• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.377-384
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• 2012

The main field component of the Earth's magnetic field was modeled from the tri-axial magnetometer onboard KOrean MultiPurpose SATellite-II (KOMPSAT-II) for the purpose of satellite attitude control. The model computed by the KOMPSAT-II magnetometer measurement data is compared with the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) model of a degree of up to 13 in spherical harmonic coefficients. The previous study with KOMPSAT-I (Kim et al. 2004) indicated a good correlation of power spectrum of spherical harmonic coefficients with respect to the degree up to 5. This study, however, showed an agreement of the degree up to 8-9 of the coefficient power spectrum and a discrepancy between degrees 10 and 13. We have concluded that relevant data selection process, removal of the external field from the data in the high latitude region, an accuracy of the magnetometer all play an important role in finding a coherence with the IGRF model. This study will be extended to the secular variation model of geomagnetism if longer-period data become available.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.163-172
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• 2011

An intensive analysis of 185 timings of WZ Cep, including our new three timings, was made to understand the dynamical picture of this active W UMa-type binary. It was found that the orbital period of the system has complexly varied in two cyclical components superposed on a secularly downward parabola over about 80y. The downward parabola, corresponding to a secular period decrease of $-9.{^d}97{\times}10^{-8}y^{-1}$, is most probably produced by the action of both angular momentum loss (AML) due to magnetic braking and mass-transfer from the massive primary component to the secondary. The period decrease rate of $-6.^{d}72{\times}10^{-8}y^{-1}$ due to AML contributes about 67% to the observed period decrease. The mass flow of about $5.16{\times}10^{-8}M_{\odot}y^{-1}$ from the primary to the secondary results the remaining 33% period decrease. Two cyclical components have an $11.^{y}8$ period with amplitude of $0.^{d}0054$ and a $41.^{y}3$ period with amplitude of $0.^{d}0178$. It is very interesting that there seems to be exactly in a commensurable 7:2 relation between their mean motions. As the possible causes, two rival interpretations (i.e., light-time effects (LTE) by additional bodies and the Applegate model) were considered. In the LTE interpretation, the minimum masses of $0.30M_{\odot}$ for the shorter period and $0.49M_{\odot}$ for the longer one were calculated. Their contributions to the total light were at most within 2%, if they were assumed to be main-sequence stars. If the LTE explanation is true for the WZ Cep system, the 7:2 relation found between their mean motions would be interpreted as a stable 7:2 orbit resonance produced by a long-term gravitational interaction between two tertiary bodies. In the Applegate model interpretation, the deduced model parameters indicate that the mechanism could work only in the primary star for both of the two period modulations, but could not in the secondary. However, we couldn't find any meaningful relation between the light variation and the period variability from the historical light curve data. At present, we prefer the interpretation of the mechanical perturbation from the third and fourth stars as the possible cause of two cycling period changes.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 2010

BVR CCD observations of GW Cep were made on 15 nights in November through December 2008 with a 1-m reflector at the Jincheon station of the Chungbuk National University Observatory. Nineteen new times of minimum lights for GW Cep were determined and added to a collection of all other times of minima available to us. These data were then intensively analyzed, by reference to an O-C diagram, to deduce the general form of period variation for GW Cep. It was found that the O-C diagram could be interpreted as presenting two different forms of period change: an exclusively quasi-sinusoidal change with a period of 32.6 years and an eccentricity of 0.10; and a quasi-sinusoidal change with a period of 46.2 years and an eccentricity of 0.36 superposed on an upward parabola. Although a final conclusion is somewhat premature at present, the latter seems more plausible because late-type contact binaries allow an inter-exchange of both energy and mass between the component stars. The quasi-sinusoidal characteristics were interpreted in terms of a light-time effect due to an unseen tertiary component. The minimum masses of the tertiary component for both cases were calculated to be nearly the same as the $0.23-0.26M\;{\odot}$-ranges which is hardly detectable in a light curve synthesis. The upward parabolic O-C diagram corresponding to a secular period increase of about $4.12{\times}10^{-8}\;d/yr$ was interpreted as mass being transferred from the lesser to more massive component. The transfer rate for a conservative case was calculated to be about $2.66\;{\times}\;10^{-8}\;M_{\odot}/yr$ which is compatible with other W UMa-type contact binaries.