• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.80.2-80.2
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• 2021

Galactic young massive clusters are the ideal laboratories to study massive stellar evolution. Unfortunately, such objects are rare. Of particular interest are so-called Red Supergiant Clusters (RSGCs) that are currently only found toward the Scutum-Crux Galactic arm. Confirming their nature as RSGC is often not straight-fortward as distinguishing RSGs from AGB stars is still difficult even with high spectral resolution spectra. Here we report that broad band colors using 2MASS JHK and GAIA G band data can be useful in reducing the AGB contamination, thus providing selection criteria that effectively reveal the known RSGCs with negligible false positives. On the other hand, we suggest that RSGC4, one of the proposed RSGC candidates, may not be a cluster of RSGs as their colors are not compatible with our selection criteria. We discuss the nature of these stars together with our IGRINS spectroscopic observations. We also employ the same selection criteria to search for RSGC candidates in other parts of the plane, resulting in no prominent candidates.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.64.2-64.2
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• 2017

The Population III (Pop III) stars are thought to be massive. If massive Pop III stars form binary system and they experience mass transfer via the Roche lobe overflow, this may significantly change the properties of the system. For example, mass transfer in such system may shorten the period of the system, forming short period binary black hole (BBH) system, which is the most promising candidate for recently detected gravitational wave radiation sources. Also, there is an expectation that due to the stripped envelope of donor star by mass transfer, this system can play a significant role in the cosmic reionization by emitting more UV photons. However, this outcome highly depends on the initial properties of the system. We perform grid calculation on Pop III binary models with various initial primary masses (20 ~ 100 solar mass), initial separations, and initial mass ratios (q = 0.5 ~ 0.9). We find that 1) in most cases binary models show no increase in the number of ionizing photons and 2) formation of short period BBH system via mass transfer is highly unlikely.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.44.2-44.2
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• 2018

G33.92+0.11, classified as a core-halo UC HII region at a distance of 7.1 kpc, contains several sub-clumps (~20-200 solar masses) as identified by dust continuum emission. This source shows very complicated features associated with vigorous massive star-forming activities with a nearly face-on projection. The ambient gas is still accreting to the massive molecular clumps dynamically, while the whole cloud is under disruption by newly formed stars. Using the recent high resolution (< 0.2") ALMA observations, we investigate the detailed structure associated with the star-forming activities by comparing different chemical tracers. The sub-clumps having extremely complex morphologies still preserve cold dense gas together with the turbulent and dense warm gas resulted by newly formed stars and interaction with accreting gas. The accretion of the ambient gas may have occurred episodically to this source. Most recent star formation, which probably the third generation of star formation in this region, is taking place in the northern part (A5 clump). The relatively small mass (~ 1/3 of A1 or A2) and the lack of turbulent gas of this star-forming core may suggest that this core was formed already during the overall collapse of the whole cloud for the first star formation. We think that gravitational collapse of these sub-clumps appears as sequential star formation of this region. The later interaction with accreting gas may have not been a direct cause of the star formation activities of this source.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.29 no.spc1
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• pp.49-51
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• 1996

New population synthesis models, with the effects of metallicity spread and the horizontal-branch (HB) morphology, provide a way to break the well-known age-metallicity degeneracy in the analysis of the integrated light of elliptical galaxies. Our models suggest that the far- UV radiation of these systems is dominated by a minority population of metal-poor, hot HB stars and their post-HB progeny, while the optical radiation is dominated by a metal-rich population. The systematic variation of UV upturn depends on the contribution from metal-poor, hot HB stars and their post-HB progeny, which in turn depends on the ages of old stellar populations in galaxies. Our result implies a prolonged epoch of galaxy formation, in the sense that more massive galaxies (in denser environments) formed first. Our models also suggest that the strenghth of H$\beta$ index is strongly affected by HB stars, and hence previous age estimation without detailed modeling of the HB would underestimate the ages of ellipticals by $\~$7 Gyr.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.161-164
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• 2007

We calculate the evolution of multiple supernova (SN) explosions inside a pre-exiting bubble blown up by winds from massive stars, using one-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations including radiative cooling and thermal conduction effects. First, the development of the wind bubble driven by collective winds from multiple stars during the main sequence is calculated. Then multiple SN explosion is loaded at the center of the bubble and the evolution of the SN remnant is followed for $10^6$ years. We find the size and mass of the SN-driven shell depend on the structure of the pre-existing wind bubble as well as the total SN explosion energy. Most of the explosion energy is lost via radiative cooling, while about 10% remains as kinetic energy and less than 10% as thermal energy of the expanding bubble shell. Thus the photoionization and heating by diffuse radiation emitted by the shock heated gas is the most dominant form of SN feedback into the surrounding interstellar medium.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.97-101
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• 2007

