• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.54.1-54.1
• /
• 2016

Multi-wavelength variability is a staple of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Optical variability probes the nature of the central engine of AGN at smaller linear scales than conventional imaging and spectroscopic techniques. Previous studies have shown that optical variability is more prevalent at longer timescales and at shorter wavelengths. Intra-night variability can be explained through the damped random walk model but small samples and inhomogeneous data have made constraining this model hard. To understand the properties and physical mechanism of intra-night optical variability, we are performing the KMTNet Active Nuclei Variability Survey (KANVaS). Using KMTNet, we aim to study the intra-night variability of ~1000 AGN at a magnitude depth of ~19mag in R band over a total area of ${\sim}24deg^2$ on the sky. Test data in the COSMOS, XMM-LSS, and S82-2 fields was obtained over 4, 6, and 8 nights respectively during 2015, in B, V, R, and I bands. Each night was composed of 5-13 epoch with ~30 min cadence and 80-120 sec exposure times. As a pilot study, we analyzed data in the COSMOS field where we reach a magnitude depth of ~19.5 in R band (at S/N~100) with seeing varying between 1.5-2.0 arcsec. We used the Chandra-COSMOS catalog to identify 166 AGNs among 549 AGNs at B<23. We performed differential photometry between the selected AGN and nearby stars, achieving photometric uncertainty ~0.01mag. We employ various standard time-series analysis tools to identify variable AGN, including the chi-square test. Preliminarily results indicate that intra-night variability is found for ~17%, 17%, 8% and 7% of all X-ray selected AGN in the B, V, R, and I band, respectively. The majority of the identified variable AGN are classified as Type 1 AGN, with only a handful of Type 2 AGN showing evidence for variability. The work done so far confirms there are more variable AGN at shorter wavelengths and that intra-night variability most likely originates in the accretion disk of these objects. We will briefly discuss the quality of the data, challenges we encountered, solutions we employed for this work, and our updated future plans.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.42.1-42.1
• /
• 2011

The main payload of the Science and Technology Satellite 3 (STSAT-3), Multipurpose Infrared Imaging System (MIRIS), will be equipped with the wide-field near-infrared camera. Its wide field-of-view ($3.67^{\circ}{\times}3.67^{\circ}$) is optimal for the observation of the zodiacal light (ZL), the sunlight scattered by the interplanetary dust (IPD). The MIRIS will continuously monitor the seasonal variation of the ZL towards both north and south ecliptic poles, which is caused by the asymmetries of the IPD distribution with respect to the Sun and the ecliptic plane. In addition to the monitoring observations, we are planning pointed observations for compelling structures in the ZL, the asteroidal dust bands and the gegenschein. This presentation proposes the zodiacal light observations with the MIRIS and discusses the expected results.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.175-182
• /
• 2016

For application to several MHz photoacoustic imaging systems, a needle hydrophone was designed and fabricated by using PMN-PZT piezoelectric single crystal, and its characteristics were evaluated through comparison with a commercial PVDF(Polybinylidene Fluoride) hydrophone of which receiving sensitivity is known. The simulation using the KLM model results show that the peak receiving impulse response for $50{\Omega}$ terminating impedance of the fabricated hydrophone is -261.6 dB re $1V/{\mu}Pa$ and the frequency response is relatively flat over 2 ~ 12 MHz with fluctuation less than 5 dB. The measurement results using tone burst signals also show that it has higher (ave. 10.9 dB) sensitivity than the commercial hydrophone in 2 ~ 8 MHz, and the receiving sensitivity of $-255.8{\pm}2.8$ dB re $1V/{\mu}Pa$ was measured for the fabricated hydrophone. In addition, it is known that the photoacoustic signals and the image of a hair obtained by a mechanical scanned photoacoustic imaging system with the fabricated hydrophone were bigger and better than those obtained with the commercial hydrophone.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.44 no.5
• /
• pp.195-200
• /
• 2011

We have revisited the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey (ACSVCS), a Hubble Space Telescope program to obtain ACS/WFC g and z bands imaging for a sample of 100 early-type galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. In this study, we examine 51 nucleated early-type galaxies in the ACSVCS in order to look into the relationship between the photometric and structural properties of stellar nuclei and their host galaxies. We morphologically dissect galaxies into five classes. We note that (1) the stellar nuclei of dwarf early-type galaxies (dS0, dE, and dE,N) are generally fainter and bluer with g > 18.95 and (g-z) < 1.40 compared to some brighter and redder counterparts of the ellipticals (E) and lenticular galaxies (S0), (2) the g-band half-light radii of stellar nuclei of all dwarf early-type galaxies (dS0, dE, and dE,N) are smaller than 20 pc and their average is about 4 pc, and (3) the colors of red stellar nuclei with (g - z) > 1.40 in bright ellipticals and lenticular galaxies are bluer than their host galaxies colors. We also show that most of the unusually "red" stellar nuclei with (g-z) > 1.54 in the ACSVCS are the central parts of bright ellipticals and lenticular galaxies. Furthermore, we present multi photometric band color - color plots that can be used to break the age-metallicity degeneracy particularly by inclusion of the thermally pulsing-asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) phases of stellar evolution in the stellar population models.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
• /
• v.11 no.10
• /
• pp.5006-5022
• /
• 2017

