• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.49.1-49.1
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• 2019

I present the mean metallicity distribution of stars in the Milky Way based on photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I utilize an empirically calibrated set of stellar isochrones developed in previous work to estimate the metallicities of individual stars to a precision of 0.2 dex for reasonably bright stars across the survey area. I also obtain more precise metallicity estimates using priors from the Gaia parallaxes for relatively nearby stars. Close to the Galactic mid-plane (|Z| < 2 kpc), a mean metallicity map reveals deviations from the mirror symmetry between the northern and southern hemispheres, displaying wave-like oscillations. The observed metallicity asymmetry structure is almost parallel to the Galactic mid-plane, and coincides with the previously known asymmetry in the stellar number density distribution. This result reinforces the previous notion of the plane-parallel vertical waves propagating through the disk, which have been excited by a massive halo substructure such as the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy plunging through the Milky Way's disk. This work provides evidence that the Gaia phase-space spiral may continue out to |Z| ~ 1.5 kpc.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.23-36
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• 2022

We present a method to determine nitrogen abundance ratios with respect to iron ([N/Fe]) from molecular CN-band features observed in low-resolution (R ~ 2000) stellar spectra obtained by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST). Various tests are carried out to check the systematic and random errors of our technique, and the impact of signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios of stellar spectra on the determined [N/Fe]. We find that the uncertainty of our derived [N/Fe] is less than 0.3 dex for S/N ratios larger than 10 in the ranges T_eff = [4000, 6000] K, log g = [0.0, 3.5], [Fe/H] = [-3.0, 0.0], [C/Fe] = [-1.0, +4.5], and [N/Fe] = [-1.0, +4.5], the parameter space that we are interested in to identify N-enhanced stars in the Galactic halo. A star-by-star comparison with a sample of stars with [N/Fe] estimates available from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) also suggests a similar level of uncertainty in our measured [N/Fe], after removing its systematic error. Based on these results, we conclude that our method is able to reproduce [N/Fe] from low-resolution spectroscopic data, with an uncertainty sufficiently small to discover N-rich stars that presumably originated from disrupted Galactic globular clusters.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.50.2-50.2
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• 2020

The dark matter (DM) only simulations have been exploited to study e.g. the large scale structures and properties of a halo. In a baryon side, the high-resolution hydrodynamic simulation such as IllustrisTNG has helped extend the physics of gas along with stars and DM. However, the expansive computational cost of hydrodynamic simulations limits the size of a simulated universe whereas DM-only simulations can generate the universe of the cosmological horizon size approximately. I will introduce a pipeline to estimate baryonic properties of a galaxy inside a dark matter (DM) halo in DM-only simulations using a machine trained on high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations. An extremely randomized tree (ERT) algorithm is used together with multiple novel improvements such as a refined error function in machine training and two-stage learning. By applying our machine to the DM-only simulation of a large volume, I then validate the pipeline that rapidly generates a galaxy catalog from a DM halo catalog using the correlations the machine found in hydrodynamic simulations. I will discuss the benefits that machine-based approaches like this entail, as well as suggestions to raise the scientific potential of such approaches.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.49.1-49.1
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• 2017

In order to investigate the origin of multiple stellar populations in the halo and bulge of the Milky Way, we have constructed chemical evolution models for the low-mass proto-Galactic subsystems such as globular clusters (GCs). Unlike previous studies, we assume that supernova blast waves undergo blowout without expelling the pre-enriched gas, while relatively slow winds of massive stars, together with the winds and ejecta from low and intermediate mass asymptotic giant branch stars, are all locally retained in these less massive systems. We first applied these models to investigate the origin of super-helium-rich red clump stars in the metal-rich bulge as recently suggested by Lee et al. (2015). We find that chemical enrichments by the winds of massive stars can naturally reproduce the required helium enhancement (dY/dZ = 6) for the second generation stars. Disruption of these "building blocks" in a hierarchical merging paradigm would have provided helium enhanced stars to the bulge field. Interestingly, we also find that the observed Na-O anticorrelation in metal-poor GCs can be reproduced, when multiple episodes of starbursts are allowed to continue in these subsystems. Specific star formation history with decreasing time intervals between the stellar generations, however, is required to obtain this result, as would be expected from the orbital evolution of these subsystems in a proto-Galaxy. The "mass budget problem" is also much alleviated by our models without ad-hoc assumptions on star formation efficiency and initial mass function.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.46.1-46.1
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• 2018

