• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.103-115
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• 2020

We analyze the spatially resolved kinematics of gas and stars for a sample of ten hidden type 1 AGNs in order to investigate the nature of their central sources and the scaling relation with host galaxy stellar velocity dispersion. We select our sample from a large number of hidden type 1 AGNs, which are identified based on the presence of a broad (full width at half maximum ≳1000 km s^-1) component in the Hα line profile and which are frequently mis-classified as type 2 AGNs because AGN continuum and broad emission lines are weak or obscured in the optical spectral range. We used the Blue Channel Spectrograph at the 6.5-m Multiple Mirror Telescope to obtain long-slit data with a spatial scale of 0.3 arcsec pixel^-1. We detected broad Hβ lines for only two targets; however, the presence of strong broad Hα lines indicates that the AGNs we selected are all low-luminosity type 1 AGNs. We measured the velocity, velocity dispersion, and flux of stellar continuum and gas emission lines (i.e., Hβ and [O III]) as a function of distance from the center. The spatially resolved gas kinematics traced by Hβ or [O III] are generally similar to the stellar kinematics except for the inner center, where signatures of gas outflows are detected. We compare the luminosity-weighted effective stellar velocity dispersions with the black hole masses and find that our hidden type 1 AGNs, which have relatively low back hole masses, follow the same scaling relation as reverberation-mapped type 1 AGN and more massive inactive galaxies.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.5-16
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• 2018

We investigate the escape of $Ly{\beta}$ from emission nebulae with a significant population of excited hydrogen atoms in the level n = 2, rendering them optically thick in $H{\alpha}$. The transfer of $Ly{\beta}$ line photons in these optically thick regions is complicated by the presence of another scattering channel leading to re-emission of $H{\alpha}$, alternating their identities between $Ly{\beta}$ and $H{\alpha}$. In this work, we develop a Monte Carlo code to simulate the transfer of $Ly{\beta}$ line photons incorporating the scattering channel into $H{\alpha}$. Both $H{\alpha}$ and $Ly{\beta}$ lines are formed through diffusion in frequency space, where a line photon enters the wing regime after a fairly large number of resonance scatterings with hydrogen atoms. Various line profiles of $H{\alpha}$ and $Ly{\beta}$ emergent from our model nebulae are presented. It is argued that the electron temperature is a critical parameter which controls the flux ratio of emergent $Ly{\beta}$ and $H{\alpha}$. Specifically for $T\;=\;3{\times}10^4\;K$ and $H{\alpha}$ line center optical depth $\tau{\alpha}\;=\;10$, the number flux ratio of emergent $Ly{\beta}$ and $H{\alpha}$ is ~ 49 percent, which is quite significant. We propose that the leaking $Ly{\beta}$ can be an interesting source for the formation of $H{\alpha}$ wings observed in many symbiotic stars and active galactic nuclei. Similar broad $H{\alpha}$ wings are also expected in $Ly{\alpha}$ emitting halos found in the early universe, which can be potentially probed by the James Webb Telescope in the future.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.40.2-40.2
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• 2014

The connection between the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and star formation activity is one of the most important issues in understanding the coevolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and galaxies. In our recent study, by using SDSS quasar spectra we found that the emission-line flux rations involving a nitrogen line, i.e., $NV{\lambda}1240$, correlate with the Eddington ratio. This correlation suggests that the mass accretion into SMBH is associated with a post-starburst phase, when AGB stars enrich the interstellar medium with the nitrogen. Moreover, we focused on nitrogen-loud quasars, which have prominent emission lines of the nitrogen, to investigate whether this argument is correct or not. We will present our recent results described above and discuss the relation between the star formation and feeding to SMBHs.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.105-110
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• 2002

We present the results of VLA $NH_3$ (1,1) and (2,2) line observations of the young-stellar object (YSO) IRAS 19550+3248. The integrated intensity map of the $NH_3$ (1,1) line shows that there are two ammonia cores in this region; core A which is associated with the YSO, and core B which is diffuse and located at the northeast of core A. Core A is compact and elongated along the east-west direction (0.07 pc$\times$0.05 pc) roughly perpendicular to the molecular outflow axis. Core B is diffuse and extended (0.18 pc$\times$0.07 pc). $NH_3$ (2,2) line is detected only toward core A, which indicates that it is hotter (~ 15 K), presumably due to the heating by the YSO. The $NH_3$ (1,1) line toward core A is wide (${\Delta}v{\ge} 3 km s^{-l}$) and appears to have an anomalous intensity ratio of the inner satellite hyperfine lines. The large line width may be attributed to the embedded YSO, but the hyperfine anomaly is difficult to explain. We compare the results of $NH_3$ observations with those of previous CS observations and find that the CS emission is detected only toward core A and is much more extended than the $NH_3$ emission.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.219-220
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• 2012

