• 천문학회보
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.53.2-53.2
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• 2021

Quasar luminosity function (QLF) shows the active galactic nucleus (AGN) demography as a result of the combination of the growth and the evolution of black holes, galaxies, and dark matter halos along the cosmic time. The recent wide and deep surveys have improved the census of high-redshift quasars, making it possible to construct reliable ultraviolet (UV) QLFs at 2 < z < 6 down to M1450 = -23 mag. By parameterizing these up-to-date observed UV QLFs that are the most extensive in both luminosity and survey area coverage at a given redshift, we show that the UV QLF has a universal shape, and their evolution can be approximated by a pure density evolution (PDE). In order to explain the observed QLF, we construct a model QLF employing the halo mass function, a number of empirical scaling relations, and the Eddington ratio distribution. We also include the outshining of AGN over its host galaxy, which made it possible to reproduce a moderately flat shape of the faint end of the observed QLF (slope of ~ -1.1). This model successfully explains the observed PDE behavior of UV QLF at z > 2, meaning that the QLF evolution at high redshift can be understood under the framework of halo mass function evolution. The importance of the outshining effect in our model also implies that there could be a hidden population of faint AGNs (M1450 > -24 mag), which are buried under their host galaxy light.

• 천문학회지
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.161-172
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• 2013

A focal reducer is developed for CQUEAN (Camera for QUasars in EArly uNiverse), which is a CCD imaging system on the 2.1 m Otto Struve telescope at the McDonald observatory. It allows CQUEAN to secure a wider field of view by reducing the effective focal length by a factor of three. The optical point spread function without seeing effects is designed to be within one pixel ($0.283^{\prime\prime}$) over the field of view of $4.82^{\prime}{\times}4.82^{\prime}$ in optimum wavelength ranges of 0.8-1.1 ${\mu}m$. In this paper, we describe and discuss the characteristics of optical design, the lens and barrel fabrications and the alignment processes. The observation results show that the image quality of the focal reducer confirms the expectations from the design.

• 천문학회보
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.75.3-75.3
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• 2015

Large area infrared surveys are often accompanied with follow-up optical spectroscopic surveys that has a significant legacy value even for other areas of research. Using these spectral database, we have performed a search for MgII absorption lines in the optical spectrum of background quasar. Over the ~4deg2 of AKARI North Ecliptic Pole survey field and Spitzer First Look Survey field, 18 and 16 MgII absorber systems are identified respectively. The redshift range for the background quasars was 1.0<$z_{qso}$<3.4, while the redshift range for the absorber was 0.6<$z_{abs}$<1.6. Galaxies responsible for MgII absorptions are identified in the deep optical images (CFHT r-band), yet the identification still remains ambiguous for 60% of the systems due to the limited image depth and the source crowdedness. The impact parameter ranges 20-60kpc, and the rest-frame equivalent width of MgII absorption ranges $0.7-4{\AA}$. The most critical part in the identification of MgII absorber galaxies is the existence of deep optical images in addition to the high S/N quasar spectrum with R>3000.

• 천문학회보
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.58.1-58.1
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• 2013

The main idea of the Alcock-Paczynski (AP) test is that, if we use a wrong distance-redshift relation to infer the shape of a spherical object in the Universe, this object may look non-spherical. To probe the cosmic expansion history through the AP test, the key point is to find something which is known as spherical in the Universe. We propose two possible ways applying the AP test to the large scale structure (LSS): 1) Based on the observed galaxies or quasars, one built up the beta-skeleton tracing the LSS, and investigating the inhomogeneity of the connections; 2) One reconstructs the smoothed density-contrast gradient field based on LSS observations, and investigating the inhomogeneity of the gradient vectors. Compared with some existed methods probing AP effect through 2-point correlation function, galaxy pairs, or voids, our methods have various advantages: 1) The information of both the high and low dense regions of the LSS are taken into account. 2) The redshift space distortion as the main contamination to the AP effect can be easily removed.

• 천문학회보
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• 제42권2호
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• pp.44.3-45
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• 2017

To date, luminous quasars at z ~ 6 have been found to be in maximal accretion with the Eddington ratios, ${\lambda}Edd$ ~ 1, suggesting enhanced nuclear activities in the early universe. However, this may not be the whole picture of supermassive black hole (SMBH) growth since previous studies have not reached on faint quasars that are more likely to harbor SMBHs with low ${\lambda}Edd$. To understand the accretion activities in quasars at high redshift, we obtained the deep near-infrared (NIR) spectrum of a quasar, IMS J2204+0112, one of the few faintest quasars that have been identified at z ~ 6. From the NIR spectrum, we find that IMS J2204+0112 harbors a SMBH with about a billion solar mass, with ${\log}({\lambda}Edd)=-0.91$. This is the lowest accretion rate found so far for quasars at z ~ 6, but a common value among quasars at z ~ 2. The inclusion of this object in the ${\lambda}Edd$ analysis gives the intrinsic ${\lambda}Edd$ distribution of z ~ 6 quasars, which is lower than previous results that are based on bright quasars, but it is still higher than ${\lambda}Edd$ of z ~ 2 quasars. Although the number statistics needs to be improved in future, the low peak ${\lambda}Edd$ value is consistent with the SMBH growth from a massive black hole seed (~ 105 Msun) or from a stellar mass black hole through short-duration super-Eddington accretion events (${\lambda}Edd$ > 10).

