• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.143-153
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• 2018

We present the first results of the invariant point (IVP) coordinates of the KVN Ulsan and Tamna radio telescopes. To determine the IVP coordinates in the geocentric frame (ITRF2014), a coordinate transformation method from the local frame, in which it is possible to survey using the optical instrument, to the geocentric frame was adopted. The least-square circles are fitted in three dimensions using the Gauss-Newton method to determine the azimuth and elevation axes in the local frame. The IVP in the local frame is defined as the mean value of the intersection points of the azimuth axis and the orthogonal vector between the azimuth and elevation axes. The geocentric coordinates of the IVP are determined by obtaining the seven transformation parameters between the local frame and the east-north-up (ENU) geodetic frame. The axis-offset between the azimuth and elevation axes is also estimated. To validate the results, the variation of coordinates of the GNSS station installed at KVN Ulsan was compared to the movement of the IVP coordinates over 9 months, showing good agreement in both magnitude and direction. This result will provide an important basis for geodetic and astrometric applications.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.36.3-37
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• 2015

4C39.25 (0923+392) is a distant radio loud AGN placed at redshift 0.695. The motivation of our work is peculiar properties 4C39.25. Firstly, it has a conspicuous distinction of jet direction between kilo-parsec scale observation made by VLA (Kollgaard et al. 1990) and the parsec scale observation by VLBA (Kellermann et al. 1998). This might indicate episodic-jet activity which recently turned on. This object currently shows two stationary compact parsec-scale components which are bright jet component on east and less luminous core on west. Also, it is known that there have been superluminal jet components which are flowing from the core toward east, and then merging with the bright jet component (Marscher et al. 1991, Alberdi et al. 2000, Lister et al. 2013). Although 4C39.25 seems to be a blazar-like source having broad emission lines (SDSS) and superluminal motion, its property that jet component is brighter than the core is different from ordinary blazars. Furthermore, it has young radio galaxy-like properties such as non-variation in total flux (Alberdi et al. 1997, 2000, MOJAVE database) and high frequency peak at spectral energy distribution (Orienti et al 2007). Such complex properties led us to make recent observations to reveal precise properties and new changes of the source. We used Korean VLBI Network (KVN) and VLBI Exploration of Radio Astronomy (VERA) Array (KaVA) which provide high-frequency (23GHz and 43GHz) and high spatial resolution (1.2mas and 0.6mas). Therefore, this system is suitable for morphological and physical research on parsec scale structure. We present results for several epochs observed during 2013 to 2014, mainly focusing on morphological changes of 4C39.25 using KaVA images.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.151-155
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• 2017

We investigate the radio properties of the dwarf galaxy SDSS J133245.62+263449.3 which shows optical signatures of black hole activity. Dwarf galaxies are known to host intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs) with masses $M_{BH}{\sim}10^{4-6}M_{\odot}$, some of them being radio loud. Recently, Reines et al. (2013) found dwarf galaxy candidates which show signatures of being black hole hosts based on optical spectral lines. SDSS J133245.62+263449.3 is one of them; it shows a flux density of ~ 20 mJy at 1.4 GHz, which corresponds to $L_{1.4GHz}{\sim}10^{23}W\;Hz^{-1}$. This is much brighter than other black hole host dwarf galaxies. However, star formation activity can contribute to radio continuum emission as well. To understand the nature of the radio emission from SDSS J133245.62+263449.3, we imaged this radio loud dwarf galaxy at low frequencies (325 MHz and 610 MHz) using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). We present here the high resolution images from our GMRT observations. While we detect no obvious extended emission from radio jets from the central AGN, we do find the emission to be moderately extended and unlikely to be dominated by disk star formation. VLBI observations using the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) are now being planned to understand the emission morphology and radiation mechanism.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.40.3-41
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• 2015

We performed simultaneous observations of H2O and SiO masers toward VX Sgr using the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) and Source Frequency Phase Referencing (SFPR) method. The observations were carried out at 5 epochs from 2014 February to 2015 June. The relative locations of the SiO with respect to the H2O maser emission were determined at two epochs by SFPR for the first time. The H2O masers show well developed asymmetric outflow features which are spread up to ~300 mas in diameter. On the other hand, the SiO masers show a ring-like structure close to the central star with ~ 30 mas diameter. The SFPR observational results at two epochs (${\varphi}=0.83$ and 0.99) provide similar relative locations of H2O and SiO maser features. These superposed maps of H2O and SiO masers lead us to investigate the development of outflow motions from relatively spherical SiO maser regions close to central star to aspherical H2O maser regions according to optical phase of stellar pulsation together with the prediction of the position of central star.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.61.1-61.1
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• 2014

IC 10 is one of the most well-known irregular starburst dwarf galaxies in the Local Group. Its low metal and oxygen abundance together with proximity make it an excellent laboratory to test star formation models, especially in low-metallicity systems like galaxies in the early Universe as well as many other local dwarfs. Among a number of active star forming regions, we have detected H2O kilo-maser emission in the south-east region of IC 10(IC 10 SE) using the Korean VLBI Network(KVN). This maser line is likely to be associated with a giant molecular cloud identified in IC 10 SE by former CO studies. Using the HI and CO data from the VLA and SMA archive, we probe the atomic and molecular gas properties of IC 10 SE. We discuss how the cool gas morphology and kinematics are related with maser and star formation activity in IC 10 SE.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.68.2-68.2
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• 2014

