• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.125-128
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• 2005

In this paper, we argue that the gigahertz peaked spectrum (GPS) quasars are special blazars, blazars in dense and dusty gas enviornment. The ROSAT detection rate of GPS quasars is similar to that of flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), suggesting that the relativistic jets in GPS quasars are oriented at small angle to the line of sight. Due to strong inverse Compton scattering off infrared photons from dense and dusty nuclear interstellar media in GPS quasars, most of them may have significant soft gamma-ray and X-ray emission, which is consistent with ASCA X-ray observations. Because Compton cooling in GPS quasars is stronger than that in FSRQs, synchrotron emission in GPS quasars may less dominate over thermal emission of the accretion disk and hot dust, hence most GPS quasars show low optical polarization and small variability, consistent with observations. We suggest that it is the significant radio emission of electron/positron pairs produced by the interaction of gamma-rays with the dense gas and dust grains in GPS quasars that makes GPS quasars show steep radio spectra, low radio polarization, and relatively faint VLBI/VLBA cores. Whether GPS quasars are special blazars can be tested by gamma-ray observations with GLAST in the near future, with the detection rate of GPS quasars being similar to that of FSRQs.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.45.1-45.1
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• 2014

We present the results of a time series analysis of the long-term radio lightcurves of four blazars: 3C 279, 3C 345, 3C 446, and BL Lacertae. We exploit the data base of the University of Michigan Radio Astronomy Observatory (UMRAO) monitoring program which provides densely sampled lightcurves spanning 32 years in time in three frequency bands located at 4.8, 8, and 14.5,GHz. Our sources show mostly flat or inverted (spectral indices -0.5 < alpha < 0) spectra, in agreement with optically thick emission. All lightcurves show strong variability on all time scales. Analyzing the time lags between the lightcurves from different frequency bands, we find that we can distinguish high-peaking flares and low-peaking flares in accord with the classification of Valtaoja et al. (1992). The periodograms (temporal power spectra) of the observed lightcurves are consistent with random-walk powerlaw noise without any indication of (quasi-)periodic variability. The fact that all four sources studied are in agreement with being random-walk noise emitters at radio wavelengths suggests that such behavior is a general property of blazars.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2001

We present the results of optical differential photometry of five blazars [PKS0219+428 (3C66A), PKS 0235+164 (AO 0235+16), H0414+019, PKS 0851+202 (OJ 287) and QSO 1807+698 (3C 371)] that were observed on 7 nights between November 05, 1997 and December 29, 1998, using the B and the V band filters. We have detected microvariations in four blazars (3C66A, AO 0235+16, H04l4+019, and OJ 287). In addition, the light curve of AO 0235+16 has displayed a mini-flare when the brightness of this source was decreasing. Night-to-night variations have also been detected in 3C66A, H04l4+019, and OJ 287. The results of our observations are discussed in the framework of accretion disk phenomena (magnetic flares or hot spots in accretion disks) and jet phenomena (plasma instabilities in jets).

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.60.1-60.1
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• 2014

In the center of an Active Galactic Nuclei(AGN) is a supermassive black hole which accretes matter from its surroundings. The radio-loud AGN launch two relativistic jets perpendicular to the accretion disk which terminates into radio lobes located up to megaparsec away. Blazars form a small subset of radio-loud AGNs with one of two relativistic jets pointing toward the observer's line of sight. Many blazars often show flares at different frequencies. And these flares at different frequencies are known that they often correlate with each other. In 2013 December, there was a gamma-ray flare in 3C 279, one of the brightest blazars, Dec 2013. So we want to reveal that whether this flare correlates with radio flare or not, and where the flare originate. With polarization observation at radio frequencies, we can study the physical properties of the magnetic field in the innermost regions of the relativistic jets. Therefore, we have conducted polarization monitoring of this source from Dec. 2013 to Jun. 2014 with KVN(Korea VLBI Network) radio telescopes at 22, 43 and 86GHz. Here we present the initial results of the monitoring of 3C 279. We prospect that we can reveal the origin of this gamma-ray flare by comparing with our radio data.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.433-437
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• 2015

We show the results of a time series analysis of the long-term light curves of four blazars. 3C 279, 3C 345, 3C 446, and BL Lacertae. We used densely sampled light curves spanning 32 years at three frequency bands (4.8, 8, 14.5 GHz), provided by the University of Michigan Radio Astronomy Observatory monitoring program. The spectral indices of our sources are mostly flat or inverted (-0.5 < ${\alpha}$ < 0), which is consistent with optically thick emission. Strong variability was seen in all light curves on various time scales. From the analyses of time lags between the light curves from different frequency bands and the evolution of the spectral indices with time, we find that we can distinguish high-peaking flares and low-peaking flares according to the Valtaoja et al. classification. The periodograms (temporal power spectra) of the light curves are in good agreement with random-walk power-law noise without any indication of (quasi-)periodic variability. We note that random-walk noise light curves can originate from multiple shocks in jets. The fact that all our sources are in agreement with being random-walk noise emitters at radio wavelengths suggests that such behavior is a general property of blazars. We are going to generalize our approach by applying our methodology to a much larger blazar sample in the near future.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.105-108
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• 2016

