• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.91-96
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• 2006

We use near-infrared observations of eight selected Galactic globular clusters to estimate their distances by comparing the observed and theoretically predicted K magnitudes of the red giant branch bumps and tips. The K magnitude levels of the RGB bump and tip have been measured from the luminosity function of the selected RGB stars in the clusters. Theoretical absolute $M_k$ magnitudes of the RGB bump and tip are taken from the Yonsei-Yale isochrones. Comparing the observed apparent K magnitude with the derived absolute $M_k$ magnitude, we calculate the distance moduli of the clusters. We discuss the dependency of the derived distance modulus on the cluster age and the uncertainty of the distance measurement from the near-infrared photometry of the RGB bump and tip.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2006

From the BV images of the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 1904 obtained with the 2K CCD camera equipped on the BOAO 1.8m telescope, we construct (B - V, V) color-magnitude diagram of the cluster. The apparent V magnitudes of the RGB bump and tip have been measured from the luminosity function of the iteratively selected RGB stars in NGC 1904. Theoretical absolute $M_v$ magnitudes of the RGB bump and tip are estimated using the Yonsei-Yale isochrones. The distance modulus of NGC 1904 has been derived by comparing the observed apparent V magnitude with the estimated absolute $M_v$ magnitude of the RGB bump and tip.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.27.1-27.1
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• 2010

The Na-O anticorrelation seen in almost all globular clusters ever studied using high-resolution spectroscopy is now generally explained by the primordial pollution from the first generation of the intermediate-mass AGB stars to the proto-stellar clouds of the second generation of stars. Using the recent data by Carretta and his collaborators, the different shapes of the Na-O anticorrelations for RGB stars brighter than and fainter than the red giant branch bump can be clearly seen. If the elemental abundance measurements by Carretta and his collaborators are not greatly in error, this variation in the Na-O anticorrelation against luminosity indicates an internal deep mixing episode during the ascent of the low-mass RGB in globular clusters. Our result implies that the multiple stellar population division scheme solely based on [O/Fe] and [Na/Fe] ratios of a globular cluster, which is becoming popular, is not reliable for stars brighter than the RGB bump.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.48.1-48.1
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• 2001

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.27.1-27.1
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• 2005

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.76-76
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• 2013

The current hierarchical model of galaxy formation predicts that galaxy halos contain merger relics in the form of long stellar streams. In order to find stellar substructures in galaxy, we focused our investigation on the stellar spatial density around globular clusters and on the quantitative properties of the evolved sequences in the color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). First, we investigated the spatial configuration of stars around five metal-poor globular clusters in halo region (M15, M30, M53, NGC 5053, and NGC 5466) and one metal-poor globular cluster in bulge region (NGC 6626). Our findings indicate that all of these globular clusters show strong evidence of extratidal features in the form of extended tidal tails around the clusters. The orientations of the extratidal features show the signatures of tidal tails tracing the clusters' orbits and the effects of dynamical interactions with the galaxy. These features were also confirmed by the radial surface density profiles and azimuthal number density profiles. Our results suggest that these six globular clusters are potentially associated with the satellite galaxies merged into the Milky Way. Second, we derived the morphological parameters of the red giant branch (RGB) from the near-infrared CMDs of 12 metal-poor globular clusters in the Galactic bulge. The photometric RGB shape indices such as colors at fixed magnitudes, magnitudes at fixed colors, and the RGB slope were measured for each cluster. The magnitudes of the RGB bump and tip were also estimated. The derived RGB parameters were used to examine the overall behavior of the RGB morphology as a function of cluster metallicity. The behavior of the RGB shape parameters was also compared with the previous observational calibration relation and theoretical predictions of the Yonsei-Yale isochrones. Our results of studies for stellar spatial distribution around globular clusters and the morphological properties of RGB stars in globular clusters could add further observational evidence of merging scenario of galaxy formation.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 1998

The wide field $(\~20'\times20')$ CCD photometry has been performed for more than 4,000 stars over a whole region of NGC 362 which is located inside the SMC halo. The Color-Magnitude diagram (CMD) and luminosit function (LF) for red giant branch (RGB) stars are presented, discussing a distinct bump along the RGB and some blue stars appearing in the blue horizontal branch (BHB) and above BHB. The anomalous globular cluster NGC 362 with highly populated red horizontal branch (RHB) stars is compared with the another anomalous globular cluster NGC 288 with highly populated BHB stars. A metal-rich, young blue component and metal-'poor, old red component of the SMC halo stars are examined.