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Chang Won Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Chang Won Lee.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
arXiv2016

Probing the magnetic fields in L1415 and L1389

We present the R-band polarimetric results towards two nebulae L1415 and L1389 containing low luminosity stars. Aim of this study is to understand the role played by magnetic fields in formation of low luminosity objects. Linear polarization arise due to dichroism of the background starlight projected on the cloud providing the plane-of-the sky magnetic field orientation. The offsets between mean magnetic field directions obtained towards L1415 and L1389 and the projected outflow axes are found to be 35$^{\circ}$ and 12$^{\circ}$, respectively. The offset between cloud minor axes and mean envelope magnetic field direction in L1415 and L1389 are 50$^{\circ}$ and 87$^{\circ}$, respectively. To estimate the magnetic field strength by using the updated Chandrasekhar-Fermi relation, we obtained the $^{12}$CO(J=1-0) line velocity dispersion value towards L1415 cloud using the TRAO single dish observations. The values of B$_{pos}$ in L1415 and L1389 are found to be 28$~μ$G and 149$~μ$G using CF technique and 23$~μ$G and 140$~μ$G using structure function analysis, respectively. The values of B$_{pos}$ in these clouds are found to be consistent using both the techniques. By combining the present results with those obtained from our previous study of magnetic fields in cores with VeLLOs, we attempt to improve the sample of cores with low luminosity protostars and bridge the gap between the understanding of importance of magnetic fields in cores with VeLLOs and low luminosity protostars. The Results of this work and that of our previous work show that the outflow directions are aligned with envelope magnetic fields of the clouds.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2016

Dense Molecular Cores Being Externally Heated

We present results of our study on eight dense cores, previously classified as starless, using infrared (3-160 {\micron}) imaging observations with \textit{AKARI} telescope and molecular line (HCN and N$_2$H$^+$) mapping observations with \textit{KVN} telescope. Combining our results with the archival IR to mm continuum data, we examined the starless nature of these eight cores. Two of the eight cores are found to harbor faint protostars having luminosity of $\sim0.3-4.4$ L$_{\odot}$. The other six cores are found to remain as starless and probably are in a dynamically transitional state. The temperature maps produced using multi-wavelength images show an enhancement of about 3-6 K towards the outer boundary of these cores, suggesting that they are most likely being heated externally by nearby stars and/or interstellar radiation fields. Large virial parameters and an over-dominance of red asymmetric line profiles over the cores may indicate that the cores are set into either an expansion or an oscillatory motion, probably due to the external heating. Most of the starless cores show coreshine effect due to the scattering of light by the micron-size dust grains. This may imply that the age of the cores is of the order of $\sim10^{5}$ years, being consistent with the timescale required for the cores to evolve into an oscillatory stage due to the external perturbation. Our observational results support the idea that the external feedback from nearby stars and/or interstellar radiation fields may play an important role in the dynamical evolution of the cores.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2015

Planck cold clumps in the $λ$ Orionis complex: I. Discovery of an extremely young Class 0 protostellar object and a proto-brown dwarf candidate in a bright rimmed clump PGCC G192.32-11.88

We are performing a series of observations with ground-based telescopes toward Planck Galactic cold clumps (PGCCs) in the $λ$ Orionis complex in order to systematically investigate the effects of stellar feedback. In the particular case of PGCC G192.32-11.88, we discovered an extremely young Class 0 protostellar object (G192N) and a proto-brown dwarf candidate (G192S). G192N and G192S are located in a gravitationally bound bright-rimmed clump. The velocity and temperature gradients seen in line emission of CO isotopologues indicate that PGCC G192.32-11.88 is externally heated and compressed. G192N probably has the lowest bolometric luminosity ($\sim0.8$ L$_{\sun}$) and accretion rate (6.3$\times10^{-7}$ M$_{\sun}$~yr$^{-1}$) when compared with other young Class 0 sources (e.g. PACS Bright Red sources (PBRs)) in the Orion complex. It has slightly larger internal luminosity ($0.21\pm0.01$ L$_{\sun}$) and outflow velocity ($\sim$14 km~s$^{-1}$) than the predictions of first hydrostatic cores (FHSCs). G192N might be among the youngest Class 0 sources, which are slightly more evolved than a FHSC. Considering its low internal luminosity ($0.08\pm0.01$ L$_{\odot}$) and accretion rate (2.8$\times10^{-8}$ M$_{\sun}$~yr$^{-1}$), G192S is an ideal proto-brown dwarf candidate. The star formation efficiency ($\sim$0.3\%-0.4\%) and core formation efficiency ($\sim$1\%) in PGCC G192.32-11.88 are significantly smaller than in other giant molecular clouds or filaments, indicating that the star formation therein is greatly suppressed due to stellar feedback.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2014

Magnetic field structure around cores with very low luminosity objects

[Abridged] We carried out optical polarimetry of five dense cores, (IRAM 04191, L1521F, L328, L673-7, and L1014) which are found to harbour VeLLO. This study was conducted mainly to understand the role played by the magnetic field in the formation of very low and substellar mass range objects using optical polarisation. The angular offsets between the envelope magnetic field direction (inferred from optical polarisation measurements) and the outflow position angles from the VeLLOs in IRAM 04191, L1521F, L328, L673-7, and L1014 are found to be 84$^\circ$, 53$^\circ$, 24$^\circ$, 08$^\circ$, and 15$^\circ$, respectively. The mean value of the offsets for all the five clouds is $\sim37^\circ$. If we exclude IRAM 04191, the mean value reduces to become $\sim25^\circ$. In IRAM 04191, the offset between the projected envelope and the inner magnetic field (inferred from the submillimetre data from SCUPOL) is found to be $\sim68^\circ$. The inner magnetic field, however, is found to be nearly aligned with the projected position angles of the minor axis, the rotation axis of the cloud, and the outflow from the IRAM 04191-IRS. We discuss a possible explanation for the nearly perpendicular orientation between the envelope and core scale magnetic fields in IRAM04191. The angular offset between the envelope magnetic field direction and the minor axis of IRAM 04191, L1521F, L673-7, and L1014 are 82$^\circ$, 60$^\circ$, 47$^\circ$, and 55$^\circ$, respectively. The mean value of the offsets between the envelope magnetic field and the minor axis position angles for the four cores is found to be $\sim60^\circ$. The results obtained from our study on the limited sample of five cores with VeLLOs show that the outflows in three of them tend to nearly align with the envelope magnetic field.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2013

