• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.36.2-36.2
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• 2018

Radiative transfer models were developed to understand the optical polarizations in edge-on galaxies, which are observed to occur even outside the geometrically thin dust disk, with a scale height of ~0.2 kpc. In order to reproduce the vertically extended polarization structure, we find it is essential to include a geometrically thick dust layer in the radiative transfer model, in addition to the commonly-known thin dust layer. The models include polarizations due to both dust scattering and dichroic extinction which is responsible for the observed interstellar polarization in the Milky Way. It is found that the magnetic fields in edge-on galaxies are in general vertical (or poloidal) except the central part, where the magnetic fields are mainly toroidal. We also find that the polarization level is enhanced if the clumpiness of the interstellar medium, and the dichroic extinction by vertical magnetic fields in the outer regions of the dust lane are included in the radiative transfer model. The predicted degree of polarization outside the dust lane was found to be consistent with that (ranging from 1% to 4%) observed in NGC 891.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.59.2-59.2
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• 2014

Radiative transfer models in a spherical, turbulent interstellar medium (ISM), in which the photon source is situated at the center, are calculated to investigate the correlation between the scattered light and the dust column density. The medium is modeled using fractional Brownian motion structures that are appropriate for turbulent ISM. The correlation plot between the scattered light and optical depth shows substantial scatter and deviation from simple proportionality. It was also found that the overall density contrast is smoothed out in scattered light. In other words, there is an enhancement of the dust-scattered flux in low-density regions, while the scattered flux is suppressed in high-density regions. The correlation becomes less significant as the scattering becomes closer to being isotropic and the medium becomes more turbulent. Therefore, the scattered light observed in near-infrared wavelengths would show much weaker correlation than the observations in optical and ultraviolet wavelengths. We also find that the correlation plot between scattered lights at two different wavelengths shows a tighter correlation than that of the scattered light versus the optical depth.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.99-99
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• 2004

We detected and analyzed molecular hydrogen fluorescence in the Taurus Cloud using the Far-ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (FIMS) on the STSAT-1 which was launched at SeP. 27 2003. FIMS is optimized for observing diffuse emission lines in the interstellar medium in the wavelength bands of 900-l150 and 1300-1700 angstrom. The Taurus region is a local molecular cloud which is good for studying molecular hydrogen fluorescence emissions. (omitted)

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.118.1-118.1
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• 2014

Stars create and expel new chemical elements and dust at the end of the stellar life cycle. Therefore, understanding the evolved stars, their mass loss process, and the conditions of the returning material to be mixed with the surrounding interstellar medium is an important step toward studies on the new generation of stars as well as the evolution of cosmic elements in galactic scale. I will review the first results from the ALMA Early Science on the evolved stars and direct future works.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.27.3-27.3
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• 2017

One of the major discoveries in extragalactic astrophysics made over the past few years is the detection of ultra-diffuse galaxies, a new type of galaxies which appear to be far more numerous than normal galaxies, and which are giants in terms of size, yet dwarfs in terms of luminosity. These galaxies point to the huge discovery potential of the last niche that remains to be explored in observational parameter space: the sky at extremelylow surface brightness. Implications for objects in the Solar System, stellar physics, the interstellar medium, galaxies and cosmology will be addressed, along with the major challenges for pushing the frontiers in ground- and space-based observations.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2004.10b
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• pp.49-49
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• 2004

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.553-557
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• 2015

This review summarises the current status of the Galactic TeV ($10^{12}$ eV) gamma-ray source population. It also briefly looks at the future beyond the current generation of TeV gamma-ray facilities, and highlights the role of the interstellar medium (ISM) in helping to resolve some of the challenges in interpreting the wealth of results which have been found in recent years.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2017

We present the AKARI far-infrared (FIR) all-sky maps and describe its characteristics, calibration accuracy and scientific capabilities. The AKARI FIR survey has covered 97% of the whole sky in four photometric bands, which cover continuously 50-180 micron with band central wavelengths of 65, 90, 140, and 160 microns. The data have been publicly released in 2014 (Doi et al., 2015) with improved data quality that have been achieved since the last internal data release (Doi et al., 2012). The accuracy of the absolute intensity is ${\leq}10%$ for the brighter regions. Quantitative analysis of the relative intensity accuracy and its dependence upon spatial scan numbers has been carried out. The data for the first time reveal the whole sky distribution of interstellar matter with arcminute-scale spatial resolutions at the peak of dust continuum emission, enabling us to investigate large-scale distribution of interstellar medium in great detail. The filamentary structure covering the whole sky is well traced by the all-sky maps. We describe advantages of the AKARI FIR all-sky maps for the study of interstellar matter comparing to other observational data.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.29 no.spc1
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• pp.171-172
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• 1996

We present the results of an rocket-borne observation of far-infrared [CII] line at 157.7 ${\mu}m$ from the diffuse inter-stellar medium in the Ursa Major. We also introduce a part of results on the [CII] emission recently obtained by the IRTS, a liquid-helium cooled 15cm telescope onboard the Space Flyer Unit. From the rocket-borne observation we obtained the cooling rate of the diffuse HI gas due to the [CII] line emission, which is $1.3{\pm}0.2 {\times} 10^{-26}$ $ergss^{-1} H^{-1}_{atom}$. We also observed appreciable [CII] emission from the molecular clouds, with average CII/CO intensity ratio of 420. The IRTS observation provided the [CII] line emission distribution over large area of the sky along great circles crossing the Galactic plane at I = $50^{\circ}$ and I = $230^{\circ}$. We found two components in their intensity distributions, one concentrates on the Galactic plane and the another extends over at least $20^{\circ}$ in Galactic latitude. We ascribe one component to the emission from the Galactic disk, and the another one to the emission from the local interstellar gas. The [CII] cooling rate of the latter component is $5.6 {\pm} 2.2 {\times}10$.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.309-311
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• 2001

Strong thermal X-ray emission, called Galactic Ridge X-ray Emission, is observed along the Galactic plane (Koyama et al. 1986). The origin of hot ($\~$7 keV) component of GRXE is not known, while cool ($\~$0.8 keV) one is associated with supernovae (Kaneda et al. 1997, Sugizaki et al. 2001). We propose a possible mechanism to explain the origin; locally strong magnetic fields of $B_{local}\;\~30{\mu}G$ heat interstellar gas to $\~$7 keV via magnetic reconnection (Tanuma et al. 1999). There will be the small-scale (< 10 pc) strong magnetic fields, which can be observed as $(B)_{obs} \;\~3{\mu}G$ by integration of Faraday Rotation Measure, if it is localized by a volume filling factor of f $\~$ 0.1. In order to examine this model, we solved three-dimensional (3D) resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations numerically to examine the magnetic reconnect ion triggered by a supernova shock (fig.l). We assume that the magnetic field is Bx = 30tanh(y/20pc) $\mu$G, By = Bz = 0, and the temperature is uniform, at the initial condition. We put a supernova explosion outside the current sheet. The supernova-shock, as a result, triggers the magnetic reconnect ion, and the gas is heatd to > 7 keV. The magnetic reconnect ion heats the interstellar gas to $\~$7 keV in the Galactic plane, if it occurs in the locally strong magnetic fields of $B_{local}\;\~30{\mu}G$. The heated plasma is confined by the magnetic field for $\~10^{5.5} yr$. The required interval of the magnetic reconnect ions (triggered by anything) is $\~$1 - 10 yr. The magnetic reconnect ion will explain the origin of X-rays from the Galactic ridge, furthermore the Galactic halo, and clusters of galaxies.