Effect and robust detection of targets in infrared images has crucial meaning for many applications, such as infrared guidance, early warning, and video surveillance. However, it is not an easy task due to the special characteristics of the infrared images, in which the background clutters are severe and the targets are weak. The recent literature demonstrates that sparse representation can help handle the detection problem, however, the detection performance should be improved. To this end, in this text, a hybrid method based on local sparse representation and contrast is proposed, which can effectively and robustly detect the infrared targets. First, a residual image is calculated based on local sparse representation for the original image, in which the target can be effectively highlighted. Then, a local contrast based method is adopted to compute the target prediction image, in which the background clutters can be highly suppressed. Subsequently, the residual image and the target prediction image are combined together adaptively so as to accurately and robustly locate the targets. Based on a set of comprehensive experiments, our algorithm has demonstrated better performance than other existing alternatives.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.307-310
• /
• 2005

The Solar-B is the third Japanese spacecraft dedicated for solar physics to be launched in summer of 2006. The spacecraft carries a coordinated set of optical, EUV and X-ray instruments that will allow a systematic study of the interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and its high temperature, ionized atmosphere. The Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) consists of a 50cm aperture diffraction limited Gregorian telescope and a focal plane package, and provides quantitative measurements of full vector magnetic fields at the photosphere with spatial resolution of 0.2-0.3 arcsec in a condition free from terrestrial atmospheric seeing. The X-ray telescope (XRT) images the high temperature (0.5 to 10 MK) corona with improved spatial resolution of approximately 1 arcsec. The Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) aims to determine velocity fields and other plasma parameters in the corona and the transition region. The Solar-B telescopes, as a whole, will enable us to explore the origins of the outer solar atmosphere, the corona, and the coupling between the fine magnetic structure at the photosphere and the dynamic processes occurring in the corona. The mission instruments (SOT/EIS/XRT) are joint effort of Japan (JAXA/NAO), the United States (NASA), and the United Kingdom (PPARC). An overview of the spacecraft and its mission instruments are presented.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.28.2-28.2
• /
• 2015

High redshift quasars (z > 5) hold keys to understanding the evolution of the universe in its early stage. Yet, the number of high redshift quasars uncovered from previous studies is relatively small (70 or so), and are concentrated mostly in a limited redshift range (z ~ 6). To understand the early mass growth of supermassive black holes and the final stage of the cosmic reionization, it is important to find a statistically meaningful sample of quasars with various physical properties. Here we present a survey for high redshift quasars at 5 < z < 7. Through color selection techniques using multi-wavelength data, we found quasar candidates and carried out imaging follow-up observations to reduce contaminants. After optical spectroscopy, we discovered eight new quasars. We obtained near-infrared spectra for 3 of these 8 quasars, measured their physical properties such as black hole masses and Eddington ratios, and found that the high redshift quasars we discovered are growing via accretion more vigorous than those of their lower redshift counterparts. We estimated the quasar number densities from our discoveries and compared them to those expected from the quasar luminosity functions in literature. In contrast to the observed number density of quasars at z ~ 5, which agrees with literature, the observed number density at z ~ 7 shows values lower than what is expected, even after considering an extrapolated number density evolution. We conclude that the quasar number density at z ~ 7 declines toward higher redshift, more steeply than the empirically expected evolution.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.161-172
• /
• 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.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.363-365
• /
• 2017

The telescope to be onboard SPICA (Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics) has an aperture diameter of 2.5 m and its imaging performance is to be diffraction-limited at a wavelength of $20{\mu}m$ at the operating temperature of <8 K. Because manufacturing precise autocollimating flat mirrors (ACFs) with sizes comparable to the SPICA telescope is not technically feasible, we plan to use sub-aperture stitching interferometry through ACFs for optical testing of the telescope. We have verified the applicability of the sub-aperture stitching technique to the SPICA telescope by performing stitching experiments in a vacuum at a room temperature, using the 800-mm telescope and a 300-mm ACF. We have also developed a new method to reduce uncertainties possibly caused by cryogenic and gravitational deformations of ACFs.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.563-570
• /
• 1998

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of scintillator and collimator parameters that tradeoff between system sensitivity and spatial resolution. The parameters simulated using Monte Carlo program were scintillator thickness, colimator hole shape, septal thickness, and hole length. The results show that the sensitivity increases exponentially upto about 1 cm of scintillator thickness as the thickness increases. However the sensitivity is almost constant when the scintiallator is thicker than about 1 cm. The simulation of collimator hole shape shows that the hexagonal hole gives the best spatial resolution for the same system sensitivity. The system statical resolution is improved, as both collimator septal thickness and hole length increase, however that system sensitivity is rapidly decreased. In conclusion, The optimization of scintillator and collimator parameters using monte carlo simulation may be useful to develop a high-resolution miniature gamma probe.