• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.35.4-35.4
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• 2019

We have conducted a 22 GHz very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) survey of 281 local (z < 0.05) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) selected from the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) 70-month ultra hard X-ray (14-195 keV) catalog. The main goal is to investigate the relation between the strengths of black hole accretion and the parsec-scale nuclear jet, which is expected to tightly correlate but has not been observationally confirmed yet. The BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS) provides the least biased AGN sample against obscuration including both Seyfert types, hence it makes an ideal parent sample for studying the nuclear jet properties of an overall AGN population. Using the Korean VLBI Network (KVN), the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA), and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), we observed 281 objects with a 22 GHz flux > 30 mJy, detecting 11 targets (~4% of VLBI detection rate). This implies that the fraction of X-ray AGNs which are currently ejecting a strong nuclear jet is very small. Although our 11 sources span a wide range of pc-scale morphological types, from compact to complex, they lie on a tight linear relation between accretion luminosity and nuclear jet luminosity. Our finding may indicate that the power of nuclear jet is directly responsible for the amount of black hole accretion. We also have probed the fundamental plane of black hole activity in VLBI scale (e.g., few milli-arcsecond). The results from our high-frequency VLBI radio study support that the change of jet luminosity and size follows what is predicted by the AGN evolution scenario based on the Eddington ratio (ƛ$_{Edd}$) - column density ($N_H$) plane, proposed by a previous study.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.45.2-46
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• 2017

3C 84 (NGC 1275) is one of the most famous radio galaxies and a lot of VLBI observations have been conducted to date because of its brightness and proximity (z = 0.0176; 1 mas = 0.36 pc). The source is entering a significantly active phase with long-term increase in radio flux at cm wavelengths since 2005, and the increased activity at very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays. In order to study properties of sub-pc-scale structure and the circumnuclear environment in 3C 84, we have conducted multi-epoch VLBI observations with the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) at 86 and 129 GHz, and monthly monitoring by the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA) at 43 GHz from 2015 August. Following the report in the previous KAS meeting (cf. 2016 KAS Autumn Annual Meeting, [구 GC-10]), we present further results mainly on the basis of twelve-epoch observations with KaVA at 43 GHz. Through the monthly monitoring with KaVA, we found that peak intensity of the pc-scale southern lobe (C3) was increased from $2.60\;Jy\;beam^{-1}$ in 2015 October to $9.80\;Jy\;beam^{-1}$ in 2016 June, corresponding to a flux increase of 3.7 times in eight months. We also detected change in direction of motion of C3 from transversal to outward with respect to C1, concurrently with the beginning of its flux increase in 2015 October. We consider that these phenomena are due to interaction of C3 with the ambient medium, and are related to the gamma-ray flare which has been detected with VHE gamma-ray telescopes such as MAGIC and VERITAS.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.70.1-70.1
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• 2016

NGC 4402 is a spiral galaxy located in the Virgo cluster. It is undergoing active HI gas stripping due to the strong ICM pressure, showing evidence for recent quenching of star formation. Its CO disk is also highly disturbed as HI, yet unlike HI disk, no sign of significant molecular gas stripping is found. Aiming to better understand how atomic gas stripping and disturbed molecular gas result in star formation quenching, we probe properties of molecular gas in the densest forms. As a pilot study, we observed HCN (1-0) and HCO+ (1-0) in the center of NGC 4402 using one of the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) antennas located at Yonsei site. In this work, we present the result from the KVN single-dish observations and discuss its implications.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.327-336
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• 2006

In this paper, gain loss of KVN (Korean VLBI Network) 21-m shaped Cassegrain antenna due to misalignment of antenna optics is calculated using ray-tracing method. It enables us to estimate alignment tolerances of feed and sub-reflector positioning. According to numerical results, KVN 21-m shaped Cassegrain antenna's gain loss is more sensitive to positions of feed and sub-reflector than in case of the equivalent classical Cassegrain antenna. The result of calculation is believed to be utilized as a possible guideline when checking the performance of the antenna system.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.127.1-127.1
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• 2011

Over the past several years the millimeter wave VLBI(Veryl Long Baseline Interferometry) observations have been intensively carried out. However In millimeter and sub-millimeter waves observations for VLBI, it is crucial to calibrate correctly the phase variations of the electromagnetic waves propagation through the troposphere. To do this, KVN(Korean VLBI Network) has a unique multi-frequency bands receiver system which is able to perform the simultaneous observations in up to four bands such as 22, 43, 86, and 129GHz. The phase of a source at 22GHz can be used to calibrate the phase of the same source at higher frequency bands. The phase calibration using multi-frequency bands receiver system is possible because the phase fluctuations from a given amount of waver vapor increase linearly with frequency. That is to say that troposphere is non-dispersive property in terms of tropospheric delay fluctuations. In this talk, We present results of test observation for multi-frequency bands receiver system.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2003.11b
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• pp.215-218
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• 2003

본 논문에서는 한국우주전파관측망(Korean VLBI Network; KVN)을 위해 현재 미국 MIT Haystack 천문대에서 개발되고 있는 천문관측 데이터를 위한 고속 대용량 저장장치에 대해 간략히 기술한다. 현재 개발중인 Mark 5 시스템은 하드디스크 기반의 Gbps VLBI 데이터 시스템이다. 주요 시스템은 낮은 가격의 PC 기반으로 8개의 탈부착이 가능한 ATA/IDE 형태의 하드디스크 뱅크를 두 개 가지며 1024Mbps 이상으로 고속기록 및 재생이 가능하다. 뿐만 아니라, Mark 5 시스템은 표준 기가비트 이더넷 연결을 통해 e-VLBI를 지원한다.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.25.2-25.2
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• 2009

