• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.54.2-54.2
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• 2011

We present a study of HII regions in M51 using HST/ACS images taken as part of the Hubble Heritage Program. We found about 19,600 HII regions in M51 with $H_{\alpha}$ luminosity in the range of $L=10^{35.5}-10^{39.0}\;erg\;s^{-1}$. The $H_{\alpha}$ luminosity function of HII regions (HII LF) in M51 is well represented by a double power law with its index ${\alpha}=-2.25{\pm}0.02$ for the bright part and ${\alpha}=-1.42{\pm}0.01$ for the faint part, separated at a break point $L=10^{37.1}\;erg\;s^{-1}$. Comparison with simulated HII LFs suggests that this break is caused by the transition of HII region ionizing sources, from low-mass clusters (including several OB stars) to more massive clusters (including several tens of OB stars). The HII LFs with L < $10^{37.1}\;erg\;s^{-1}$ are found to have different slopes for different parts in M51: the HII LF for the interarm region is steeper than those for the arm and the nuclear regions. This observed difference in HII LFs can be explained by evolutionary effects: HII regions in the interarm region are relatively older than those in the other parts of M51. The size distribution of the HII regions is fitted by a double power law with a break at D = 30 pc. The power law index for the small HII regions with 15 pc < D < 30 pc is ${\alpha}=-1.78{\pm}0.04$, whereas ${\alpha}=-5.04{\pm}0.08$ for the large HII region with 30 pc < D < 110 pc. The power law indices of the size distribution are related with those of HII LF, and the relation between the luminosities and sizes of HII regions is fitted well by $L{\propto}D^{3.04{\pm}}$.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.343-355
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• 2015

There is much observational evidence that active star formation is taking place in the Hii regions Sh 2-255 – 257. We present a photometric study of this star forming region (SFR) using imaging data obtained in passbands from the optical to the mid-infrared, in order to study the star formation process. A total of 218 members were identified using various selection criteria based on their observational properties. The SFR is reddened by at least E(B −V ) = 0.8 mag, and the reddening law toward the region is normal (R_V = 3.1). From the zero-age main sequence fitting method it is confirmed that the SFR is 2.1 ± 0.3 kpc from the Sun. The median age of the identified members is estimated to be about 1.3 Myr from a comparison of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD) with stellar evolutionary models. The initial mass function (IMF) is derived from the HRD and the near-infrared (J, J −H) color-magnitude diagram. The slope of the IMF is about Γ = −1.6 ± 0.1, which is slightly steeper than that of the Salpeter/Kroupa IMF. It implies that low-mass star formation is dominant in the SFR. The sum of the masses of all the identified members provides the lower limit of the cluster mass (169M_⊙). We also analyzed the spectral energy distribution (SED) of pre-main sequence stars using the SED fitting tool of Robitaille et al., and confirm that there is a significant discrepancy between stellar mass and age obtained from two different methods based on the SED fitting tool and the HRD.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.52.1-52.1
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• 2010

The relationship between orbital periods of cataclysmic variables (CV) and mass-loss rates of their donor stars is an important subject of theoretical researches. The observed donor's radii are oversized in comparison with those of isolated unperturbed stars of the same mass, which is thought to be a consequence of the mass-loss. Using the empirical mass-radius relation of CVs and the Hayashi theory for changes in effective temperature, orbital period, and luminosity of the donor with the stellar radius, we find the mass-loss rate of CVs as a function of the orbital period P. The derived mass-loss rate is more or less constant at 10-9.6-10-10M$\odot$ yr-1 with P above 90 minutes and declines very rapidly with P below 90 minutes, reaching 10-10.3-10-11.7M$\odot$ yr-1 when P is close to the minimum period. The turnaround behavior of the mass-loss rate shape with P near the minimal period is much less pronounced than suggested by earlier numerical models, making observational detection of the turnaround highly unlikely. When applied to our new results, SDSS 1035, 1507, 1501 and 1433 systems, previously known as post-bounce CVs, are more likely to be systems that have yet to reach the minimal period.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.76.2-76.2
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• 2010

We present the final results of our study on the mass-loss rate of donor stars in cataclysmic variables (CVs). Observed donors are oversized in comparison with those of isolated single stars of the same mass, which is thought to be a consequence of the mass loss. Using the empirical mass-radius relation of CVs and the homologous approximation for changes in effective temperature T2, orbital period P, and luminosity of the donor with the stellar radius, we find the semi-empirical mass-loss rate M2dot of CVs as a function of P. The derived M2dot is at ~10-9.5-10-10 $M\odot$/yr and depends weakly on P when P > 90 min, while it declines very rapidly towards the minimum period when P < 90 min. The semi-empirical M2dot is significantly different from, and has a less-pronounced turnaround behavior with P than suggested by previous numerical models. The semi-empirical P-M2dot relation is consistent with the angular momentum loss due to gravitational wave emission, and strongly suggests that CV secondaries with 0.075 $M\odot$ < M2 < 0.2 $M\odot$ are less than 2 Gyrs old. When applied to selected eclipsing CVs, our semi-empirical mass-loss rates are in good agreement with the accretion rates derived from the effective temperatures T1 of white dwarfs. Based on the semi-empirical M2dot, SDSS 1501 and 1433 systems that were previously identified as post-bounce CVs have yet to reach the minimal period.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 2007

