• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.365-380
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• 2015

We map 6 massive young stellar objects (YSOs) in the CO J=2-1 line and survey 18 massive YSOs, including the six, in the HCO⁺ J=1−0, SiO J=2−1, H₂O 6₁₆ − 5₂₃ maser, and CH₃OH 7₀ − 6₁ A⁺ maser lines. We detect CO bipolar outflows in all the six mapped sources. Four of them are newly discovered (07299−1651, 21306+5540, 22308+5812, 23133+6050), while 05490+2658 is mapped in the CO J=2-1 line for the first time. The detected outflows are much more massive and energetic than outflows from low-mass YSOs with masses >20 M_⊙ and momenta >300 M_⊙ km s⁻¹. They have mass outflow rates (3−6)×10⁻⁴ M_⊙ yr⁻¹, which are at least one order of magnitude greater than those observed in low-mass YSOs. We detect HCO⁺ and SiO line emission in 18 (100%) and 4 (22%) sources, respectively. The HCO⁺ spectra show high-velocity wings in 11 (61%) sources. We detect H₂O maser emission in 13 (72%) sources and 44 GHz CH₃OH maser emission in 8 (44%) sources. Of the detected sources, 5 H₂O and 6 CH₃OH maser sources are new discoveries. 20081+3122 shows high-velocity (>30 km s⁻¹) H₂O maser lines. We find good correlations of the bolometric luminosity of the central (proto)star with the mechanical force, mechanical luminosity, and mass outflow rate of molecular outflow in the bolometric luminosity range of 10⁻¹−10⁶ L_⊙, and identified 3 intermediate- or high-mass counterparts of Class O objects.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.249-252
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• 2012

The absorption features due to interstellar ices, especially $H_2O$ and $CO_2$ ices, provide us with crucial information on present and past interstellar environments, and thus the evolutionary histories of galaxies. Before AKARI, however, few detections of ices were reported for nearby galaxies. The AKARI's unique capability of near-infrared spectroscopy with high sensitivity enables us to systematically study ices in nearby galaxies. Thus we have explored many near-infrared spectra ($2.5-5{\mu}m$) of the 211 pointed observations, searching for the absorption features of ices. As a result, out of 122 nearby galaxies, we have significantly detected $H_2O$ ice from 36 galaxies and $CO_2$ ice from 9 galaxies. It is notable that the ices are detected not only in late-type galaxies but also in early-type galaxies. We find that $CO_2$ ice is more compactly distributed near the galactic center than $H_2O$ ice. Finally, we suggest that the gas density of a molecular cloud and UV radiation may be important factors to determine the abundance of ices.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.20 no.1 s.24
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• pp.7-10
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• 2005

We have calculated 2448 interstellar cloud models to investigate the formation and destruction of high rotational level $H_2$ according to the combinations of five physical conditions: the input UV intensity, the $H_2$ column density, cloud temperature, total density, and the $H_2$ formation rate efficiency. The models include the populations of all the accessible states of $H_2$ with the rotational quantum number J < 16 as a function of depth through the model clouds, and assume that the abundance of $H_2$ is in a steady state governed primarily by the rate of formation on the grain surfaces and the rates of destruction by spontaneous fluorescent dissociation following absorption in the Lyman and Werner band systems. The high rotational levels J = 4 and J = 5 are both populated by direct formation into these levels of newly created molecules, and by pumping from J = 0 and J = 1, respectively The model results show that the high rotational level ratio N(4)/N(0) is proportional to the incident UV intensity, and is inversely proportional to the $H_2$ molecular fraction, as predicted in theory.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.79-82
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• 2015

The physical and chemical properties of prestellar cores, especially massive ones, are still far from being well understood due to the lack of a large sample. The low dust temperature (< 14 K) of Planck cold clumps makes them promising candidates for prestellar objects or for sources at the very initial stages of protostellar collapse. We have been conducting a series of observations toward Planck cold clumps (PCCs) with ground-based radio telescopes. In general, when compared with other star forming samples (e.g. infrared dark clouds), PCCs are more quiescent, suggesting that most of them may be in the earliest phase of star formation. However, some PCCs are associated with protostars and molecular outflows, indicating that not all PCCs are in a prestellar phase. We have identified hundreds of starless dense clumps from a mapping survey with the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) 13.7-m telescope. Follow-up observations suggest that these dense clumps are ideal targets to search for prestellar objects.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.141-145
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• 2017