We present the results of far-infrared spectroscopic observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) with FIS-FTS. We covered a large area across the LMC, including 30 Doradus (30 Dor) and N44 star-forming regions, by 191 pointings in total. As a result, we detect the [OIII] and [CII] line emission as well as far-infrared dust continuum emission throughout the LMC. We find that the [OIII] emission is widely distributed around 30 Dor. The observed size of the distribution is too large to be explained by massive stars in 30 Dor, which are assumed to be enshrouded by clouds with the constant gas density estimated from the [OIII] line intensities. Therefore the surrounding structure is likely to be highly clumpy. We also find a global correlation between the [OIII] and the far-infrared continuum emission, suggesting that the gas and dust are well mixed in the highly-ionized region where the dust survives in clumpy dense clouds shielded from energetic photons. Furthermore we find that the ratios of [CII]/CO are as high as 110,000 in 30 Dor, and 45,000 even on average, while they are typically 6,000 for star-forming regions in our Galaxy. The unusually high [CII]/CO is also consistent with the picture of clumpy small dense clouds.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.243-248
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• 2012

Nearby spiral galaxies M101 and M81 are considered to have undergone a galaxy-galaxy interaction. M101 has experienced HI gas infall due to the interaction. With AKARI far-infrared (IR) photometric observations, we found regions with enhanced star forming activity, which are spatially close to regions affected by the interaction. In addition, the relation between the star formation rate (SFR) and the gas content for such regions shows a significant difference from typical spiral arm regions. We discuss possible explanations for star formation processes on a kiloparsec scale and the association with interaction-triggered star formation. We also observed the compact group of galaxies Stephan's Quintet (SQ) with the AKARI Far-infrared Surveyor (FIS). The SQ shows diffuse intergalactic medium (IGM) due to multiple collisions between the member galaxies and the IGM. The intruder galaxy NGC 7318b is currently colliding with the IGM and causes a large-scale shock. The 160 micron image clearly shows the structure along the shock ridge as seen in warm molecular hydrogen line emission and X-ray emission. The far-IR emission from the shocked region comes from the luminous [CII]$158{\mu}m$ line and cold dust (~ 20 K) that coexist with molecular hydrogen gas. Survival of dust grains is indispensable to form molecular hydrogen gas within the collision age (~ 5 Myr). At the stage of the dusty IGM environment, [CII] and $H_2$ lines rather than X-ray emission are powerful cooling channels to release the collision energy.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.169-179
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• 2020

Emission features formed through Raman scattering with atomic hydrogen provide unique and crucial information to probe the distribution and kinematics of a thick neutral region illuminated by a strong far-ultraviolet radiation source. We introduce a new 3-dimensional Monte-Carlo code in order to describe the radiative transfer of line photons that are subject to Raman and Rayleigh scattering with atomic hydrogen. In our Sejong Radiative Transfer through Raman and Rayleigh Scattering (STaRS) code, the position, direction, wavelength, and polarization of each photon is traced until escape. The thick neutral scattering region is divided into multiple cells with each cell being characterized by its velocity and density, which ensures flexibility of the code in analyzing Raman-scattered features formed in a neutral region with complicated kinematics and density distribution. To test the code, we revisit the formation of Balmer wings through Raman scattering of the far-UV continuum near Lyβ and Lyγ in a static neutral region. An additional check is made to investigate Raman scattering of O vi in an expanding neutral medium. We find a good agreement of our results with previous works, demonstrating the capability of dealing with radiative transfer modeling that can be applied to spectropolarimetric imaging observations of various objects including symbiotic stars, young planetary nebulae, and active galactic nuclei.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.559-563
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• 2015

Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) is a Japanese X-ray all-sky surveyer mounted on the International Space Station (ISS). It has been scanning the whole sky since 2009 during every 92-minute ISS rotation. X-ray transients are quickly found by the real-time nova-search program. As a result, MAXI has issued 133 Astronomer's Telegrams and 44 Gamma-ray burst Coordinated Networks so far. MAXI has discovered six new black holes (BH) in 4.5 years. Long-term behaviors of the MAXI BHs can be classified into two types by their outbursts; a fast-rise exponential-decay type and a fast-rise flat-top one. The slit camera is suitable for accumulating data over a long time. MAXI issued a 37-month catalog containing 500 sources above a ~0.6 mCrab detection limit at 4-10 keV in the region ${\mid}{b}{\mid}$ > $10^{\circ}$. The SSC instrument utilizing an X-ray CCD has detected diffuse soft X-rays extending over a large solid angle, such as the Cygnus super bubble. MAXI/SSC has also detcted a Ne emission line from the rapid soft X-ray nova MAXI J0158-744. The overall shapes of outbursts in Be X-ray binaries (BeXRB) are precisely observed with MAXI/GSC. BeXRB have two kinds of outbursts, a normal outburst and a giant one. The peak dates of the subsequent giant outbursts of A0535+26 repeated with a different period than the orbital one. The Be stellar disk is considered to either have a precession motion or a distorted shape. The long-term behaviors of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXB) containing weakly magnetized neutron stars are investigated. Transient LMXBs (Aql X-1 and 4U 1608-52) repeated outbursts every 200-1000 days, which is understood by the limit-cycle of hydrogen ionization states in the outer accretion disk. A third state (very dim state) in Aql X-1 and 4U 1608-52 was interpreted as the propeller effect in the unified picture of LMXB. Cir X-1 is a peculiar source in the sense that its long-term behavior is not like typical LMXBs. The luminosity sometimes decreases suddenly at periastron. It might be explained by the stripping of the outer accretion disk by a clumpy stellar wind. MAXI observed 64 large flares from 22 active stars (RS CVns, dMe stars, Argol types, young stellar objects) over 4 years. The total energies are $10^{34}-10^{36}$ erg $s^{-1}$. Since MAXI can measure the spectrum (temperature and emission measure), we can estimate the size of the plasma and the magnetic fields. The size sometimes exceeds the size of the star. The magnetic field is in the range of 10-100 gauss, which is a typical value for solar flares.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.83.1-83.1
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• 2011

We report multi-epoch, simultaneous 22 GHz water and 44 GHz Class I methanol maser line survey towards 180 intermediate-mass young stellar objects, including 14 Class 0, 19 Class I objects, and 147 Herbig Ae/Be stars. We detected $H_2O$ and $CH_3OH$ maser emission towards 16 (9%) and 10 (6%) sources with one new $H_2O$ and six new $CH_3OH$ maser sources. The detection rates of both masers rapidly decrease as the central (proto)stars evolve, which is contrary to the trends in high-mass star-forming regions. This suggests that the excitations of the two masers are closely related to the evolutionary stage of the central (proto)stars and the circumstellar environments. $H_2O$ maser velocities deviate on average 9 km s-1 from the ambient gas velocities whereas $CH_3OH$ maser velocities well match with. For both maser emissions, large velocity difference (${\mid}v_{H2O}-v_{sys}{\mid}\;>\; 10kms^{-1}\; and\;{\mid}v_{CH3OH}-v_{sys}{\mid}\;>\;1kms^{-1}$) is mostly confined to Class 0 objects. The formation and disappearance of $H_2O$ maser lines are frequent and the integrated intensities of them change up to two orders of magnitude. In contrast, $CH_3OH$ maser lines usually show no significant change in the intensity, shape, and velocity. This consistent with the previous suggestion that $H_2O$ maser emission originates from the base of an outflow while 44 GHz Class I $CH_3OH$ maser emission arises from the interaction region of the outflow with the ambient gas. The isotropic maser luminosities are well correlated with the bolometric luminosities of the central the objects. The fitted relations are $L_{H2O}=1.71{\ast}10^{-9}(L_{bol})^{0.97}$ and $L_{CH3OH}=1.71{\ast}10^{-10}(L_{bol})^{1.22}$.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.279-282
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• 2005

We report the millimeter-wave radio observations of molecular cloud cores in Taurus. The observed line is the $N_2H^+$ emission at 93 GHz, which is known to be less affected by molecular depletion. We have compared starless (IRAS-less) cores with star-forming cores. We found that there is no large difference between starless and star-forming cores, in core radius, linewidth, core mass, and radial intensity profile. Our result is in contrast with the result obtained by using a popular molecular line, in which starless cores are larger and less condensed. We suggest that different results mainly come from whether the employed molecular line is affected by depletion or not. We made a virial analysis, and found that both starless and star-forming cores are not far from the critical equilibrium state, in Taurus. Together with the fact that Taurus cores are almost thermally supported, we conclude that starless Taurus cores evolve to star formation without dissipating turbulence. The critical equilibrium state in the virial analysis corresponds to the critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere in the Bonnor-Ebert analysis (Nakano 1998). It is suggested that the initial condition of the molecular cloud cores/globules for star formation is close to the critical equilibrium state/critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere, in the low-mass star forming region.