• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 1996

31 white dwarfs in 10 open clusters are examined, and their maximum mass and the upper mass limit of their progenitors are obtained as $1.22\pm0.02M_{\bigodot}\;and\;7.2\pm0.4M_{\bigodot}$ respectively, suggesting that the upper mass limit of white dwarfs is less than 8M_{\bigodot}$ The final mass of white dwarfs shows no clear correlation with the initial mass of their progenitors, and it is found that a deficient gap of initial mass exists between $\~4\;and\;~5.2M_{\bigodot}$. This gap seems to correspond to the mass range for carbon detonation or deflagration. The total expected numbers of white dwarfs are $11\~22$ in Hyades with 7 known white dwarfs and 17 in Praesepe with 8 known white dwarfs. These known white dwrfs are all younger than the others in both clusters. But one known white dwarf in Pleiades is older one among $2\~3$ expected white dwarfs.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.169-173
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• 2012

A summary is presented of what is currently known about the surface temperatures of accreting white dwarfs (WDs) detected in non-magnetic and magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs) based upon synthetic spectral analyses of far ultraviolet data. A special focus is placed on WD temperatures above and below the CV period gap as a function of the orbital period, $P_{orb}$. The principal uncertainty of the temperatures for the CV WDs in the $T_{eff}-P_{orb}$ distribution, besides the distance to the CV, is the mass of the WD. Only in eclipsing CV systems, an area of eclipsing binary studies, which was so central to Robert H. Koch's career, is it possible to know CV WD masses with high precision.

• Journal of English Language & Literature
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.885-906
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• 2009

In terms of class, race, or gender, critical literacy takes seriously the problem of inequality and injustice embedded in texts. Texts are considered as tools that are used for maintaining the status quo by constructing and communicating our identities, particularly in relation to others. While reading texts and identifying our roles in society, some feel empowered, and others, marginalized. Thus we need to challenge the characterization and the message included in those texts by asking problem-posing questions. In this paper I have demonstrated how to read and teach four versions of "Snow White" from a critical literacy stance. By the use of problem-posing questions, students are led to discover that one of Grimms' fairy tales, the original version of "Snow White," was written from the perspective of men with power, thus marginalizing women in general, as well as the seven dwarfs. Through a critical analysis of Snow White's personality, the typical theme of fairy tales - good is rewarded while evil is punished - should be challenged. In the animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, power is given to the marginalized people in the original, the seven dwarfs and women in general. In "Snow Night,"a feminist short story, women in general are empowered while men, who should be judged by their looks, are powerless. "Snow-Drop"reminds us of the original, but challenges stereotypes, prejudices, and the theme inherent in the story. In those three stories many parts from the original are rewritten from the perspectives of the marginalized, but still some people are described prejudicially. So students should be guided to write another story from a new perspective. When those four works were taught with problem-posing questions in a university, this approach proved to be quite successful: most students acknowledged the effectiveness of critical literacy in teaching literary works.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.333-341
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• 2015

A search for hot and bright white dwarfs (WDs) in the Milky Way globular clusters M13 (NGC 6205) and M22 (NGC 6656) is carried out using the deep and homogeneous V I photometric catalog of Anderson et al. and and Sarajedini et al., based on data taken with the ACS/WFC aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). V versus V − I color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of M13 and M22 are constructed and numerous spurious detections are rejected according to their photometric quality parameters qfit(V ) and qfit(I). In the case of M13, further radial restriction is applied to reject central stars with higher photometric errors due to central crowding. From each resultant V versus V −I CMD, sixteen and thirteen WD candidates are identified in M13 and M22, respectively. They are identified as stellar objects in the accompanying ACS/WFC images and are found to be randomly distributed across the central regions of M13 and M22. Their positions in the CMDs are in the bright part of the DA WD cooling sequences indicating that they are true WDs. In order to confirm their nature, follow-up spectroscopic observations are needed.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.175-180
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• 2012

White dwarf stars have played important roles in rather diverse areas of astrophysics. This paper outlines how these stellar remnants, especially those in widely separated "fragile" binaries, have provided unique leverage on difficult astrophysical problems such as the ages of stars, the structure and evolution of the Galaxy, the nature of dark matter and even the discovery of dark energy.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.45-59
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• 1995

In the best observed Pleiades cluster, the luminosity function(LF) and mass function(MF) for main sequence(MS) stars extended to $Mv{\approx}15.5(V{\approx}21)$ are very similar to the initial luminosity function(ILF) and initial mass function(IMF) for field stars in the solar neighborhood showing a bump at log $m{\simeq}-0.05$ and a dip at log $m{\simeq}-0.12$. This dip is equivalent to the Wielen dip appearing in the LF for the field stars. The occurence of these bump and dip is independent of adopted mass-luminosity relation(MLR) . and their characteristics could be explained by a time-dependent bimodal IMF. The model with this IMF gives a total cluster mass of $\~700M_\bigodot,\;\~25$ brown dwarfs and $\~3$ white dwarfs if the upper mass limit of progenitor of white dwarf is greater than $4.5M_\bigodot$. The cluster age on the basis of LF for brightest stars is given by $\~8\times10^7yr$ and all stars in the cluster lie along the single age sequence in the C-M diagram without showing a large dispersion from the sequence.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.265-266
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• 2015

