• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.44.2-44.2
• /
• 2018

G33.92+0.11, classified as a core-halo UC HII region at a distance of 7.1 kpc, contains several sub-clumps (~20-200 solar masses) as identified by dust continuum emission. This source shows very complicated features associated with vigorous massive star-forming activities with a nearly face-on projection. The ambient gas is still accreting to the massive molecular clumps dynamically, while the whole cloud is under disruption by newly formed stars. Using the recent high resolution (< 0.2") ALMA observations, we investigate the detailed structure associated with the star-forming activities by comparing different chemical tracers. The sub-clumps having extremely complex morphologies still preserve cold dense gas together with the turbulent and dense warm gas resulted by newly formed stars and interaction with accreting gas. The accretion of the ambient gas may have occurred episodically to this source. Most recent star formation, which probably the third generation of star formation in this region, is taking place in the northern part (A5 clump). The relatively small mass (~ 1/3 of A1 or A2) and the lack of turbulent gas of this star-forming core may suggest that this core was formed already during the overall collapse of the whole cloud for the first star formation. We think that gravitational collapse of these sub-clumps appears as sequential star formation of this region. The later interaction with accreting gas may have not been a direct cause of the star formation activities of this source.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.67-79
• /
• 2019

We present a semi-analytical method to calculate the global evolution of the ionized state of the intergalactic medium, on the basis of physically motivated star formation histories in the early universe. This method incorporates not only the conventional scenarios in which the star formation rate is proportional to the growth rate of the halo collapse fraction, but also the more sophisticated scenarios in which the star formation is self-regulated. We show that this variance in the star-formation model strongly impacts the resulting reionization history, which bears a prospect for observational discrimination of these models. We discuss how observations of the anisotropic polarization of the cosmic microwave background and the global 21cm signal from the high-redshift universe, most notably by Planck and EDGES, may probe the history of reionization.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.93-97
• /
• 2015

How high-mass stars form is currently unclear. Calculations suggest that the radiation pressure of a forming star can halt spherical infall, preventing further growth when it reaches $10M_{\odot}$. Two major theoretical models on the further growth of stellar mass have been proposed. One model suggests the merging of less massive stellar objects, and the other is through accretion, but with the help of a disk. Inflow motions are key evidence for how forming stars gain further mass to build up massive stars. Recent developments in technology have boosted the search for inflow motion. A number of high-mass collapse candidates were obtained with single dish observations, and mostly showed blue profiles. Infalling signatures seem to be more common in regions which have developed radiation pressure than in younger cores, which is the opposite of the theoretical prediction and is also very different from observations of low mass star formation. Interferometer studies so far confirm this tendency with more obvious blue profiles or inverse P Cygni profiles. Results seem to favor the accretion model. However, the evolution of the infall motion in massive star forming cores needs to be further explored. Direct evidence for monolithic or competitive collapse processes is still lacking. ALMA will enable us to probe more detail of the gravitional processes.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.39.2-40
• /
• 2016

The molecular gas surrounding an H II region is thought to be a place where star formation can be induced. Such triggered star formation can arise form the overpressurization of existing density enhancements or thought the collapse of a swept up layers of material. In this talk, We will discuss the results of a study of star-formation activity associated with the outer Galaxy ring-shaped H II regions KR 7, KR 81, KR 120 and KR 140 using archival Spitzer and WISE data along with the JHK observations. We used CO data cubes from the FCRAO and TRAO in order to define extent of the molecular cloud associated each HII region. Using the infrared data sets, We identified and classified YSO populations within each molecular cloud using measures such as the class I/II ratio and YSO spatial density. Along with this, one of the main question in the study of star formation is how protostar accrete material from their parent molecular clouds and observations of infall motions are needed to provide direct evidence for accretion. Combining our observation of the YSO population distribution with time scales associated with YSO evolution and HII expansion, we investigated the possible significance of triggered star formation in the molecular cloud surrounding each region.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.28.2-28.2
• /
• 2021

We investigate the impact of ram pressure stripping due to the intracluster medium (ICM) on star-forming disk galaxies with a multiphase interstellar medium maintained by strong stellar feedback. We carry out radiation-hydrodynamic simulations of an isolated disk galaxy embedded in a 1011 M⦿ dark matter halo with various ICM winds mimicking the cluster outskirts (moderate) and the central environment (strong). We find that both star formation quenching and triggering occur in ram pressure-stripped galaxies, depending on the strength of the winds. HI and H2 in the outer galactic disk are significantly stripped in the presence of moderate winds, whereas turbulent pressure provides support against ram pressure in the central region, where star formation is active. Moderate ICM winds facilitate gas collapse, increasing the total star formation rates by ~40% when the wind is oriented face-on or by ~80% when it is edge-on. In contrast, strong winds rapidly blow away neutral and molecular hydrogen gas from the galaxy, suppressing star formation by a factor of 2 within ~200 Myr. Dense gas clumps with nH≳10 M⦿ pc-2 are easily identified in extraplanar regions, but no significant young stellar populations are found in such clumps. In our attempts to enhance radiative cooling by adopting a colder ICM of T=106K only a few additional stars are formed in the tail region, even if the amount of newly cooled gas increases by an order of magnitude.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.53.3-53.3
• /
• 2015

