• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.55.1-55.1
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• 2011

Luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs; $L_{IR}$ > ${10^{11}}_{Lsun}$) are the most powerful objects in the local Universe. Previous work suggested that dust re-processing of starburst and/or active galactic nuclei (AGN) activity, triggered by galaxy interactions, is responsible for their enormous infrared emission. To understand the nature of LIRGs, it is essential to determine their spectral types. Optical spectral types of 115 ultraluminous infrared galaxies in the southern sky are presented using CTIO observations. The AGN fraction is on average 50% and increases with infrared luminosity. Near-infrared spectral types of 36 LIRGs are also presented based on AKARI observations. In the sample, 12 optically elusive buried AGNs are found. To investigate the evolutionary sequence of LIRGs, star formation histories of ~6000 LIRGs in the SDSS and IRAS/AKARI matched sample are derived by comparing observed optical spectra and stellar population models. AGN-dominated LIRGs are currently massive relative to starburst-dominated LIRGs, which originates from an enhancement of star formation at intermediate-ages. For ~1100 early-type LIRGs, optical and NIR fundamental planes (FPs) are constructed. The FP of LIRGs is significantly different from that of normal early-type galaxies, but the difference is minimized in low luminous and AGN-like LIRGs. These findings support that the importance of AGN is growing as infrared luminosity increases and that LIRGs follow at least in the high mass regime the standard evolutionary scenario: starburst LIRGs evolve into AGN LIRGs and finally into normal early-type galaxies.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.301-303
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• 2012

We present the result of our near infrared J- (${\lambda}=1.25{\mu}m$), H- (${\lambda}=1.63{\mu}m$), and $K_s$-band (${\lambda}=2.14{\mu}m$) imaging of ultraluminous ($L_{IR}$ > $10^{12}L_{\odot}$) and luminous ($L_{IR}=10^{11-12}L_{\odot}$) infrared galaxies (ULIRGs and LIRGs), to investigate their relationship through properties of their host galaxies. We find that (1) for single-nucleus ULIRGs and LIRGs, their spheroidal host galaxies have similar properties, but ULIRGs display a substantially higher level of nuclear activity than LIRGs, suggesting that their infrared luminosity difference comes primarily from the different level of current nuclear activity. We infer that LIRGs and ULIRGs have similar progenitor galaxies, follow similar evolutionary processes, and may evolve into optically-selected QSOs. (2) Largely-separated multiple-nuclei ULIRGs have significantly brighter host galaxies than single-nucleus ULIRGs and LIRGs in $K_s$-band, indicating that multiple-nuclei ULIRGs have a bias towards mergers of intrinsically large progenitor galaxies, in order to produce high infrared luminosity ($L_{IR}$ > $10^{12}L_{\odot}$) even at the early merging stage. (3) We derive dust extinction of host galaxies of ULIRGs and LIRGs to be $A_V$ ~ 14 mag in the optical or equivalently $A_K$ ~ 0.8 mag in the near-infrared $K_s$-band, based on the comparison of host galaxy's luminosities in the J-, H-, and $K_s$-bands.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.169-173
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• 2017

We provide a new physical insight on the hot molecular clouds near the nucleus of the obscured AGNs. We performed near-infrared spectroscopic observations of heavily obscured AGNs in order to reveal physical characteristics of molecular clouds, especially focused on the CO fundamental ro-vibrational absorption around $4.7{\mu}m$. We have made systematic moderate-resolution spectroscopic observations toward 30 representative (U)LIRGs using the AKARI/IRC, and some of the ULIRGs showed the strong CO absorption feature. For three bright (U)LIRGs that show a steep red continuum with the deep CO absorption feature, IRAS 08572+3915, UGC 05101, and IRAS 01250+2832, we have also made high-resolution spectroscopic observations using the Subaru/IRCS. We have successfully detected many absorption lines up to highly excited rotational levels, and these lines are very deep and extremely broad. The derived physical conditions of molecular clouds are extreme; the gas temperature is as high as several 100 to a 1000 K, the $H_2$ column density is larger than $10^{22}cm^{-2}$, and the gas density is greater than $10^7cm^{-3}$. Such hot and dense molecular clouds must exist around the central engine of the AGN.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.50.2-50.2
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• 2012

