• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.93-107
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• 2016

Augmenting the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) microlensing campaigns with intensive observations from a ground-based network of wide-field survey telescopes would have several major advantages. First, it would enable full two-dimensional (2-D) vector microlens parallax measurements for a substantial fraction of low-mass lenses as well as planetary and binary events that show caustic crossing features. For a significant fraction of the free-floating planet (FFP) events and all caustic-crossing planetary/binary events, these 2-D parallax measurements directly lead to complete solutions (mass, distance, transverse velocity) of the lens object (or lens system). For even more events, the complementary ground-based observations will yield 1-D parallax measurements. Together with the 1-D parallaxes from WFIRST alone, they can probe the entire mass range M ≳ M_⊕. For luminous lenses, such 1-D parallax measurements can be promoted to complete solutions (mass, distance, transverse velocity) by high-resolution imaging. This would provide crucial information not only about the hosts of planets and other lenses, but also enable a much more precise Galactic model. Other benefits of such a survey include improved understanding of binaries (particularly with low mass primaries), and sensitivity to distant ice-giant and gas-giant companions of WFIRST lenses that cannot be detected by WFIRST itself due to its restricted observing windows. Existing ground-based microlensing surveys can be employed if WFIRST is pointed at lower-extinction fields than is currently envisaged. This would come at some cost to the event rate. Therefore the benefits of improved characterization of lenses must be weighed against these costs.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.77.3-77.3
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• 2019

Aims. The evolution of scaling relations between SMBHs and their host galaxies becomes uncertain at high redshifts. The HULQ project proposes to use gravitational lensing to measure the masses of QSO host galaxies, an otherwise difficult goal. SMBH masses of QSOs are relatively easy to determine using either reverberation mapping or the single-epoch method. These measurements, if made for a substantial number of QSOs at various redshifts, will allow us to study the co-evolution of SMBHs and their host galaxies. To determine the feasibility of this study, we present how to estimate the number of sources lensed by QSO hosts, i.e. the number of deflector QSO host galaxies (hereafter QSO lenses). Method and results. Using SMBH masses measured from SDSS DR14 spectra, and the M_BH - Sigma relation, the Einstein radii are calculated as a function of source redshift, assuming singular isothermal sphere mass distributions. Using QSOs and galaxies as sources, the probability of a QSO host galaxy being a QSO lens is calculated, depending on the limiting magnitude. The expected numbers of QSO lenses are estimated for ongoing and future wide-imaging surveys, and additional factors that may affect these numbers are discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.73-81
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• 2016

We report the characterization of a massive (m_p = 3.9±1.4M_jup) microlensing planet (OGLE-2015-BLG-0954Lb) orbiting an M dwarf host (M = 0.33 ± 0.12M_⊙) at a distance toward the Galactic bulge of $0.6^{+0.4}_{-0.2}kpc$, which is extremely nearby by microlensing standards. The planet-host projected separation is a⊥ ~ 1.2AU. The characterization was made possible by the wide-field (4 deg²) high cadence (Γ = 6 hr^–1) monitoring of the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet), which had two of its three telescopes in commissioning operations at the time of the planetary anomaly. The source crossing time t_* = 16 min is among the shortest ever published. The high-cadence, wide-field observations that are the hallmark of KMTNet are the only way to routinely capture such short crossings. High-cadence resolution of short caustic crossings will preferentially lead to mass and distance measurements for the lens. This is because the short crossing time typically implies a nearby lens, which enables the measurement of additional effects (bright lens and/or microlens parallax). When combined with the measured crossing time, these effects can yield planet/host masses and distance.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.123-130
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• 2022

We present the analysis of a planetary microlensing event OGLE-2019-BLG-0362 with a shortduration anomaly (~0.4 days) near the peak of the light curve, which is caused by the resonant caustic. The event has a severe degeneracy with ∆𝜒² = 0.9 between the close and the wide binary lens models both with planet-host mass ratio q ≃ 0.007. We measure the angular Einstein radius but not the microlens parallax, and thus we perform a Bayesian analysis to estimate the physical parameters of the lens. We find that the OGLE-2019-BLG-0362L system is a super-Jovian-mass planet $M_p=3.26^{+0.83}_{-0.58}M_J $ orbiting an M dwarf $M_h=0.42^{+0.34}_{-0.23}M_{\odot}$ at a distance $D_L=5.83^{+1.04}_{-1.55}kpc$. The projected star-planet separation is ${\alpha}_{\bot}= 2.18^{+0.58}_{-0.72}AU$, which indicates that the planet lies beyond the snow line of the host star.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.173-194
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• 2022