We analyzed both HCN J=1-0 and HNC J=1-0 line profiles to study the inflow motions in different evolutionary stages of massive star formation; infrared dark clouds (IRDCs), high-mass protostellar object (HMPOs), and ultra-compact HII regions (UCHIIs). The infall asymmetry in HCN spectra seems to be prevalent throughout all the three evolutionary phases, with IRDCs showing the largest excess in blue profile. In the case of HNC spectra, the prevalence of blue sources does not appear, excepting for IRDCs. We suggest that this line is not appropriate to trace infall motion in evolved stages of massive star formation because of an astrochemical effect. This result spotlights the importance of considering chemistry in dynamical study in star-forming regions. The fact that the IRDCs show the highest blue excess in both infall tracers indicates that the most active infall occurs in the early phase of star formation, i.e., the IRDC phase rather than in the later phases. However, the UCHIIs is likely still accreting matters. We also found that the absorption dips of the HNC spectra in all blue sources are red--shifted relative to their central velocities. These red-shifted absorption dips may indicate the observational signature of overall collapse although observations with better resolutions are needed to examine this feature more in detail.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.29 no.spc1
• /
• pp.111-118
• /
• 1996

We review observational evidence bearing on the formation of a prototypical large spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. New ground- and space-based studies of globular star clusters and dwarf spheroidal galaxies provide a wealth of information to constrain theories of galaxy formation. It appears likely that the Milky Way formed by an combination of rapid, dissipative collapse and mergers, but the relative contributions of these two mechanisms remain controversial. New evidence, however, indicates that initial star and star cluster formation occurred simultaneously over a volume that presently extends to twice the distance of the Magellanic Clouds.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.157-160
• /
• 2007

I present a model to explain the mass segregation and shallow mass functions observed in the central parts of starburst stellar clusters. The model assumes that the initial pre-stellar cores mass function resulting from the turbulent fragmentation of the proto-cluster cloud is significantly altered by the cores coalescence before they collapse to form stars. With appropriate, yet realistic parameters, this model based on the competition between cores coalescence and collapse reproduces the mass spectra of the well studied Arches cluster. Namely, the slopes at the intermediate and high mass ends, as well as the peculiar bump observed at $6M_{\bigodot}$. This coalescence-collapse process occurs on a short timescale of the order of the free fall time of the proto-cluster cloud (i.e., a few $10^4$ years), suggesting that mass segregation in Arches and similar clusters is primordial. The best fitting model implies the total mass of the Arches cluster is $1.45{\times}10^5M_{\bigodot}$, which is slightly higher than the often quoted, but completeness affected, observational value of a few $10^4M_{\bigodot}$. The model implies a star formation efficiency of ${\sim}30$ percent which implies that the Arches cluster is likely to a gravitationally bound system.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.32.2-32.2
• /
• 2017

Stars form in dense core within the molecular clouds. The prestellar cores provide information of the physical characteristics at the very early stages of star formation. The low dust temperature (<14K) of Planck cold clumps/cores (PGCCs) make them likely to be prestellar objects or at the very initial stage of protostellar collapse. We have been conducting the legacy surveys of Planck cold clumps with the JCMT, the TRAO 14-m and many other telescopes. We aim to study of the initial conditions of star formation and chemical evolutions of the cores in the different environments. From JCMT SCUBA-2 $850{\mu}m$ survey (SCOPE), we have already identified hundreds of dense cores, which may be at the earliest phase of star formation. Therefore in order to explore the chemical evolution of these dense cores, we used KVN telescopes in order to observe 75 well selected SCUBA-2 cores in many molecules as the follow-up project of KVN Pilot Observation of SCUBA-2. These observations will help advance our understanding of the propoerties of these SCUBA-2 cores in PGCCs.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.68.1-68.1
• /
• 2015

Gravitational collapse is a dynamical process associated with star formation. One observational evidence of such infall motion is so called "blue asymmetry" profile, which is the optically thick line profile with the intensity peak skewed blueward relative to the intensity peak of optically thin lines. We analyzed both HCN J=1-0 and HNC J=1-0 line profiles to study the inflow motion in different evolutionary stages of massive star formation; Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs), High-mass protostellar object (HMPOs), and Ultra-compact HII regions (UCHIIs). The infall asymmetry in the HCN spectra seems to be more prevalent than the HNC spectra throughout all the three evolutionary phases. The prevalence of the blue profile in the HCN spectra is found in every evolutionary stage, with IRDCs showing the largest blue excess. In the case of the HNC spectra, only IRDCs show the blue excess statistically significant. These results suggest that HCN may be a better infall tracer in massive star forming region. In addition, even though the characteristics of the blue profile largely depend on the suitable combination of optical depth and critical density, our analyses also indicate that IRDCs may have the most active infall process compared to other evolutionary phases.