• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.107-127
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• 1987

Review of the $\gamma$-ray burst phenomena are presented. History of the $\gamma$-ray bursts, characteristics, and three radiation mechanisms of thermal bremsstrahlung, thermal synchrotron, and inverse Compton scattering processes are considered.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.95-104
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• 2010

We outline our GRB afterglow observation program using the 1-m telescope at Mt. Lemmon Optical Astronomy Observatory (LOAO), and report the first observations of the GRB afterglows. During the 2007B semester, we performed follow-up imaging obsrevations of 6 GRBs, and succeeded in detecting four GRB afterglows (GRB 071010B, GRB 071018, GRB 071020, and GRB 071025) while placing useful upper limits on the light curves of the other GRBs. Among the observed events, we find that three events are special and interesting. GRB 071010B has a light curve which has an unusually long jet break time of 11.8 days. For GRB 071025, its red R-I(~2) color suggests that it is likely to be at z~5. GRB 071020 has a light curve which shows a clear brightening at 0.3-1 days after the burst, where our LOAO data play a crucial role by providing an unambiguous evidence for the brightening. These are the first successful detections of GRB afterglows by a facility owned and operated by a Korean institution, demonstrating the usefulness of the 1-m telescope for transient phenomena such as GRBs up to very high redshift.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.113-116
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• 2017

A significant number of the parameters of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) and its host galaxy are calculated from the afterglow. There are various methods obtaining extinction values for the necessary correction for galactic foreground. These are: galaxy counts, from HI 21 cm surveys, from spectroscopic measurements and colors of nearby Galactic stars, or using extinction maps calculated from infrared surveys towards the GRB. We demonstrate that AKARI Far-Infrared Surveyor sky surface brightness maps are useful uncovering the fine structure of the galactic foreground of GRBs. Galactic cirrus structures of a number of GRBs are calculated with a 2 arcminute resolution, and the results are compared to that of other methods.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.48.1-48.1
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• 2011

We utilize the jitter radiation, which is the emission of relativistic electrons in the random and small-scale magnetic field, to investigate the high-energy emissions of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Under the turbulent scenario, the random and small-scale magnetic field is determined by the turbulence. We also estimate the acceleration and cooling timescales. We identify that some GRBs are possible cosmic-ray sources.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 2016

We explain the results of Yu et al. (2015b) of the novel sharpness angle measurement to a large number of spectra obtained from the Fermi gamma-ray burst monitor. The sharpness angle is compared to the values obtained from various representative emission models: blackbody, single-electron synchrotron, synchrotron emission from a Maxwellian or power-law electron distribution. It is found that more than 91% of the high temporally and spectrally resolved spectra are inconsistent with any kind of optically thin synchrotron emission model alone. It is also found that the limiting case, a single temperature Maxwellian synchrotron function, can only contribute up to 58⁺²³₋₁₈% of the peak flux. These results show that even the sharpest but non-realistic case, the single-electron synchrotron function, cannot explain a large fraction of the observed spectra. Since any combination of physically possible synchrotron spectra added together will always further broaden the spectrum, emission mechanisms other than optically thin synchrotron radiation are likely required in a full explanation of the spectral peaks or breaks of the GRB prompt emission phase.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.111-112
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• 1999

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.36.1-36.1
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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.49.2-49.2
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• 2005

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.55.2-55.2
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• 2011

We present the current research activities of the Center for the Exploration of the Origin of the Universe, a center established at Seoul National University with the Creative Research Initiative program. Our activities focus on observational studies of distant objects such as gamma-ray bursts, quasars, and proto-cluster of galaxies, but we also carry out other observational and theoretical studies in related topics. We also developed a new instrument, Camera for Quasars at Early Universe (CQUEAN) in collaboration with Kyunghee University group, and have secured observing facilities such as UKIRT and McDonald 2.1m observatory. Our research highlights include results such as the discovery of high redshift quasars and gamma ray bursts, the discovery of tidal disruption event at z=0.38 and peculiar gamma ray burst events, analysis of proto-clusters of galaxies, the discovery of brown dwarfs, and development of CQUEAN and its usage at the McDonald observatory.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.49.3-50
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• 2015

Synchrotron radiation of relativistic electrons is an important radiation mechanism in many astrophysical sources. In the sources where the synchrotron cooling timescale is shorter than the dynamical timescale, electrons are cooled down below the minimum injection energy. It has been believed that such fast-cooling electrons have a power-law distribution in energy with an index -2, and their synchrotron radiation has a photon spectral index -1.5. On the other hand, in a transient expanding astrophysical source, such as a gamma-ray burst (GRB), the magnetic field strength in the emission region continuously decreases with radius. Here we study such a system, and find that in a certain parameter regime, the fast-cooling electrons can have a harder energy spectrum. We apply this new physical regime to GRBs, and suggest that the GRB prompt emission spectra whose low-energy photon spectral index has a typical value -1 could be due to synchrotron radiation in this moderately fast-cooling regime.