We present wide-field $JHK_s$-band photometric observations of the three compact H II regions G48.9-0.3, G49.0-0.3, and G49.2-0.3 in the active star-forming region W51B. The star clusters inside the three compact H II regions show the excess number of stars in the $J-K_s$ histograms compared with reference fields. While the mean color excess ratio $(E_{J-H}/E_{H-K_s})$ of the three compact H II regions are similar to ${\sim}2.07$, the visual extinctions toward them are somewhat different: ${\sim}17$ mag for G48.9-0.3 and G49.0-0.3; ${\sim}23$ mag for G49.2-0.3. Based on their sizes and brightnesses, we suggest that the age of each compact H II region is ${\leq}2\;Myr$. The inferred total stellar mass, ${\sim}1.4{\times}10^4M_{\odot}$, of W51B makes it one of the most active star forming regions in the Galaxy with the star formation efficiency of ${\sim}10%$.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 1993.10a
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• pp.18-18
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• 1993

According to the CCD photometric studies, the color distributions of globular clusters with collapsed cores, which are characterized by a power law cusp in thier surface brighness pronto, become bluer toward their centers, but this is not the case in the flat core clusters which are fit by the King model. To test the statistical implication of the color distribution within globular clusters, we built the sample dusters which follows the surface brightness pofile of the King model and power law cusp profile with the Sandage's standao luminosity function for M3 and the Salpter's initial mass functions. On the results from simulations based on the uniform random number generation the color gadients within globualr dusters mar be not likely to come from the statistical random distributions of stars but from the dynamical process on the cluster evolution.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.44.1-44.1
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• 2016

The Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm in the Galaxy contains several massive young open clusters. We present a deep optical photometric study on the massive young open clusters in the Sagittarius-Carina arm, Westerlund 2 and the young open clusters in the ${\eta}$ Carina nebula. Westerlund 2 is a less studied starburst-type cluster in the Galaxy. An abnormal reddening law for the intracluster medium of the young starburst-type cluster Westerlund 2 is determined to be $R_{V,cl}=4.14{\pm}0.08$. The distance modulus is determined from zero-age main-sequence fitting to the reddening-corrected color-magnitude diagrams of the early-type members to be $V_0-M_V=13.9{\pm}0.14mag$. The pre-main sequence (PMS) members of Westerlund 2 are selected by identifying the optical counterparts of X-ray emission sources from the Chandra X-ray observation and mid-infrared emission sources from the Spitzer/IRAC (the Infrared Array Camera) observation. The initial mass function (IMF) shows a slightly flat slope of ${\Gamma}=-1.1{\pm}0.1$ down to $5M_{\odot}$. The age of Westerlund 2 is estimated to be. 1.5 Myr from the main-sequence turn-on luminosity and the age distribution of PMS stars. The ${\eta}$ Carina nebula is the best laboratory for the investigation of the Galactic massive stars and low-mass star formation under the influence of numerous massive stars. We have performed deep wide-field CCD photometry of stars in the ${\eta}$ Carina nebula to determine the reddening law, distance, and the IMF of the clusters in the nebula. We present VRI and $H{\alpha}$ photometry of 130,571 stars from the images obtained with the 4m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO). RV,cl in the η Carina nebula gradually decreases from the southern part (~4.5, around Trumpler 14 and Trumpler 16) to the northern part around Trumpler 15 (~3.5). Distance to the young open clusters in the ${\eta}$ Carina nebula is partly revised based on the zero-age main-sequence fitting to the reddening-corrected color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and the (semi-) reddening-independent CMDs. We select the PMS members and candidates by identifying the optical counterparts of X-ray sources from the Chandra Carina Complex Survey and mid-infrared excess emission stars from the Spitzer Vela-Carina survey. From the evolutionary stage of massive stars and PMS stars, we obtain that the northern young open cluster Trumpler 15 is distinctively older than the southern young open clusters, Trumpler 14 (${\leq}2.5 Myr$) and Trumpler 16 (2.5-3.5 Myr). The slopes of the IMF of Trumpler 14, Trumpler 15, and Trumpler 16 are determined to be $-1.2{\pm}0.1$, $-1.5{\pm}0.3$, and $-1.1{\pm}0.1$, respectively. Based on the RV,cl of several young open clusters determined in this work and the previous studies of our group, We suggest that higher RV,cl values are commonly found for very young open clusters with the age of < 4 Myr. We also confirm the correlation between the slope of the IMF and the surface mass density of massive stars.