• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.83-90
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• 2010

I briefly review what has been learned from determinations of mean stellar ages and abundances from integrated light studies of early-type galaxies, and discuss some new questions posed by recent data. A short discussion of spectroscopic ages is presented, but the main focus of this review is on the abundances of Fe, Mg, Ca, N, and C, obtained from comparisons of measurements taken in integrated spectra of galaxies with predictions from stellar population synthesis models.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.9-28
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• 2002

We present UBVI CCD photometry of the stellar contents and globular cluster(GC) candidates in the spiral galaxy NGC 300 in the Sculptor group. Color-magnitude diagrams for 18 OB associations having more than 30 member stars are presented. The slope of the initial mass function for the bright stars in NGC 300 is estimated to be ${\Gamma}= -2.6{\pm} 0.3$. Assuming the distance to NGC 300 of (m - M)o = 26.53 $\pm$ 0.07, the mean absolute magnitude of three brightest blue stars is obtained to be < $M_v^{BSG}$ (3) > = -8.95 mag. We have performed search for GCs in NGC 300 and have found 17 GC candidates in this galaxy. Some characteristics of these GC candidates are discussed.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.39.2-39.2
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• 2017

Over the last decade, deep studies of nearby galaxies have led to the discovery of vast stellar envelopes that are often rich in substructure. These components are naturally predicted in models of hierarchical galaxy assembly, and their observed properties place important constraints on the amount, nature, and history of satellite accretion. One of the most effective ways of mapping the peripheral regions of galaxies is through resolved star studies. Using wide-field cameras equipped to 8 m class telescopes, it has recently become possible to extend these studies to systems beyond the Local Group. Located at a distance of 3.6 Mpc, M81 is a prime target for wide-field mapping of its resolved stellar content. In this talk, we present the detailed results from our deep wide-field imaging survey of the M81 group with the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), on the Subaru Telescope. We report on the analysis of the structures, stellar populations, and metallicities of old dwarf galaxies such as NGC3077, IKN, KDG061, as well as young stellar systems such as Arp's Loop and Holmberg IX. Several candidates for yet-undiscovered faint dwarf galaxies and young stellar clumps in the M81 group will also be introduced. The peculiar galaxy NGC3077 has been classified as the irregular galaxy. Okamoto et al. (2015, ApJ 809, L1) discovered an extended halo structure with S-shape elongated tails, obvious feature of tidal interaction. With a help of numerical simulation by Penarrubia et al. (2009, ApJ 698, 222), we will demonstrate that this tidal feature was formed during the latest close encounters between M81, M82, and NGC 3077, which induced star formation in tidally stripped gas far from the main bodies of galaxies. It is not clear whether the latest tidal interaction was the first close encounters of three galaxies. If NGC3077 is still surrounded by the dark matter halo, it implies that NGC3077 has undergone the first tidal stripping by larger companions. Kinematic studies of inter galactic globular clusters and planetary nebulae would tell us the past history of tidal interaction in this group of galaxies.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.535-537
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• 2015

Interpreting ultraviolet-to-infrared (UV-to-IR) observations of galaxies in terms of constraints on physical parameters-such as stellar mass ($M_{\ast}$) and star formation rate (SFR)-requires spectral synthesis modelling. We investigate how increasing the level of sophistication of the standard simplifying assumptions of such models can improve estimates of galaxy physical parameters. To achieve this, we compile a sample of 1048 galaxies at redshifts 0.7 < z < 2.8 with accurate photometry at rest-frame UV to near-IR wavelengths from the 3D-HST Survey. We compare the spectral energy distributions of these galaxies with those from different model spectral libraries to derive estimates of the physical parameters. We find that spectral libraries including sophisticated descriptions of galaxy star formation histories (SFHs) and prescriptions for attenuation by dust and nebular emission provide a much better representation of the observations than 'classical' spectral libraries, in which galaxy SFHs are assumed to be exponentially declining functions of time, associated with a simple prescription for dust attenuation free of nebular emission. As a result, for the galaxies in our sample, $M_{\ast}$ derived using classical spectral libraries tends to be systematically overestimated and SFRs systematically underestimated relative to the values derived adopting a more realistic spectral library. We conclude that the sophisticated approach considered here is required to reliably interpret fundamental diagnostics of galaxy evolution.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.55.2-55.2
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• 2013

We examine the effect of environment on star formation activity of a sample of a galaxy group catalogue constructed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey(SDSS DR8) given in Tempel et al.(2012). As an environmental parameter, we use the richness of the galaxy group. According to this parameter, we select 6846 galaxies in dense environment and 297335 galaxies in low environment. By comparing the two samples, we identify the different relationship between star formation rate and stellar mass. In order to compare galaxies in different environment, we fixed other parameters(color, apparent magnitude), which can affect star formation efficiency except for stellar mass. Also, based on HI mass from the ALFALFA survey, we study the environmental dependence of Kennicutt-Schmidt law which show the correlation between star formation rate and gas content.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.38.1-38.1
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• 2019