We complete the survey for finite-source/point-lens (FSPL) giant-source events in 2016-2019 KMTNet microlensing data. The 30 FSPL events show a clear gap in Einstein radius, 9 𝜇as < 𝜃_E < 26 𝜇as, which is consistent with the gap in Einstein timescales near t_E ~ 0.5 days found by Mróz et al. (2017) in an independent sample of point-source/point-lens (PSPL) events. We demonstrate that the two surveys are consistent. We estimate that the 4 events below this gap are due to a power-law distribution of free-floating planet candidates (FFPs) dN_FFP/d log M = (0.4 ± 0.2) (M/38 M_⊕)^-p/star, with 0.9 ≲ p ≲ 1.2. There are substantially more FFPs than known bound planets, implying that the bound planet power-law index 𝛾 = 0.6 is likely shaped by the ejection process at least as much as by formation. The mass density per decade of FFPs in the Solar neighborhood is of the same order as that of 'Oumuamua-like objects. In particular, if we assume that 'Oumuamua is part of the same process that ejected the FFPs to very wide or unbound orbits, the power-law index is p = 0.89 ± 0.06. If the Solar System's endowment of Neptune-mass objects in Neptune-like orbits is typical, which is consistent with the results of Poleski et al. (2021), then these could account for a substantial fraction of the FFPs in the Neptune-mass range.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.169-185
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• 2023

The GMT-Consortium Large Earth Finder (G-CLEF) is the first instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). G-CLEF is a fiber feed, optical band echelle spectrograph that is capable of extremely precise radial velocity measurement. G-CLEF Flexure Control Camera (FCC) is included as a part in G-CLEF Front End Assembly (GCFEA), which monitors the field images focused on a fiber mirror to control the flexure and the focus errors within GCFEA. FCC consists of an optical bench on which five optical components are installed. The order of the optical train is: a collimator, neutral density filters, a focus analyzer, a reimager and a detector (Andor iKon-L 936 CCD camera). The collimator consists of a triplet lens and receives the beam reflected by a fiber mirror. The neutral density filters make it possible a broad range star brightness as a target or a guide. The focus analyzer is used to measure a focus offset. The reimager focuses the beam from the collimator onto the CCD detector focal plane. The detector module includes a linear translator and a field de-rotator. We performed thermoelastic stress analysis for lenses and their mounts to confirm the physical safety of the lens materials. We also conducted the global structure analysis for various gravitational orientations to verify the image stability requirement during the operation of the telescope and the instrument. In this article, we present the opto-mechanical detailed design of G-CLEF FCC and describe the consequence of the numerical finite element analyses for the design.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.9-26
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• 2020

At q = 1.81 ± 0.20 × 10^-5, KMT-2018-BLG-0029Lb has the lowest planet-host mass ratio q of any microlensing planet to date by more than a factor of two. Hence, it is the first planet that probes below the apparent "pile-up" at q = 5-10 ×10^-5. The event was observed by Spitzer, yielding a microlens-parallax π_E measurement. Combined with a measurement of the Einstein radius θ_E from finite-source effects during the caustic crossings, these measurements imply masses of the host M_host = 1.14^+0.10_-0.12 M_⊙ and planet M_planet = 7.59^+0.75_-0.69 M_⊕, system distance D_L = 3.38^+0.22_-0.26 kpc and projected separation a_⊥ = 4.27^+0.21_-0.23 AU. The blended light, which is substantially brighter than the microlensed source, is plausibly due to the lens and could be observed at high resolution immediately.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.305-316
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• 2020

This study aimed to analyze the conception of an extra-solar planet perceived by university students. To conduct this, we developed an extra-solar planet education program and questionnaires which help to figure out changes between before and after the program, and then applied them to the targeted students. The results of the study are as follows. First, as to the conception of an extra-solar planet, participants understood it merely as a planet outside the solar system before they got training. However, they expanded it to the one revolving around a star that appears outside the solar system based on keywords after the training. Second, they gave brief responses regarding exploration strategies (e.g., observing the extra-solar planet by using the Doppler effect, dietary phenomenon, and gravitational lens) based on indirect experiences they encountered in the media. The responses indicated their lack of concept of the extra-solar planet exploration methods. However, their recognition of the extra-solar planet observation became concrete while students learned about the exploration of the extra-solar planet. Third, they were expanding the importance of the exoplanet observation simply beyond the discovery of extraterrestrial life to the creative process and research methods, including the solar system and the development of humanity. Fourth, they recognized that exoplanet education is necessary for curriculum as it will be able to bring about students' interest and curiosity as well as scientific knowledge if contents related to the extra-solar planet appear in the earth science curriculum.