We are often faced with the task of having to estimate the hydrogen and helium ionizing luminosities of massive stars in the study of H II regions and the warm ionized medium (WIM). Using the results of the most complete compilation of stellar parameters (the effective temperature, stellar radius and surface gravity) and the latest Kurucz stellar atmosphere models, we calculate the ionizing photon luminosities in the $H^0\;and\;He^0$ continua from O3 to B5 stars. We compared the theoretical Lyman-continuum luminosity with the observationally inferred luminosity of the H II region around ${\alpha}$ Vir, and found that the theoretical value is higher than the observed value in contrast to the eariler result.

• 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.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.95-95
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• 2014

The mass measurement of neutron stars or black holes is of fundamental importance in our understanding of the evolution of massive stars and core-collapse supernova explosions as well as some exotic physics of the extreme conditions. Despite the importance, however, it's very difficult to measure mass of these objects directly. One way to do this, if they are in binary systems, to measure their binary motions (i.e., Doppler shifts) which can give us direct information on their mass. Recently many new highly-obscured massive X-ray binaries have been discovered by new hard X-ray satellites such as INTEGRAL and NuSTAR. The new highly-obscured massive X-ray binaries are faint in the optical, but bright in the infrared with many emission lines. Based on the near-infrared spectroscopy, one can first understand the nature of stellar companions to the compact objects, determining its spectral types and luminosity classes as well as mass losses and conditions of (potential) circumstellar material. Next, spectroscopic monitoring of these objects can be used to estimate the mass of compact objects via measuring the Doppler shifts of the lines. For the former, broad-band spectroscopy is essential; for the latter, high-resolution spectroscopy is critical. Therefore, IGRINS appears to be an ideal instrument to study them. An IGRINS survey of these new highly-obscured massive X-ray binaries can give us a rare opportunity to carry out population analyses for understanding the evolution of massive binary systems and formation of compact objects and their mass ranges. In this talk, we will present a sample near-infrared high resolution spectra of HMXB, IGR J19140+0951 and discuss about its spectral feature. These spectra are obtained on 13th July, 2014 from IGRINS commissioning run at McDonald 2.7m telescope. And at final, we will introduce the upgrade plan of IGRINS Operation Software (IGOS), to gather the input from IGRINS observer.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.121-137
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• 2008

We present optical and near-infrared imaging and long-slit spectroscopy for the blue compact dwarf galaxy (BCD) Mrk 49 in the Virgo Cluster. The surface brightness distribution analysis shows that Mrk 49 consists of an off-centered blue bright compact core of r = 10" and a red faint outer exponential envelope. The $H_{\alpha}$ image and color difference suggest that these two components have different stellar populations: a high surface brightness population of massive young stars and an underlying low surface brightness population of older stars. The redder near-infrared colors of the inner most region suggest that the near-infrared flux of Mrk 49 originates from evolved massive stars associated with the current star-forming activity. The total apparent magnitude is $B_T\;=\;14.32$ mag and the mean effective surface brightness is ${\mu}_{eff}(B)\;=\;21.56$ mag $arcsec^{-2}$. Long-slit spectroscopy shows that Mrk 49 rotates apparently as a solid body within r = 10" in a plane at position angle 55 degrees with an amplitude of about $20\;km\;sec^{-1}$. The measured radial velocity of Mrk 49 was derived as $1,535\;km\;sec^{-1}$; and the total mass of stars and gases is in the range of 3 to $6\;{\times}\;10^9\;M_{\odot}$. The mass-to-light ratios for the central region of Mrk 49 in I and B band are estimated 1.0 and 0.5, respectively. The upper limit of the dark matter to visible matter ratio seems to be < 5. The oxygen abundance is $12\;+\;\log(O/H)\;=\;8.21\;{\pm}\; 0.1$ which is about one quarter of the solar value while the relative helium abundance appears to be similar to that of the sun.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.123-125
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• 2017

We present our AKARI study of massive star forming regions where a large-scale cloud-cloud collision possibly contributes to massive star formation. Our targets are Spitzer bubbles, which consist of two types of bubbles, closed and broken ones; the latter is a candidate of the objects created by cloud-cloud collisions. We performed mid- and far-infrared surface photometry toward Spitzer bubbles to obtain the relationship between the total infrared luminosity, $L_{IR}$, and the bubble radius, R. As a result, we find that $L_{IR}$ is roughly proportional to $R^{\beta}$ where ${\beta}=2.1{\pm}0.4$. Broken bubbles tend to have larger radii than closed bubbles for the same $L_{IR}$.