• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.75-92
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• 2016

It is generally believed that the high energy emissions from isolated pulsars are emitted from relativistic electrons/positrons accelerated in outer magnetospheric accelerators (outergaps) via a curvature radiation mechanism, which has a simple exponential cut-off spectrum. However, many gamma-ray pulsars detected by the Fermi LAT (Large Area Telescope) cannot be fitted by simple exponential cut-off spectrum, and instead a sub-exponential is more appropriate. It is proposed that the realistic outergaps are non-stationary, and that the observed spectrum is a superposition of different stationary states that are controlled by the currents injected from the inner and outer boundaries. The Vela and Geminga pulsars have the largest fluxes among all targets observed, which allows us to carry out very detailed phase-resolved spectral analysis. We have divided the Vela and Geminga pulsars into 19 (the off pulse of Vela was not included) and 33 phase bins, respectively. We find that most phase resolved spectra still cannot be fitted by a simple exponential spectrum: in fact, a sub-exponential spectrum is necessary. We conclude that non-stationary states exist even down to the very fine phase bins.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.80-86
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• 1997

High energy particles in the earth's radiation belts cause transient and long term effects on electronic materials, devices, and integrated circuits on board the satellites. Hence, it is very important to have the information on the space radiation environment and the damage on the electronics caused by the se high energy particles. One of the radiation monitor devices frequently used in space is RADFET, a specially designed MOSFET with a thick gate oxide region. The present study focuses on the calibration of RADFET TOT500 using the $Co^{60}{\gamma}-ray$ source. The result shows that the response of RADFET is very sensitive to the change of temperature. The peculiar behavior observed in the TDE (Total Dose Experiment) on board the KITSAT-1 is identified as the thermal effect due to the change in the eclipse rate of the satellite.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.38.1-38.1
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• 2015

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are one of the most energetic astrophysical events and are thought to be the dominant source of Galactic cosmic rays (CRs). A recent report on observations of gamma rays from the vicinity of SNRs have shown strong evidence that Galactic CR protons are accelerated by the shock waves of the SNRs. The actual gamma-ray emission from pion decay should depend on the diffusion of CRs in the interstellar medium. In order to quantitatively analyze the diffusion of high-energy CRs from acceleration sites, we have performed test particle numerical simulations of CR protons using a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation of an interstellar medium swept-up by a blast wave. We analyse the CRs diffusion at a length scale of order a few pc, and show the Richtmeyer-Meshkov instability can provide enough turbulence downstream of the shock to make the diffusion coefficient close to the Bohm level for energy larger than 30 TeV for a realistic interstellar medium.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.15-39
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• 2014

Polarization is a basic property of light and is fundamentally linked to the internal geometry of a source of radiation. Polarimetry complements photometric, spectroscopic, and imaging analyses of sources of radiation and has made possible multiple astrophysical discoveries. In this article I review (i) the physical basics of polarization: electromagnetic waves, photons, and parameterizations; (ii) astrophysical sources of polarization: scattering, synchrotron radiation, active media, and the Zeeman, Goldreich-Kylafis, and Hanle effects, as well as interactions between polarization and matter (like birefringence, Faraday rotation, or the Chandrasekhar-Fermi effect); (iii) observational methodology: on-sky geometry, influence of atmosphere and instrumental polarization, polarization statistics, and observational techniques for radio, optical, and $X/{\gamma}$ wavelengths; and (iv) science cases for astronomical polarimetry: solar and stellar physics, planetary system bodies, interstellar matter, astrobiology, astronomical masers, pulsars, galactic magnetic fields, gamma-ray bursts, active galactic nuclei, and cosmic microwave background radiation.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.34.2-34.2
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• 2017

A small wide-field imaging telescope is a powerful instrument to survey the Universe: wide-field image can monitor the variability of many sources at a time, e.g. young stellar objects and active galactic nuclei, and it can be an effective way to locate transient sources without precise positional information such as gravitational wave sources or some gamma-ray bursts. In February 2017, we installed a 0.25 m f/3.6 telescope on the McDonald 0.8 m telescope as a piggyback system. With a $4k{\times}4k$ CCD camera, the telescope has a $2.35{\times}2.35deg$ field-of-view. Currently, it is equipped with Johnson UBVRI filters and 3 narrow-band filters: $H{\alpha}$, OIII and SII. We will present the installation process, and the telescope performance such as detection limit and image quality based on the data from commissioning observations. We will also discuss possible scientific projects with this system.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.68.1-68.1
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• 2013