A search for luminous white dwarfs (WDs) in several nearby Galactic globular clusters (GCs) was carried out using the deep and homogeneous photometric catalog of Galactic GCs taken with the ACS/WFC aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) by Sarajedini et al. and Anderson et al- It resulted in the identification of luminous WD candidates in the GCs M13 (NGC 6205) and M22 (NGC 6656). The purpose of the present study is to identify luminous WDs in the deep and homogeneous V versus V - I color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of several nearby Galactic GCs taken with the ACS/WFC aboard the HST. Using photometric data for the GCs M13 and M22 that are now in the public domain, the V versus V - I CMDs of the GCs M13 and M22 were constructed. Many spurious detections in the CMDs were removed using the photometric quality parameters qfit(V) and qfit(I), and a radial restriction was applied to the CMDs to remove the central stars with higher photometric errors due to central crowding. From each resultant V versus V - I CMD of the GCs M13 and M22, a dozen or so luminous WD candidates were identified. They were confirmed as stellar objects in the accompanying ACS/WFC images and their positions in the CMDs were in the bright part of the DA WD cooling curve. Therefore, the luminous WD candidates in the GCs M13 and M22 seem to be true luminous WDs, and spectroscopic observations are needed to confirm their true identity.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.89-96
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• 1992

Recent spectroscopic observations indicate concentration of dark masses in the nuclei of nearby galaxies. This has been usually interpreted as the presence of massive black holes in these nuclei. Alternative explanations such as the dark cluster composed of low mass stars (brown dwarfs) or dark stellar remnants are possible provided that these systems can be stably maintained for the age of galaxies. For the case of low mass star cluster, mass of individual stars can grow to that of conventional stars in collision time scale. The requirement of collision time scale being shorter than the Hubble time gives the minimum cluster size. For typical conditions of M31 or M32, the half-mass radii of dark clusters can be as small as 0.1 arcsecond. For the case of clusters composed of stellar remnants, core-collapse and post-collapse expansion are required to take place in longer than Hubble time. Simple estimates reveal that the size of these clusters also can be small enough that no contradiction with observational data exists for the clusters made of white dwarfs or neutron stars. We then considered the possible outcomes of interactions between the black hole and the surrounding stellar system. Under typical conditions of M31 or M32, tidal disruption will occur every $10^3$ to $10^4$ years. We present a simple scenario for the evolution of stellar debris based on basic principles. While the accretion of stellar material could produce large amount of radiation so that the mass-to-light ratio can become too small compared to observational values it is too early to rule out the black hole model because the black hole can consume most of the stellar debris in time scale much shorter than mean time between two successive tidal disruptions. Finally we outline recent effort to simulate the process of tidal disruption and subsequent evolution of the stellar debris numerically using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics technique.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.78.1-78.1
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• 2014

Pulsar binaries in tight orbits are considered to emit strong gravitational waves (GWs) during the last stage of their coalescences. They form a subset of compact binary mergers, which consists of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), or black holes (BHs). One of the most famous example of 'merging' pulsar binaries is the Hulse-Taylor pulsar (PSR B1913+16) discovered in 1974 by Russell Hulse and Joseph Taylor. About ten NS-NS and several tens of NS-WD binaries are known in our Galaxy. Merging binaries are rare and only a few NS-NS and NS-WD have been discovered to date. A pulsar with a black hole companion is also theoretically expected, but there is yet no detection. Within several years, direct detections of GWs from compact binary mergers will be made by laser interferometers. This will pave a way to study physics of compact binaries that cannot be reached by electromagnetic waves (EM). Pulsar binaries are of particular interest as we can use both EM and GW to probe these systems. In this talk, we present a brief overview on the Galactic pulsar populations and discuss their implications for GW detection.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.101-111
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• 1989

We have analysed the proper motion data of LHS catalog, to derive the faint end of the luminosity function more precise than ever before, by mean absolute method, and by making use of the reudced proper motion diagram. It is found that the relations between the mean absolute magnitude and the reduced proper motion for main sequence stars, subdwarfs, and white dwarfs are so different that the proper application of an appropriate relation to each group is much more important. The derived luminosity function shows the broad maximum peak from $M_B{\sim}14$ to $M_B{\sim}17$ and declines after $M_B{\sim}17$ up to $M_B{\sim}22$.