한국천문연구원 한국우주전파관측망(Korean VLBI Network, KVN)에서 도입하여 시험운용중인 VLBI 상관서브시스템(VLBI Correlation Subsystem, VCS)은 한일공동 VLBI 상관기(Korea-Japan Joint VLBI Correlator, KJJVC)의 핵심 장비로서, 최대 16 관측국의 관측국 당 최대 8Gbps의 데이터를 처리할 수 있는 상관처리장치이다. VCS의 상관처리 결과는 총 4회선의 10GbE 광케이블을 통하여 UDP 프로토콜로 출력된다. 이 상관처리 결과는 광케이블 하나당 8개씩 총 32개의 상관 처리 블록(correlation block)으로 구성되며, 최대 출력속도는 1.4 GBytes/sec이다. 이 출력은 초고속 대용량 자료저장 시스템(Peta-scale Epoch Data Archive, PEDA)을 이용하여 저장하고 후속 자료처리를 위해 가공된다. PEDA는 총 4대의 고성능 자료 전송 및 저장 서버(writing server) 및 대용량 하드디스크 어레이로 구성된다. 상관처리 과정에 맞추어 PEDA의 writing 서버를 연계하여 제어하는 자료 전송 및 저장 제어 소프트웨어를 개발하였다. 이 소프트웨어는 핵심이 되는 전송 및 저장 프로세서와 이를 제어하는 제어프로세서로 구성된다. 전송 및 저장 프로세서는 개개의 상관 처리 블록에 대한 전송과 저장을 전담한다. 제어 프로세서는 총 32개의 상관 처리 블록을 처리하기 위하여 전송 및 저장 프로세스를 32개를 실행하고 각각의 상관 처리 블록에 해당하는 개별파라미터를 전달하는 전체적인 제어를 담당한다. 이 연구에서는 이 자료전송 및 저장 제어 소프트웨어의 설계 구성과 테스트 내용을 소개한다.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.28.3-29
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• 2017

We present the results of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of gamma-ray bright blazar S5 0716+714 using the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) at the 22, 43, 86, and 129 GHz bands, which are part of the KVN key science program known as the Interferometric Monitoring of Gamma-ray Bright AGNs (iMOGABA). Multi-frequency VLBI observations were conducted in 29 sessions from January 16, 2013 to March 1, 2016. The source was detected and imaged in all available frequency bands. For all observed epochs, the source is compact on the milliarcsecond (mas) scale, yielding a compact VLBI core dominating the synchrotron emission on the mas scale. Based on the multi-wavelength data at 15 and 230 GHz, we found that the source shows multiple prominent enhancements of the flux density at the centimeter (cm) and millimeter (mm) wavelengths, with mm enhancements leading cm enhancements with a time lag of $18{\pm}5$ days. Turnover frequency is found to vary over our observations between 22 to 69GHz. Taking into account the synchrotron self-absorption model of the relativistic jet in S5 0716+714, we estimated the magnetic field strength in the mas emission region to be 0.4-66 mG during the observing period, finding that the magnetic field strength is strongly correlated with the turnover frequency and the relatively strong magnetic field (e.g., B > 40 mG) is correlated with flux enhancements at mm wavelengths (e.g., 86 GHz).

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 2015

We report results of the performance evaluation of a new hardware correlator in Korea, the Daejeon correlator, developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). We conduct Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations at 22 GHz with the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) in Korea and the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) in Japan, and correlated the aquired data with the Daejeon correlator. For evaluating the performance of the new hardware correlator, we compare the correlation outputs from the Daejeon correlator for KVN observations with those from a software correlator, the Distributed FX (DiFX). We investigate the correlated flux densities and brightness distributions of extragalactic compact radio sources. The comparison of the two correlator outputs shows that they are consistent with each other within < 8%, which is comparable with the amplitude calibration uncertainties of KVN observations at 22 GHz. We also find that the 8% difference in flux density is caused mainly by (a) the difference in the way of fringe phase tracking between the DiFX software correlator and the Daejeon hardware correlator, and (b) an unusual pattern (a double-layer pattern) of the amplitude correlation output from the Daejeon correlator. The visibility amplitude loss by the double-layer pattern is as small as 3%. We conclude that the new hardware correlator produces reasonable correlation outputs for continuum observations, which are consistent with the outputs from the DiFX software correlator.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2019

The KVN(Korean VLBI Network)-style simultaneous multi-frequency receiving mode is demonstrated to be promising for mm-VLBI observations. Recently, other Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) facilities all over the globe start to implement compatible optics systems. Simultaneous dual/multi-frequency VLBI observations at mm wavelengths with international baselines are thus possible. In this paper, we present the results from the first successful simultaneous 22/43 GHz dual-frequency observation with KaVA(KVN and VERA array), including images and astrometric results. Our analysis shows that the newly implemented simultaneous receiving system has brought a significant extension of the coherence time of the 43 GHz visibility phases along the international baselines. The astrometric results obtained with KaVA are consistent with those obtained with the independent analysis of the KVN data. Our results thus confirm the good performance of the simultaneous receiving systems for the nonKVN stations. Future simultaneous observations with more global stations bring even higher sensitivity and micro-arcsecond level astrometric measurements of the targets.