in the Mrk 335 BLR from the IUE broad line profiles analysis, but no such evidence in the NGC 4051. The large amount of mass inflow activity through the bar or spiral structure of host galaxies, may trigger the density change in BLR and emission line variability for both objects. Mass of the giant black holes appear to be order of $10^7\;M_{\bigodot}$ for both variable Seyfert l's.

• 천문학회보
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.75.2-75.2
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• 2012

SNe Ia are a well-known powerful distance indicator. Type Ia supernova (SN) 2011fe was discovered in the nearby spiral galaxy M101 in 2011. It was discovered in less than one day after its explosion and is one of the nearest SNe Ia. Therefore SN 2011fe plays a significant role for calibrating the luminosity of the SNe Ia as well as for studying the progenitors of SNe Ia. However, previous estimates of the distance to M101 based on various methods show a large range. We present a new determination of the distance to M101 using the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB) method. We measure the distance from the F555W and F814W images of nine fields taken with the HST/ACS and HST/WFPC2 available in the HST archive. We derive a distance estimate with much smaller errors than previous studies. We discuss the implication of our results in relation with the calibration of optical and near-infrared maximum magnitudes of SNe Ia and the Hubble Constant.

• 천문학회보
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.56.2-56.2
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• 2021

Constraining the structure and thus the fate of giant molecular clouds (GMCs), the primary sites of star formation in galaxies, is crucial to understand the evolution of galaxies themselves. Exploiting the unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution of the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), we have measured the spatially-resolved (~ 20 pc resolution) properties of the GMCs in two nearby late-type galaxies, NGC 5806 (SAB(s)b) and NGC 6753 ((R)SA(r)b), as part of the WISDOM project. Although these results are preliminary, we identified ~ 200 resolved GMCs in NGC 5806 within a radius of 500 pc, most within a nuclear ring structure, and ~ 400 resolved GMCs in NGC 6753 within a radius of 2 kpc, most within a flocculent spiral structure. The GMCs of NGC 5806 have similar sizes but slightly higher linewidths than clouds in the Milky Way disc. Because the GMCs also have higher surface densities, the calculated cloud Virial parameters are nevertheless about unity, suggesting that the GMCs of NGC 5806 are in gravitational equilibrium and thus long lived. This is contrary to other WISDOM results on earlier-type galaxies, where large cloud linewidths are likely due to shear associated with the local (circular) orbital motions (rather than the clouds' self-gravity), and the clouds are either marginally or not gravitationally bound. These results support the notion that spheroids alter the dynamical states of clouds (morphological quenching), that are otherwise (i.e. in galaxy discs) fairly homogenous and similar to those of the Milky Way.

• 천문학회지
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.17-24
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• 2001

We have studied the central parts of M82, which is a well-known infrared luminous, starburst galaxy, by analyzing archival data from the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). M82 was observed at 11 positions covering $\pm$45" from the center along the major axis. We analyzed 4 emission lines, [ArIII] 8.99 ${\mu}m$, $H_2$ 17.034 ${\mu}m$, [FeII] 25,98 ${\mu}m$, and [SiII] 34,815 ${\mu}m$ from $SWSO_2$ data. The integrated flux distributions of these lines are quite different. The $H_2$ line shows symmetric twin peaks at $\~$18" from the center, which is a general characteristic of molecular lines in starburst or barred galaxies. This line appears to be associated with the rotating molecular ring at around $\~$200 pc just outside the inner spiral arm. The relative depletion of the $H_2$ line at the center may be due to the active star formation activity which dissociates the $H_2$ molecules. The other lines have peaks at the center and the distributions are nearly symmetric. The line profiles are deconvolved assuming that both intrinsic and instrumental profiles are Gaussian. The velocity dispersion outside the core is found to be $\~50 km s^{-1}$. The central velocity dispersion is much higher than $50 km s^{-1}$, and different lines give different values. The large central velocity dispersion ($\sigma$) is mostly due to the rotation, but there is also evidence for a high $\sigma$ for [ArIII] line. We also generated position-velocity maps for these four lines. We found very diverse features from these maps.

• 천문학회보
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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.

• 천문학회지
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.103-123
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• 2013

Star clusters are superb astrophysical laboratories containing cospatial and coeval samples of stars with similar chemical composition. We initiate the Sejong Open cluster Survey (SOS) - a project dedicated to providing homogeneous photometry of a large number of open clusters in the SAAO Johnson-Cousins' UBV I system. To achieve our main goal, we pay much attention to the observation of standard stars in order to reproduce the SAAO standard system. Many of our targets are relatively small sparse clusters that escaped previous observations. As clusters are considered building blocks of the Galactic disk, their physical properties such as the initial mass function, the pattern of mass segregation, etc. give valuable information on the formation and evolution of the Galactic disk. The spatial distribution of young open clusters will be used to revise the local spiral arm structure of the Galaxy. In addition, the homogeneous data can also be used to test stellar evolutionary theory, especially concerning rare massive stars. In this paper we present the target selection criteria, the observational strategy for accurate photometry, and the adopted calibrations for data analysis such as color-color relations, zero-age main sequence relations, Sp - MV relations, Sp - $T_{eff}$ relations, Sp - color relations, and $T_{eff}$ - BC relations. Finally we provide some data analysis such as the determination of the reddening law, the membership selection criteria, and distance determination.