We study $CO_2/H_2O$ ice abundance ratios in nearby galaxies using AKARI near-infrared slit spectroscopy. Past studies of the ices intensively examined $CO_2/H_2O$ ratios mainly in our Galaxy, and found that there were considerable variations in the $CO_2/H_2O$ ratios from object to object. The cause of the variations is, however, still under debate. As a result of the analysis of our sample that includes 1031 regions in 158 galaxies, the $CO_2/H_2O$ ratios are in a range of 0.05-0.30. In the dataset, we find that the $CO_2/H_2O$ ratios positively correlate with the $Br{\alpha}/PAH$ $3.3{\mu}m$ ratios which reflect the massive star formation activity. Furthermore, we find that the $CO_2/H_2O$ ratios positively correlate with the specific star formation rates of the galaxies where the ices are detected, that reflect the evolutionary stage of a galaxy. These results suggest that the $CO_2/H_2O$ ratios are enhanced in active star-forming regions and young galaxies.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.29-34
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• 2014

We have observed the deuterated methanol, $CH_3OD$, toward the hot core MM1 in the massive star-forming region DR21 (OH) using the Submillimeter Array with a high angular resolution of about 1 arcsecond. The position of the hot core associated with the sub-core MM1a was confirmed to coincide with the continuum peak where an embedded young stellar object is located. The column density of $CH_3OD$ was found to be about $(2{\pm}1){\times}10^{16}cm^{-2}$ toward the MM1a center. The abundance ratio $CH_3OD/CH_3OH$ was measured to be ~ 0.45, which is about the median value for low mass star-forming cores but much larger than those of the massive star-forming cores. The ratio is believed to change depending on, for example, the chemical condition, the temperature and the density of the source. This ratio may further depend on the evolutionary phase especially in the massive-star-forming cores. The sub-core MM1a is thought to be in the very early phase of star formation. This large abundance ratio found in this source indicates that even the massive star-forming cores, during a relatively short period in the very early stage of star formation, may also show a chemical state resulted from the cold and dense pre-collapsing phase, the enhanced deuteration as found in low mass star-forming cores.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.357-364
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• 2015

We observe ten known 22GHz H₂O maser galaxies during February 19-22, 2011 using the 21 m Tamna telescope of the Korean VLBI Network and a new wide-band digital spectrometer. Simultaneously we searched for 43GHz SiO v = 1, 2, J = 1-0 maser emission. We detect H₂O maser emission towards five sources (M 33, NGC 1052, NGC 1068, NGC 4258, M 82), with non-detections towards the remaining sources (UGC 3193, UGC 3789, Antennae H₂O-West, M 51, NGC 6323) likely due to sensitivity. Our 22GHz spectra are consistent with earlier findings. Our simultaneous 43GHz SiO maser search produced non-detections, yielding - for the first time - upper limits on the 43GHz SiO maser emission in these sources at a 3 σ sensitivity level of 0.018K-0.033K (0.24 Jy-0.44 Jy) in a 1.75 km s⁻¹ velocity resolution. Our findings suggest that any 43GHz SiO masers in these sources (some having starburst-associated H₂O kilomasers) must be faint compared to the 22GHz H₂O maser emission.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.125-138
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• 2005

S152 is a small bright emission nebula located in the Perseus arm. Its optical diameter corresponds to 1.5 pc for an adopted distance 3.5 kpc. However, S152 is a part of a giant molecular cloud complex, which consists of several dense cores, containing active star-forming sites, and well aligned arm-like features. We analyzed the FCRAO $^{12}CO(J=\;1{\to}0)$ Outer Galaxy Survey data in this region to study the kinematical structure of this region, which resembles a big "scorpion". We found that there exist three different velocity components, about -54.5, -50.4, -48.8 km $s^{-1}$, depending on the position of the "scorpion". There also exist velocity gradients of 0.21 km $s^{-1}pc^{-1}$ and 0.16 km $s^{-1}pc^{-1}$ through the whole extent of the "scorpion". Interestingly, these two velocity gradients show an opposite direction with each other. It is likely that the velocity structure of this region may result from the mergence of different gas clouds, and the interaction with the SNR 109.1-1.0 occurred later, mostly at the region around the "head of the scorpion" only.