The formation and evolution of galaxies is known to be fundamentally linked to the local environment in which they reside. In the highest-density cluster environments, galaxies tend to be more massive, have lower star formation rates and dust content, and a higher fraction have elliptical morphologies. The stellar populations of these cluster galaxies are older implying that they formed the bulk of their stars much earlier and have since evolved passively. Quantifying the specific environmental factors that contribute to shaping cluster galaxies over the Hubble time and measuring their early evolution can only be accomplished by directly tracing the galaxy growth in young clusters and forming porto-clusters. In this talk, I will present a novel technique designed to map out the total dust obscured star formation relative to where existing stars lie. I will demonstrate that this technique can be used 1) to determine if/where/when the activity is heightened or suppressed in dense cluster environment; 2) to measure the total mass and spatial distribution of stellar populations; and 3) to better inform theoretical models. Our ongoing work to extend this analysis out to protoclusters (z~2-4) will be discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.17-35
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• 2021

We study galaxies undergoing ram pressure stripping in the Virgo cluster to examine whether we can identify any discernible trend in their star formation activity. We first use 48 galaxies undergoing different stages of stripping based on H i morphology, H i deficiency, and relative extent to the stellar disk, from the VIVA survey. We then employ a new scheme for galaxy classification which combines H i mass fractions and locations in projected phase space, resulting in a new sample of 365 galaxies. We utilize a variety of star formation tracers, which include g - r, WISE [3.4]-[12] colors, and starburstiness that are defined by stellar mass and star formation rates to compare the star formation activity of galaxies at different stripping stages. We find no clear evidence for enhancement in the integrated star formation activity of galaxies undergoing early to active stripping. We are instead able to capture the overall quenching of star formation activity with increasing degree of ram pressure stripping, in agreement with previous studies. Our results suggest that if there is any ram pressure stripping induced enhancement, it is at best locally modest, and galaxies undergoing enhancement make up a small fraction of the total sample. Our results also indicate that it is possible to trace galaxies at different stages of stripping with the combination of H i gas content and location in projected phase space, which can be extended to other galaxy clusters that lack high-resolution H i imaging.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.77.2-77.2
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• 2017

We investigate star formation activities of ~400 barred and unbarred faced-on late-type galaxies from the SDSS-IV MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO) IFU survey. We find the star formation activities in gas-poor, barred galaxies are considerably suppressed than gas-rich, barred galaxies, while there is no difference among unbarred galaxies regardless of their HI gas content. The gas-poor and barred galaxies show the steeper difference of gradient in metallicity and age with respect to the stellar mass than gas-rich or unbarred galaxies, in that their centre is more metal-rich and younger. The results suggest that, combined with the gas contents available, the bar structure plays a significant role in quenching star formation in a galaxy by transporting/mixing gas via gas inflow.

• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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• v.491 no.1
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• pp.1278-1286
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• 2020

We searched for isolated dark-matter-deprived galaxies within several state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations: Illustris, IllustrisTNG, EAGLE, and Horizon-AGN and found a handful of promising objects in all except Horizon-AGN. While our initial goal was to study their properties and evolution, we quickly noticed that all of them were located at the edge of their respective simulation boxes. After carefully investigating these objects using the full particle data, we concluded that they are not merely caused by a problem with the algorithm identifying bound structures. We provide strong evidence that these oddballs were created from regular galaxies that get torn apart due to unphysical processes when crossing the edge of the simulation box. We show that these objects are smoking guns indicating an issue with the implementation of the periodic boundary conditions of the particle data in Illustris, IllustrisTNG, and EAGLE, which was eventually traced down to be a minor bug occurring for a very rare set of conditions.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.65-65
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• 2011

Early-type galaxies represent the end point of galaxy evolution and, despite pervasive residual star formation, are generally considered "red and dead", that is composed exclusively of old stars with no star formation. Here, their molecular gas content is constrained and discussed in relation to their evolution, supporting the continuing importance of minor mergers and/or cold gas accretion. First, as part of the Atlas3D survey, the first complete, large, volume-limited survey of CO in normal early-type galaxies is presented. At least of 23% of local early-types possess a substantial amount of molecular gas, the necessary ingredient for star formation, independent of mass and environment but dependent on the specific stellar angular momentum. Second, using CO synthesis imaging, the extent of the molecular gas is constrained and a variety of morphologies is revealed. The kinematics of the molecular gas and stars are often misaligned, implying an external gas origin in over a third of all systems, more than half in the field, while external gas accretion must be shot down in clusters. Third, many objects appear to be in the process of forming regular kpc-size decoupled disks, and a star formation sequence can be sketched by piecing together multi-wavelength information on the molecular gas, current star formation, and young stars. Fourth, early-type galaxies do not seem to systematically obey all our usual prejudices regarding star formation (e.g. Schmidt-Kennicutt law, far infrared-radio continuum correlation), suggesting a greater diversity in star formation processes than observed in disk galaxies and the possibility of "morphological quenching". Lastly, a first step toward constraining the physical properties of the molecular gas is taken, by modeling the line ratios of density- and opacity-sensitive molecules in a few objects. Taken together, these observations argue for the continuing importance of (minor) mergers and cold gas accretion in local early-types, and they provide a much greater understanding of the gas cycle in the galaxies harbouring most of the stellar mass. In the future, better dust masses and dust-to-gas mass ratios from Herschel should allow to place entirely independent constraints on the gas supply, while spatially-resolved high-density molecular gas tracers observed with ALMA will probe the interstellar medium and star formation laws locally in a regime entirely different from that normally probed in spiral galaxies.