• 천문학회보
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.65-65
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• 2011

Early-type galaxies represent the end point of galaxy evolution and, despite pervasive residual star formation, are generally considered "red and dead", that is composed exclusively of old stars with no star formation. Here, their molecular gas content is constrained and discussed in relation to their evolution, supporting the continuing importance of minor mergers and/or cold gas accretion. First, as part of the Atlas3D survey, the first complete, large, volume-limited survey of CO in normal early-type galaxies is presented. At least of 23% of local early-types possess a substantial amount of molecular gas, the necessary ingredient for star formation, independent of mass and environment but dependent on the specific stellar angular momentum. Second, using CO synthesis imaging, the extent of the molecular gas is constrained and a variety of morphologies is revealed. The kinematics of the molecular gas and stars are often misaligned, implying an external gas origin in over a third of all systems, more than half in the field, while external gas accretion must be shot down in clusters. Third, many objects appear to be in the process of forming regular kpc-size decoupled disks, and a star formation sequence can be sketched by piecing together multi-wavelength information on the molecular gas, current star formation, and young stars. Fourth, early-type galaxies do not seem to systematically obey all our usual prejudices regarding star formation (e.g. Schmidt-Kennicutt law, far infrared-radio continuum correlation), suggesting a greater diversity in star formation processes than observed in disk galaxies and the possibility of "morphological quenching". Lastly, a first step toward constraining the physical properties of the molecular gas is taken, by modeling the line ratios of density- and opacity-sensitive molecules in a few objects. Taken together, these observations argue for the continuing importance of (minor) mergers and cold gas accretion in local early-types, and they provide a much greater understanding of the gas cycle in the galaxies harbouring most of the stellar mass. In the future, better dust masses and dust-to-gas mass ratios from Herschel should allow to place entirely independent constraints on the gas supply, while spatially-resolved high-density molecular gas tracers observed with ALMA will probe the interstellar medium and star formation laws locally in a regime entirely different from that normally probed in spiral galaxies.

• 천문학회보
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.52.3-53
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• 2018

We compare vertical profiles of the extraplanar $H{\alpha}$ emission to those of the UV emission for 38 nearby edge-on late-type galaxies. It is found that detection of the "diffuse" extraplanar dust (eDust), traced by the vertically extended, scattered UV starlight, always coincides with the presence of the extraplanar $H{\alpha}$ emission. A strong correlation between the scale heights of the extraplanar $H{\alpha}$ and UV emissions is also found; the scale height at $H{\alpha}$ is found to be ~0.74 of the scale height at FUV. Our results may indicate the multiphase nature of the diffuse ionized gas and dust in the galactic halos. The existence of eDust in galaxies where the extraplanar $H{\alpha}$ emission is detected suggests that a larger portion of the extraplanar $H{\alpha}$ emission than that predicted in previous studies may be caused by $H{\alpha}$ photons that originate from H II regions in the galactic plane and are subsequently scattered by the eDust. This possibility raise an advantage in studying the extraplanar diffuse ionized gas. We also find that the scale heights of the extraplanar emissions normalized to the galaxy size correlate well with the star formation rate surface density of the galaxies. The properties of eDust in our galaxies is on a continuation line of that found through previous observations of the extraplanar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emission in more active galaxies known to have galactic winds.

• 천문학회보
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.50.3-51
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• 2021

The progenitor of Type Ia supernovae is largely expected as a close binary system of a carbon/oxygen white dwarf (WD) primary and its secondary non-degenerate (single degenerate; SD) or degenerate companion (double degenerate; DD). Here we present a high-cadence monitoring observation of SN 2021hpr in a spiral galaxy, NGC 3147. SN 2021hpr shows typical characteristics as a normal type Ia supernova from its photometric (Δm₁₅(B)=1.01±0.03, dust free M_B,max=-19.45±0.02) and spectroscopic data. To investigate its progenitor system, we fit the early part of BVRI-band light curve simultaneously with a combined version of ejecta-companion and simple power-law model. As a result, we found a significant feature of an early excess possibly from a 7.63±0.52R_⊙-sized companion at the optimal viewing angle while the fit is not successful at the common viewing angle. No possible red sources brighter than F555W=-7.01 AB mag is detected at the SN location in Hubble Space Telescope (HST) pre-explosion images, excluding massive stars with initial mass of >16M_⊙ as companions. We suggest the progenitor system of SN 2021hpr can be a fairly large companion such as a main sequence, a low mass subgiant, and a helium giant star. In addition, a possibility of the ejecta-Disk Originated Matter (DOM) interaction for the DD scenario considering linearly-rising early flux still remains.