High Frequency Peakers (HFPs) are radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), which are regarded as being in the earliest evolutionary phase (102-103 years) of radio galaxies. They are expected to be small in size (< ~1 kpc) compared to their host galaxies (~a few 10s kpc), and have convex spectra, which are peaking at high radio frequency (> 5 GHz). Their size and spectral shape are the most obvious supporting evidence of extremely young ages. HFPs are therefore ideal targets to probe the earliest stage of radio sources. To date however, the young radio source classification has been relying mainly on the spectral shape which usually does not cover high enough frequencies where the true peak flux is located. Hence HFPs are often confused with blazars which may show a similar spectral shape and apparent compactness but are a somewhat evolved form of AGNs. Therefore, we have been challenging to identify HFPs among the sample of 19 candidates using the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) which enables us to extend the radio spectrum baseline up to 22 and 43 GHz. These are higher than the frequencies used in most previous studies of HFPs, allowing us to select genuine HFPs. By long-term monitoring of 18 epochs, we have also inspected the variability of the sample to select out blazars which are highly variable yet with a similar radio spectrum. In this work, we present the light curves and spectral properties of the HFP candidates. We discuss the results of our re-identification of HFPs.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.58.2-58.2
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• 2014

We present the results of the KVN observations of central galaxies in cool-core and non cool-core clusters. The goal is to study how cooling environments affect the AGN activities in the core where their host galaxies are embedded. From the HIghest FLUx Galaxy Cluster Sample (HIFLUGCS), we have selected 19 radio bright AGNs located in the center of clusters with various cooling timescale. In our pilot study, we have obtained 22 and 43 GHz fluxes and morphologies of the sample using the Korean VLBI network. We find that 22/43 GHz fluxes do not strongly depend on the presence of a cool gas flow. However, an intriguing fact is that most AGNs in the cool-core clusters show the hint of a pc-scale jet component while the ones in the non cool-core clusters do not. Based on these results, we discuss the role of cooling flows in the central cluster AGNs and their co-evolution.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.236.2-236.2
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• 2012

We present the interim results of simultaneous time monitoring observations of SiO v=1, 2, J =1-0, $^{29}SiO$ v=0, J =1-0, and $H_2O$ $6_{16}-5_{23}$ maser lines toward about 60 relatively strong SiO and/or H2O maser sources using the single dishes of the Korean VLBI Network from 2009 September to 2012 June. These monitoring sources are composed of representative semiregular variables, Miras, water fountain sources, preplantary nebulae and SiO maser sources of star forming regions etc. The variations of intensity ratios between SiO and $H_2O$ masers and velocity structures are investigated according to stellar optical phases and observational epochs. Several individual sources which show an interesting feature will be presented here.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.49.2-49.2
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• 2021

We present the results of long-term simultaneous monitoring observations (~ 12 years) of H²O (22 GHz) maser and several vibrationally excited lines of SiO J = 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 masers (43, 86, 129 GHz) carried out with the 21-m antennas of the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) toward a sample of three AGB stars (RT Vir, RR Aql, IRC-10151) that are believed to be semiregular variable star, Mira variable star, and OH/IR star, respectively, according to a sequential evolutionary phase of AGB star. A total 10 transitions were observed, of which we detected H²O, SiO 𝝊 = 1 and 2, J = 1-0, SiO 𝝊 = 1, J = 2-1 and J = 3-2 maser lines in all three target objects, depending on the observational epochs. In this study, we scrutinize the evolutionary traits of each target object based on the maser line profiles, flux/velocity variations, and phase lags with the optical light curves. The IRAS two color diagram and the infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in the wavelength range from 1.2 to 240 ㎛ of three observed sources were also analyzed.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.32.1-32.1
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• 2021

We present the magnetic field strengths of CTA 102 using multi-frequency data at 2.6-343.5 GHz in order to study the physical origins of radio flares. The observations at 22 and 43 GHz were conducted using the single-dish radio telescopes of the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) from December 2012 until May 2018 (MJD 56200-58400). We used multi-frequency data obtained from the Effelsberg 100-m, OVRO 40-m, Metsähovi 14-m, IRAM 30-m, SMA, ALMA, and VLBA telescopes. During the period of the observations, two major flares (R1 and R2) are seen clearly at 15 and 37 GHz during MJD 57500-57800 and MJD 58000-58300, respectively. The source shows typical variability with time-scales ranging from 20-161 days at 15 GHz. The variability Doppler factor is in the range of 11.51-31.23. The quasi-simultaneous radio data are used to investigate the synchrotron spectrum of the source, finding that the synchrotron radiation is self-absorbed. The turnover frequency and the peak flux density of the synchrotron self-absorption (SSA) spectra are in ranges of 38.06-167.86 GHz and 1.49-10.38 Jy, respectively. From the SSA spectra, magnetic field strengths are estimated to be < 10 mG. The equipartition magnetic field strengths are larger than the SSA magnetic field strengths by a factor of > 100. This indicates that the radio flares may be related to a particle energy-dominated emission region.