• 천문학회보
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.68.1-68.1
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• 2013

Infrared Medium-Deep Survey is a near-infrared imaging survey geared toward understanding the formation and the evolution of quasars and galaxies at high redshift, and studying transient and time-variable objects such as gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and young stellar objects. The survey uses a multi-tier structure, with deep imaging survey of 100 $deg^2$ using UKIRT to the depth of 23 AB mag, and a shallower imaging of interesting sources using the CQUEAN camera on the 2.1m telescope at McDonald observatory. This talk will give an overview of the survey strategy, the instrument development, and science highlights. The science highlights will include the discovery of high redshift quasars, high redshift galaxy clusters, GRBs, and other interesting sources. At the end of the talk, we will also present the future prospects of our study.

• 천문학회지
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.115-123
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• 2011

To perform imaging observations of optically red objects such as high redshift quasars and brown dwarfs, the Center for the Exploration of the Origin of the Universe (CEOU) recently developed an optical CCD camera, Camera for QUasars in EArly uNiverse (CQUEAN), which is sensitive at 0.7-1.1 ${\mu}m$. To enable observations with long exposures, we develop an auto-guiding system for CQUEAN. This system consists of an off-axis mirror, a baffle, a CCD camera, a motor and a differential decelerator. To increase the number of available guiding stars, we design a rotating mechanism for the off-axis guiding camera. The guiding field can be scanned along the 10 arcmin ring offset from the optical axis of the telescope. Combined with the auto-guiding software of the McDonald Observatory, we confirm that a stable image can be obtained with an exposure time as long as 1200 seconds.

• 천문학회보
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.53.3-53.3
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• 2017

While quasars are sparse in number density, they reside at relatively high-redshift as compared to galaxies. Hence, they are likely to be less non-linearly evolved than the galaxy population, and thus have a distribution that more closely mirrors the primordial density field. Therefore, they offer an intriguing opportunity to search for primordial non-Gaussianity (PNG). To this end, the 3-point correlation function (3PCF) is an excellent statistical tool to detect departures from Gaussianity, vanishing for a Gaussian field. In this work, we will make the first-ever measurement of the large-scale quasar 3PCF from the SDSS-IV DR14 quasar sample (spanning the largest volume to-date) to place constraints on PNG through the usual f_NL-type parametrization. This work will use the order N^2-time 3PCF algorithm of Slepian & Eisenstein (2015), with N the number of objects.

• 천문학회보
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.68.2-68.2
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• 2013

Camera for QUasars in EArly uNiverse (CQUEAN) is an optical CCD camera system made by Center for Exploration of the Origin of the Universe (CEOU). CQUEAN is developed for follow-up observation of red sources such as high-redshift quasar candidates ($z{\geq}5$), gamma-ray bursts (GRB), brown dwarfs and young stellar objects. The CQUEAN is composed of a science camera with deep-depletion CCD chip which is sensitive at around $1{\mu}m$, a set of custom-made wide-band filters for detection of quasar candidates at z~5, and a guide camera. A focal reducer was developed to secure $4.8^{\prime}{\times}4.8^{\prime}$ field of view, and an in-house user software for efficient data acquisition. CQUEAN was attached to 2.1m Otto Struve Telescope in McDonald Observatory, USA, in August 2010. About 1000 quasar candidates including 3 confirmed with follow-up spectroscopy, have been observed so far, and many high-z galaxy cluster candidates, GRBs and supernovae were also observed. And monitoring of HBC 722, a young stellar object, is under way since 2011. Further enhancement of CQUEAN including the introduction of narrow-band filters is planned.

• 천문학회보
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• 제40권2호
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• pp.27.2-27.2
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• 2015

Strategic plan of Subaru science and operation will be introduced. Currently, Subaru has wide variety of instruments, conducts only classical observations, with less than 5 nights allocation for each proposal. Near future, Subaru will emphasize on surveys, introduce queue mode observations, reduce the number of instruments, and concentrate on large size programs. Large surveys are called Subaru Strategic Programs (SSPs). HSC-SSP is on-going (300 nights for 5 years), PFS-SSP will start at around 2020 (360 nights for 5 years), and IRD-SSP from 2016 (TBD). HSC science includes 1) cosmology with gravitational lensing, 2) lensing studies of galaxies and clusters, 3) photometric redshifts, 4) the Solar system, 5) the Milky Way and the Local Group, 6) AGN/quasars, 7) transients, 8) galaxies at low/high redshifts, and 9) clusters of galaxies. PFS science includes 1) cosmology, 2) galaxy & AGN, and 3) galactic archaeology. Subaru is planning the third pillar instrument, so called ULTIMATE-Subaru, which is the GLAO optical-NIR wide field camera & multi-IFU spectrograph for finding galaxies at ultra high redshift (z>10). Finally the strategy from Subaru to TMT will be presented. Subaru will conduct four major SSPs (HSC, PFS, IRD, ULTIMATE-Subaru) in coming decade to provide targets to TMT. HSC performs wide field surveys to reveal the distribution of dark matter in the Universe. IRD surveys Earth-like young planets to discover ~20 Earth-like habitable planets. PFS studies the expanding Universe to provide a few million emission line galaxies to TMT.