• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.41.2-41.2
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• 2015

Steward Observatory has a rich and diverse program of investigations, with significant groups working on star and planet formation and astrobiology, galaxy and quasar formation and evolution, technology for adaptive optics and interferometry, computational astrophysics, and effectiveness of educational practice. To support this work, Steward operates and offers a range of observational and other facilities, including the Large Binocular Telescope, the MMT, the Magellan Telescopes, the Arizona Radio Observatory, and a suite of 1- and 2-m class telescopes. A special opportunity for IR astronomy exists with Arizona now running UKIRT. Steward Observatory astronomers would welcome the opportunity to form genuine scientific collaborations that are mutually beneficial for high-impact projects and improving the observing facilities.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2018

A previous exo-terrestrial life-detecting experiment, which was conducted on Mars, sought to detect the products of glucose metabolism, the most common biological process on Earth (Viking biological experiment). Today, glucose metabolism is not considered the universal process of life survival. As NASA plans to launch an orbiter mission in the near future (2020s, the Clipper) and ultimately conduct a lander mission on Europa, a detection experiment that can give broader information regarding habitability is highly required. In this study, we designed a life-detecting experiment using a more universal feature of life, the amphipathic molecular membrane, theoretically considering the environment of Europa (waterdominant environment). This designed experiment focuses on finding and profiling hydrophobic cellular membrane-like microstructures. Expected results are given by conceptual data analysis with plausible hypothetical samples.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.15-39
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• 2014

Polarization is a basic property of light and is fundamentally linked to the internal geometry of a source of radiation. Polarimetry complements photometric, spectroscopic, and imaging analyses of sources of radiation and has made possible multiple astrophysical discoveries. In this article I review (i) the physical basics of polarization: electromagnetic waves, photons, and parameterizations; (ii) astrophysical sources of polarization: scattering, synchrotron radiation, active media, and the Zeeman, Goldreich-Kylafis, and Hanle effects, as well as interactions between polarization and matter (like birefringence, Faraday rotation, or the Chandrasekhar-Fermi effect); (iii) observational methodology: on-sky geometry, influence of atmosphere and instrumental polarization, polarization statistics, and observational techniques for radio, optical, and $X/{\gamma}$ wavelengths; and (iv) science cases for astronomical polarimetry: solar and stellar physics, planetary system bodies, interstellar matter, astrobiology, astronomical masers, pulsars, galactic magnetic fields, gamma-ray bursts, active galactic nuclei, and cosmic microwave background radiation.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.163-167
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• 2012

Although the identification of the progenitors of type Ia supernovae (SNeIa) remains controversial, it is generally accepted that they originate from binary star systems in which at least one component is a carbon-oxygen white dwarf (WD); those systems are grouped under the wide umbrella of cataclysmic variables. Current theories for SNeIa progenitors hold that, either via Roche lobe overflow of the companion or via a wind, the WD accumulates hydrogen or helium rich material which is then burned to C and O onto the WD's surface. However, the specifics of this scenario are far from being understood or defined, allowing for a wealth of theories fighting for attention and a dearth of observations to support them. I discuss the latest attempts to identify and study those controversial SNeIa progenitors. I also introduce the most promising progenitor in hand and I present observational diagnostics that can reveal more members of the category.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.63-63
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• 2012

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be the world's largest and most sensitive radio telescope. It will address a wide range of fundamental questions in physics, astrophysics, cosmology and astrobiology. Australia, one of the two countries selected to host the SKA, has spent several years preparing by opening up the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) as a uniquely radio quiet site in Western Australia, and by constructing the world's most powerful radio survey telescope, the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP). The SKA will be built in two phases. Phase I will include ASKAP, which will use novel phased-array feeds and grow to become "SKA-survey". Phase I will also include a dish array ("SKA-mid") in South Africa and a low-frequency array ("SKA-low") in Australia, and is slated for operation from about 2020. Phase II of the SKA will consist of further expansion of SKA-low and SKA-mid and is due for completion in the middle of the next decade.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.13-24
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• 2023

More than 5,000 exoplanets have been detected nowadays. One of the key motivations of exoplanet detection is to understand what physical/chemical conditions of exoplanets are suitable for harboring extraterrestrial life. Such conditions are called "habitability," and most modern studies assume the existence of liquid water as its key factor. In this paper, we review the current status of exoplanet and habitability studies, as well as some future (habitable) exoplanet survey plans, mostly from National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018, 2021). Also, we suggest several research items that the Korean astronomy and space science community could contribute to habitability.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.37-57
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• 2023

"Are we alone in the universe?" is the fundamental question of mankind. To search for the life signatures in the universe, there have been a lot of researches and space explorations, especially in our solar system. In this review paper, we introduce the definition and characteristics of the "biosignature". The current situations and future plans for searching for biosignatures in our solar system are reviewed, especially at Venus, Mars, and Ocean Worlds such as Europa and Enceladus where life signatures are more likely to exist than in other places in the solar system. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and strategies for the Korean scientific society to participate in searching for biosignatures in the solar system.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.59-73
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• 2023

Since the farside of the moon is a place to avoid artificial radio frequency interference (RFI) created by human civilization, it is a most suitable place for searching technosignature, which are signs of technological civilization in the universe, in the radio band. The RFI is a factor that makes the study of searching technosignature quite complicated because it is difficult to distinguish between technological signals produced by human and extraterrestrial civilizations. In this paper, we review why the farside of the moon is the best place to detect technosignature and also introduce radio observatories on the farside of the moon that have been proposed in radio astronomy. The SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project on the farside of the moon is expected to be one of the main candidates for international collaboration research topics on lunar surface observatory.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.31.2-31.2
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• 2015

We present a near-infrared photometric and polarimetric catalog of sources in the $39^{\prime}{\times}69^{\prime}$ fields on the northeastern part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), which was observed using SIRPOL, an imaging polarimeter of the Infrared Survey Facility (IRSF). This catalog contains 1,858 sources brighter than 14 mag at H band with polarization signal-to-noise ratio greater than 3 in at least one of J, H, and Ks bands. We examined the polarization structures around the star-forming regions, where coherent polarization position angle distributions are seen. We also estimated magnetic field strengths in some selected fields using Chandrasekhar and Fermi analysis. The magnetic field strengths are estimated to be $3{\sim}25{\mu}G$. The wavelength dependence of polarization degrees indicates that the polarization is most likely to be originated from dichroic extinctions by the local interstellar dusts in the LMC. We found that the polarization patterns are well aligned along the molecular clouds around star-forming regions.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.187-197
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• 2014

We have investigated the dynamical stability of the proposed companions orbiting the Algol type short-period eclipsing binary SW Lyncis (Kim et al. 2010). The two candidate companions are of stellar to substellar nature, and were inferred from timing measurements of the system's primary and secondary eclipses. We applied well-tested numerical techniques to accurately integrate the orbits of the two companions and to test for chaotic dynamical behavior. We carried out the stability analysis within a systematic parameter survey varying both the geometries and orientation of the orbits of the companions, as well as their masses. In all our numerical integrations we found that the proposed SW Lyn multi-body system is highly unstable on time-scales on the order of 1000 years. Our results cast doubt on the interpretation that the timing variations are caused by two companions. This work demonstrates that a straightforward dynamical analysis can help to test whether a best-fit companion-based model is a physically viable explanation for measured eclipse timing variations. We conclude that dynamical considerations reveal that the proposed SW Lyncis multi-body system most likely does not exist or the companions have significantly different orbital properties from those conjectured in Kim et al. (2010).