We present the results of near infrared (2.5-5 micron) spectroscopy of nearby luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) using AKARI. The LIRG catalog is constructed from the cross-correlation between the Infrared Astronomical Satellite and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data, and optically non-Seyfert type LIRGs are selected for main targets. We search for optically elusive active galactic nuclei (AGNs), based on the strengths of 3.3 micron polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission and dust absorption features at 3-4 micron. We investigate the hidden AGN fraction as a function of the infrared luminosity and correlation between optical and near infrared star formation indicators.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.297-298
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• 2012

ANIR (Atacama Near InfraRed camera) is a near infrared camera for the University of Tokyo Atacama 1m telescope, installed at the summit of Co. Chajnantor (5,640 m altitude) in northern Chile. The high altitude and extremely low water vapor (PWV = 0.5 mm) of the site enable us to perform observation of hydrogen $Pa{\alpha}$ emission line at $1.8751{\mu}m$. Since its first light observation in June 2009, we have been carrying out a $Pa{\alpha}$ narrow-band imaging survey of nearby luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs), and have obtained $Pa{\alpha}$ for 38 nearby LIRGs listed in AKARI/FIS-PSC at the velocity of recession between 2,800 km/s and 8,100 km/s. LIRGs are affected by a large amount of dust extinction ($A_V$~ 3 mag), produced by their active star formation activities. Because $Pa{\alpha}$ is the strongest hydrogen recombination line in the infrared wavelength ranges, it is a good and direct tracer of dust-enshrouded star forming regions, and enables us to probe the star formation activities in LIRGs. We find that LIRGs have two star-forming modes. The origin of the two modes probably come from differences between merging stage and/or star-forming process.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.309-311
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• 2017

Properties of ULIRGs (Ultra Luminous InfraRed Galaxies) are important to understand the cosmic star formation history. To investigate their properties up to z=0.3, we search for ULIRGs identified by using the AKARI/FIS Bright Source Catalogue and the WISE All-Sky catalog. By matching the AKARI $90{\mu}m$ catalogue with the WISE catalog, we selected 3,452 galaxies. Additionally, combined with the SDSS DR10 spectroscopic data, we selected 952 galaxies with spec-z. We then computed total infrared luminosities using SED fitting technique, and identified 31 ULIRGs, 561 LIRGs and 344 IRGs. For these galaxies, we found an indication that ULIRGs selected by AKARI change the SED shape with redshift (z = 0.1 - 0.3).

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.313-315
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• 2017

We present physical properties of $24{\mu}m$ galaxies detected by AKARI and Spitzer and their evolution between redshifts 0.4 < z < 2. Using multi-wavelength data from X-ray to radio observations in NEP Deep Field (for AKARI) and Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field (for Spitzer), we derive photometric redshift, stellar mass, star-formation rate (SFR), dust extinction magnitude and rest-frame luminosities/colors of the $24{\mu}m$ galaxies from photometric SED fitting. We infer the SFRs from rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity and total infrared luminosity calibrated against Herschel photometric data. For both survey fields, we obtain complete samples with stellar mass of > $10^{10}M_{\odot}$ and SFR of > $30M_{\odot}/yr$ up to z = 2. We find that specific SFRs evolves with redshift at all stellar masses in NON-power-law galaxies (non-PLGs) as star-formation dominant luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs). The correlations between specific SFR and stellar mass in the Spitzer and AKARI galaxy samples are well consistent with trends of the main sequence galaxies. We also discuss nature of PLGs and their evolution.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.77.1-77.1
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• 2010

I summarize highlights from extragalactic research activities performed with AKARI infrared space telescope. The main emphasis will be given to the works carried out by Korean astronomers. The activities span a wide range of topics, such as MIR properties of nearby galaxies in cluster environment, MIR diagnosis of star-forming galaxies at z=0 through z=2 in the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) survey field, the Extended Groth Strip (EGS), and the First Look Survey (FLS) field, and the NIR spectroscopy of Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) and Active Galactic Nuclei/Super-massive Black Holes at low redshift as well as near the re-ionization epoch of z~6. I describe FIR and MIR all sky data which can be used as a precious resource for extragalactic research, and other future and ongoing works with AKARI. These AKARI results will form a strong basis for future studies using other facilities, such as infrared surveys with UKIRT, FIR study of dusty universe with Herschel, and the SPICA mission.