In order to investigate the origin of multiple stellar populations in the halo and bulge of the Milky Way, we have constructed chemical evolution models for the low-mass proto-Galactic subsystems such as globular clusters. Unlike previous studies, we assume that supernova blast waves undergo blowout without expelling the pre-enriched gas, while relatively slow winds of massive stars, together with the winds and ejecta from low and intermediate mass asymptotic-giant-branch stars, are all locally retained in these less massive systems. We find that the observed Na-O anti-correlations in metal-poor GCs can be reproduced when multiple episodes of starbursts are allowed to continue in these subsystems. A specific form of star formation history with decreasing time intervals between the stellar generations, however, is required to obtain this result, which is in good agreement with the parameters obtained from our stellar evolution models for the horizontal-branch. The "mass budget problem" is also much alleviated by our models without ad-hoc assumptions on star formation efficiency and initial mass function. We also applied these models to investigate the origin of super helium-rich red clump stars in the metal-rich bulge as recently suggested by Lee et al. (2015). We find that chemical enrichments by the winds of massive stars can naturally reproduce the required helium enhancement (dY/dZ = 6) for the second-generation stars. Disruption of proto-globular clusters in a hierarchical merging paradigm would have provided helium enhanced stars to the bulge field.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.44-44
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• 2010

We study the effect of massive neutrinos on the evolution of the early mini-halos ($M\sim10^6h^{-1}M{\odot}at$ z~20) where the first stars may have formed. In the framework of the extended Press-Schechter formalism, we evaluate analytically the rates of merging of the mini-halos into zero-dimensional larger halos and one-dimensional mini-filaments. It is shown that the halo-to-filament merging rate increases with the neutrino mass fraction $f_v$ while the halo-to-halo merging rate decreases. Comparing the cases of $f_v$=0 and 0.10, the halo-to-filament merging rate for $f_v$=0.10 is 3 times larger than the other. The distribution of the epochs of the longest-axis collapse of these first filaments is also derived and found to reach a sharp maximum at z~8-9. Once the first mini-filaments form, they would provide bridges along which the matter and gas more rapidly accrete onto the constituent halos, causing the early formation of the first galaxies and rapid growth of their central blackholes. Furthermore, the longest axis collapse of these first mini-filaments would spur the supermassive blackholes to power the ultra-luminous high-z quasars.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.28-28
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• 2004

In order to obtain a clearer understanding on the evolution of Our Galaxy, we are currently undertaking a series of spectroscopic observation for few hundreds metal poor halo stars. As the first result, we present the chemical abundance measurements for 15 metal-poor dwarf stars in the solar neighborhood. The observation was made with the BOES #4-fiber, providing the effective resolving power R=32000. (omitted)

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.29 no.spc1
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• pp.123-124
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• 1996

Snapshots of eight SA and standard fields from low to high galactic latitudes were made using the KPNO 0.9m 2K $\times$ 2K CCD with a limiting magnitude from 19 to 22.5. The purpose of this study is to determine the vertical distribution of stars with respect to Galactic latitude and z-distance in comparison with the model simulation between intermediate population to the 'thick disk' component of scale height of a few kpc. Comparison of the preliminary results between observed and model simulation for 3 of the S fields shows good agreement both in V-mag and B- V color distributions. A bimodal distribution in B- V at high galactic latitude seems to be represented by a halo and 'thick disk' dwarf in the blue and by a normal disk dwarf population in the red.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.32.3-32.3
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• 2018

We report a possible discovery of a relic of a dissolved star cluster in the Sextans dwarf spheroidal galaxy. Using the hk index (${\equiv}$(Ca-b)-(b-y)) as a photometric metallicity indicator, we have successfully discriminated the metal-poor and metal-rich stars in the galaxy and found an unexpected number density peak of metal-poor stars near the galaxy center. The analysis of color-magnitude diagrams reveals that they appear to be originated from an old, metal-poor globular cluster which might be slightly farther than the bulk of field stars in the galaxy. This supports the presence of the star cluster remnants in the galaxy which have been suggested by previous studies. If confirmed, dissolution of a star cluster provides a piece of evidence of a cored dark-matter halo profile for the Sextans dwarf galaxy.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.71-77
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• 1982

According to the star formation rate and metal enrichment rate given by the disk-halo model of Lee and Ann (1981), the two different forms of time-dependent initial mass function (IMF) and the present day mass function (PDMF) of nearby stars have been examined. It was shown that the constraint for the initial rapid metal enrichment requires the time-dependence of IMF at the very early phase ($t{\lesssim}5{\times}10^8$ yrs) of the solar neighborhood. The computed PDMF's show that the PDMF is nearly independent of any specific functional form of IMF as long as the latter includes a Gaussian distribution of log m. This result is due to the very small fractional mass $({\times}5%)$ of stars formed at the very early period during which the IMF is time-dependent. The computed PDMF suggests the presence of more numerous low mass stars than shown in Miller and Scalo's (1979) PDMF, supporting the possibility of the existence of low-velocity M dwarfs. According to the number distribution of stars with respect to [Fe/H], the mean age of these low mass star must be very old so as to yield the mean metal abundance $\bar{[Fe/H]}{\approx}-0.15$ for the stars in the solar neighborhood.