Infrared Medium-Deep Survey is a near-infrared imaging survey geared toward understanding the formation and the evolution of quasars and galaxies at high redshift, and studying transient and time-variable objects such as gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and young stellar objects. The survey uses a multi-tier structure, with deep imaging survey of 100 $deg^2$ using UKIRT to the depth of 23 AB mag, and a shallower imaging of interesting sources using the CQUEAN camera on the 2.1m telescope at McDonald observatory. This talk will give an overview of the survey strategy, the instrument development, and science highlights. The science highlights will include the discovery of high redshift quasars, high redshift galaxy clusters, GRBs, and other interesting sources. At the end of the talk, we will also present the future prospects of our study.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 2001

The threshold voltage shift observed in TDE (Total Dose Experiment) on board the KITAT-1 is converted into dose (rad($SiO_2$)) using the result of laboratory calibration with Co-60 gamma ray source in KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). Simulation using the NASA radiation model of geomagnetosphere verifies that the dose difference between RADFET1 and RADFET3 observed on KITSAT-1 comes from the difference in shielding thickness at the position of these RADFETs.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.133-140
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• 2013

Most of high energy cosmic rays (CRs) are thought to be produced by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at supernova remnants (SNRs) within the Galaxy. Fortunately, nonthermal emissions from CR protons and electrons can provide direct observational evidence for such a model and place strong constraints on the complex nonlinear plasma processes in DSA theory. In this study we calculate the energy spectra of CR protons and electrons in Type Ia SNRs, using time-dependent DSA simulations that incorporate phenomenological models for some wave-particle interactions. We demonstrate that the time-dependent evolution of the self-amplified magnetic fields, Alfv$\acute{e}$nic drift, and escape of the highest energy particles affect the energy spectra of accelerated protons and electrons, and so resulting nonthermal radiation spectrum. Especially, the spectral cutoffs in X-ray and ${\gamma}$-ray emission spectra are regulated by the evolution of the highest energy particles, which are injected at the early phase of SNRs. Thus detailed understandings of nonlinear wave-particle interactions and time-dependent DSA simulations of SNRs are crucial in testing the SNR hypothesis for the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.52.1-52.1
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• 2016

The Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are classified into the long GRBs (LGRBs) and the short GRBs (SGRBs). Their progenitors are expected to be different because they have its own distinct characteristics. Occasionally, the SGRBs having faint extended emission (EGRBs) are observed. The EGRBs exhibit the analogous properties that the SGRBs have, but observed T90 of the EGRBs is longer than two seconds as the LGRBs. Because the EGRBs have characteristics of the LGRBs and the SGRBs, study of the EGRBs is important to understand origins of the GRBs. In this study, we obtain the luminosity relations of the EGRBs observed by Swift/BAT. We compare these results with luminosity relations on the LGRBs and SGRBs. In addition, we examine the spectral lag relations of spike and extended emission component of the EGRBs detected by CGRO/BATSE, Konus/WIND, Swift/BAT, Fermi/GBM and compare to each other. We find that the luminosity relations of the EGRBs present different results with the LGRBs and the SGRBs. In the spectral lag relations, extended emission component expresses opposite results compared with spike component. Furthermore, the spectral lag relations from the four instruments came up with different outcomes to each other.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.68.2-68.2
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• 2013

Camera for QUasars in EArly uNiverse (CQUEAN) is an optical CCD camera system made by Center for Exploration of the Origin of the Universe (CEOU). CQUEAN is developed for follow-up observation of red sources such as high-redshift quasar candidates ($z{\geq}5$), gamma-ray bursts (GRB), brown dwarfs and young stellar objects. The CQUEAN is composed of a science camera with deep-depletion CCD chip which is sensitive at around $1{\mu}m$, a set of custom-made wide-band filters for detection of quasar candidates at z~5, and a guide camera. A focal reducer was developed to secure $4.8^{\prime}{\times}4.8^{\prime}$ field of view, and an in-house user software for efficient data acquisition. CQUEAN was attached to 2.1m Otto Struve Telescope in McDonald Observatory, USA, in August 2010. About 1000 quasar candidates including 3 confirmed with follow-up spectroscopy, have been observed so far, and many high-z galaxy cluster candidates, GRBs and supernovae were also observed. And monitoring of HBC 722, a young stellar object, is under way since 2011. Further enhancement of CQUEAN including the introduction of narrow-band filters is planned.