In this work, based on our previous calculations of spectral energy distributions for a sample of Fermi blazars (Fan et al. 2015a), we calculated the radio loudness and performed correlation analyses. Our analysis results show that radio loudness is closely anti-correlated with synchrotron peak frequency and positively correlated with gamma-ray luminosity, suggesting that the gamma-ray emissions are strongly beamed.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.115-115
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• 2014

First, We will briefly introduce early science results of AGN observations with KVN and KaVA. KaVA is the combined array of the Korean VLBI network (KVN) and VLBI Exploration of Radio Astronomy (VERA). These include KaVA monitoring of M87, Sgr A* and a few bright blazars and KVN Search for circular polarized Blazars. Furthermore, we will present our future plan of monitoring observation of Sgr A* and M87 with KaVA and Low Radio Power AGN multi frequency polarization survey with KVN. Because of the largeness of their centralsuper-massive black holes, we select them as top-priority sources of our key science program (KSP). The main science goals of the KaVA KSP are (1) mapping the velocity field of the M87 jet and testing magnetically-driven-jet paradigm, and (2) obtaining tightest constraints on physical properties of radio emitting region in Sgr A. High sensitivity achieved through simultaneous multifrequency phase referencing technique of KVN will allow us to explore Low Radio Power AGN cores which build majority of AGNs and therefore are important for undestanding the evolution of AGNs and of their hosts.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.29 no.spc1
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• pp.99-102
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• 1996

I discuss implications of gamma-ray emission from blazars based on electron acceleration by shock waves in a relativistic jet. The number spectrum of electrons turns out to be a broken power law; while at low energies the power law index has a universal value of 2, at high energies it steepens to an index of 3 because of strong radiative cooling. This spectrum can basically reproduce the observed spectral break between X-rays and gamma-rays. I show that energetics of relativistic jets can be well explained by this model. I estimate physical quantities of the relativistic jets by comparing the prediction with observations. The results show that the jets are particle dominated and are comprised of electron-positron pairs. A connection between gamma-ray emission and radiation drag is also discussed.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.177-183
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• 2016

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are too compact to be resolved by any existing optical telescope facility, making it difficult to understand their structure and the emission processes responsible for their huge energy output. However, variability, one of their characteristic properties, provides a tool to probe the inner regions of AGN. Blazars are the best candidates for such a study, and hence a considerable amount of effort is being made to investigate variability in these sources across the electromagnetic spectrum. Here, using the Mt. Abu infrared observatory (MIRO) blazar monitoring program, we present intra-night, inter-night, and long term aspects of the variability in S5 0716+71, 3C66A, and OJ 287. These stars show significant variability on short (a few tens of mins, to a few hours, to a few days) to long term (months to years) timescales. Based on the light travel time argument, the shortest variability timescales (micro-variability) provide upper limits to the size of the emission region. While S5 0716 shows a very high duty cycle of variability (> 80 %), 3C66A shows a much lower intra day variability (IDV) duty cycle (< 20 %). All three show rapid variations within 2.5 to 3.5 hr, which, perhaps, are generated near the vicinity of black holes. Assuming this, estimates of the masses of the black holes are made at ~10⁹, 8×10⁸, and 2.7×10⁹ M_⨀ for S5 0716+71, 3C66A, and OJ 287, respectively. Multi-wavelength light-curves for the blazar PKS 1510-089 are discussed to infer the emission processes responsible for the recent flaring episodes in this source.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.42.2-42.2
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• 2015

High frequency peakers (HFPs) are promising candidates for young active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Their small physical scale (< 1 kpc) and radio spectrum peaked at high frequency (> 5 GHz) are suggestive that it has been only about $10^2-10^3$ years since a central massive black hole in their host galaxies was launched. Until recently however, long-term monitoring radio observations at frequencies which are high enough to cover the true peak of HFP candidates were rare. Therefore, previous HFP samples are often contaminated by blazars, which are highly variable, hence may show a similar radio spectrum as HFPs depending on the observational epoch. In this work, we challenge to identify genuine young AGNs by monitoring HFP candidates at high radio frequencies. We performed single-dish monitoring of 19 candidates in 18 epochs over 2.5 years at 22 and 43 GHz using the Korean VLBI Network (KVN). Also, using KaVA, a combined array of the KVN and the VERA in Japan, we carried out 22 GHz VLBI observations of two HFPs and one blazar selected from our sample in order to compare their parsec scale (milli-arcsecond scale) morphology. HFPs are expected to have double/triple features, so called compact symmetric objects, which are scaled-down versions of extended radio galaxies, while blazars typically show core-jet morphology. We discuss the properties of AGNs at their very early evolutionary stage based on the results of the KVN and KaVA observations.