• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.83-85
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• 2013

Anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) are thought to be magnetars which are young isolated neutron stars with extremely strong magnetic fields of > $10^{14}$ Gauss. Their tremendous magnetic fields inferred from the spin parameters provide a huge energy reservoir to power the observed X-ray emission. High-energy emission above 0.3 MeV has never been detected despite intensive search. Here, we present the possible Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) detection of ${\gamma}$-ray pulsations above 200 MeV from the AXP, 1E 2259+586, which puts the current theoretical models of ${\gamma}$-ray emission mechanisms of magnetars into challenge. We speculate that the high-energy ${\gamma}$-rays originate from the outer magnetosphere of the magnetar.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 1996

We have examined consequences of strong tidal encounters between a neutron star and a normal star using SPH as a possible formation mechanism of isolated recycled pulsars in globular clusters. We have made a number of SPH simulations for close encounters between a main-sequence star of mass ranging from 0.2 to 0.7 $M_\bigodot$ represented by an n=3/2 poly trope and a neutron star represented by a point mass. The outcomes of the first encounters are found to be dependent only on the dimensionless parameter $\eta'{\equiv}(m/(m+ M))^{1/2}(\gamma_{min}/R_{MS})^{3/2}(m/M)^{{1/6)}$, where m and M are the mass of the main-sequence star and the neutron star, respectively, $\gamma_{min}$ the minimum separation between two stars, and $R_{MS}$ the size of the main-sequence star. The material from the (at least partially) disrupted star forms a disk around the neutron star. If all material in the disk is to be acctreted onto the neutron star's surface, the mass of the disk is enough to spin up the neutron star to spin period of 1 ms.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2021

We report X-ray timing and spectral properties of the pulsar PSR J0205+6449 measured using NuSTAR and Chandra observatories. We measure the pulsar's rotation frequency ν = 15.20102357(9) s-1 and its derivative $\dot{\nu}=-4.5(1){\times}10^{-11}\;s^{-2}$ during the observation period, and model the 2-30 keV on-pulse spectrum of the pulsar with a power law having a photon index Γpsr = 1.07 ± 0.16 and a 2-30 keV flux F2-30 keV = 7.3±0.6 × 10-13 erg cm-2 s-1. The Chandra 0.5-10 keV data are analyzed for an investigation of the pulsar's thermal emission properties. We use thermal and non-thermal emission models to fit the Chandra spectra and infer the surface temperature T∞ and luminosity Lth of the neutron star to be T∞ = 0.5 - 0.8 MK and Lth = 1 - 5 × 1032 erg s-1. This agrees with previous results which indicated that PSR J0205+6449 has a low surface temperature and luminosity for its age of 800-5600 yrs.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.77.1-77.1
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• 2014

Gravitational waves predicted by the general relativity almost 100 years ago have been implicated indirectly only by astrophysical observations such as the orbital evolution of binary pulsars. The advanced detectors of gravitational waves will become operational in a few years and they are expected to make direct detection of gravitational wave signal coming from merging of binaries composed of neutron stars or stellar mass black holes from external galaxies. Korean Gravitational Wave Group (KGWG) is contributing to the possible detection through the data analysis of LIGO and Virgo. We summarize the perspectives of the gravitational wave research and the impacts of the detection in the near future in astronomy and astrophysics.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.43.1-43.1
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• 2018

Young pulsar wind nebulae, powered by energetic central pulsars, are often observed as bright extended sources in the X-ray band. They are believed to accelerate electrons and positrons to very high energy and can possibly explain the positron excess observed by Fermi and AMS. The electron distribution in these PWNe can be best studied by X-ray satellites because emission in the X-ray band is produced by direct synchrotron radiation of the electrons and positrons. We present NuSTAR studies of PWNe and discuss the implication. Future studies to help further our understanding of particle acceleration will be briefly discussed.

• 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.33 no.3
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• pp.167-172
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• 2016

We used the 4 m Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) at Lowell observatory in 2014 to observe the Guitar Nebula, an Hα bow-shock nebula around the high-velocity radio pulsar B2224+65. Since the nebula's discovery in 1992, the structure of the bow-shock has undergone significant dynamical changes. We have observed the limb structure, targeting the "body" and "neck" of the guitar. Comparing the DCT observations to 1995 observations with the Palomar 200-inch Hale telescope, we found changes in both spatial structure and surface brightness in the tip, head, and body of the nebula.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.165-170
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• 2018

The Galactic Center is one of the most dense stellar environments in the Galaxy and is considered to be a plausible place to harbor many neutron stars. In this brief review, we summarize observational efforts in search of neutron stars within a few degrees about the Galactic Center. Up to 10% of Galactic neutron stars may reside in this central region and it is possible that more than a thousand neutron stars are located within only ~ 2500 (${\leq}1pc$) about the Galactic Center. Based on observations, we discuss prospects of detecting neutron stars in the Galactic Center via gravitational waves as well as electromagnetic waves.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.47.2-47.2
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• 2011

Gravitational waves from the pulsar glitch can be detected by next generation gravitational wave observatories. We investigate characteristics of the modes that can emit the gravitational waves excited by three different types of perturbations satisfying conservation of total rest mass and angular momentum. These perturbations mimic the pulsar glitch theories i.e., change of moment of inertia due to the star quakes or angular momentum transfer by vortex unpinning at crust-core interface. We carry out numerical hydrodynamic simulations using the pseudo-Newtonian method which makes weak field approximation for the dynamics, but taking all forms of energies into account to compute the Newtonian potential. Unlike other works, we found that the first and second strongest modes that give gravitational waves are $^2p_1$ and $H_1$ rather than$^2f$. We also found that vortex unpinning model excites the inertial mode in quadrupole moment quite effectively. The inertial mode may evolve into the non-axisymmetric r-mode.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.173-180
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• 2019

We present IR flux density measurements, models of the broadband SED, and results of SED modeling for the Pulsar Wind Nebula (PWN) 3C 58. We find that the Herschel flux density seems to be slightly lower than suggested by interpolation of previous measurements in nearby wavebands, implying that there may be multiple electron populations in 3C 58. We model the SED using a simple stationary one-zone and a more realistic time-evolving multi-zone scenario. The latter includes variations of flow properties in the PWN (injected energy, magnetic field, and bulk speed), radiative energy losses, adiabatic expansion, and diffusion, similar to previous PWN models. From the modeling, we find that a PWN age of 2900-5400 yrs is preferred and that there may be excess emission at ${\sim}10^{11}Hz$. The latter may imply multiple populations of electrons in the PWN.