A Method for Neuronal Source Identification

Multi-sensor microelectrodes for extracellular action potential recording have significantly improved the quality of in vivo recorded neuronal signals. These microelectrodes have also been instrumental in the localization of neuronal signal sources. However, existing neuron localization methods have been mostly utilized in vivo, where the true neuron location remains unknown. Therefore, these methods could not be experimentally validated. This article presents experimental validation of a method capable of estimating both the location and intensity of an electrical signal source. A four-sensor microelectrode (tetrode) immersed in a saline solution was used to record stimulus patterns at multiple intensity levels generated by a stimulating electrode. The location of the tetrode was varied with respect to the stimulator. The location and intensity of the stimulator were estimated using the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm, and the results were quantified by comparison to the true values. The localization results, with an accuracy and precision of ~ 10 microns, and ~ 11 microns respectively, imply that MUSIC can resolve individual neuronal sources. Similarly, source intensity estimations indicate that this approach can track changes in signal amplitude over time. Together, these results suggest that MUSIC can be used to characterize neuronal signal sources in vivo.

q-bio.NC↗
arXiv2013

Magnetic fields in cometary globules - IV. LBN 437

We present results of our $R-$band polarimetry of a cometary globule, LBN 437 (Gal96-15, $\ell$ $=$ 96$\degree$, \textit{b} $=-15\degree$), to study magnetic field geometry of the cloud. We estimated a distance of $360\pm65$ pc to LBN 437 (also one additional cloud, CB 238) using near-IR photometric method. Foreground contribution to the observed polarisation values was subtracted by making polarimetric observations of stars that are located in the direction of the cloud and with known distances from the Hipparcos parallax measurements. The magnetic field geometry of LBN 437 is found to follow the curved shape of the globule head. This could be due to the drag that the magnetic field lines could have experienced because of the ionisation radiation from the same exciting source that caused the cometary shape of the cloud. The orientation of the outflow from the Herbig A4e star, LkH$α$ 233 (or V375 Lac), located at the head of LBN 437, is found to be parallel to both the initial (prior to the ionising source was turned on) ambient magnetic field (inferred from a star HD 214243 located just in front of the cloud) and the Galactic plane.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2011

Distances to dense cores that contain Very Low Luminosity Objects

The aim of the paper is to estimate distances to dense molecular cores that harbour Very Low Luminosity Objects (VeLLO) detected by Spitzer Space Telescope and to confirm their VeLLO nature. The cloud distances are estimated using near-IR photometric method. We use a technique that provides spectral classification of stars lying towards the fields containing the clouds into main sequence and giants. In this technique, the observed (J-H) and (H-Ks) colours are dereddened simultaneously using trial values of A_V and a normal interstellar extinction law. The best fit of the dereddened colours to the intrinsic colours giving a minimum value of chi^{2} then yields the corresponding spectral type and A_V for the star. The main sequence stars, thus classified, are then utilized in an A_V versus distance plot to bracket the cloud distances. The typical error in the estimation of distances to the clouds are found to be ~18%.We estimated distances to seven cloud cores, IRAM04191, L1521F, BHR111, L328, L673-7, L1014, and L1148 using the above method. These clouds contain VeLLO candidates. The estimated distances to the cores are found to be 127\pm25 pc (IRAM04191), 136\pm36 pc (L1521F), 355\pm65 pc (BHR111), 217\pm30 pc (L328), 240\pm45 pc (L673-7), 258\pm50 pc (L1014), and 301\pm55 pc (L1148). We re-evaluated the internal luminosities of the VeLLOs discovered in these seven clouds using the distances estimated from this work. Except for L1014-IRS (L_{int}=0.15 L_{\odot}), all other VeLLO candidates are found to be consistent with the definition of a VeLLO (L_{int}<=0.1L_{\odot}). In addition to the cores that harbour VeLLO candidates, we also obtained distances to the clouds L323, L675, L676, CB 188, L1122, L1152, L1155, L1157 and L1158 which are located in the directions of the above seven cores. Towards L1521F and L1148 we found evidence of the presence of multiple dust layers.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2011

Internal Motions in Starless Dense Cores

This paper discusses the statistics of internal motions in starless dense cores and the relation of these motions to core density and evolution. Four spectral lines from three molecular species are analyzed from single-pointing and mapped observations of several tens of starless cores. Blue asymmetric profiles are dominant, indicating that inward motions are prevalent in sufficiently dense starless cores. These blue profiles are found to be more abundant, and their asymmetry is bluer, at core positions with stronger $\rm N_2H^+$ line emission or higher column density. Thirty three starless cores are classified into four types according to the blue and red shifts of the lines in their molecular line maps. Among these cores, contracting motions dominate: 19 are classified as contracting, 3 as oscillating, 3 as expanding, and 8 as static. Contracting cores have inward motions all over the core with predominance of those motions near the region of peak density. Cores with the bluest asymmetry tend to have greater column density than other cores and all five cores with peak column density $> \rm 6\times 10^{21} cm^{-2}$ are found to be contracting. This suggests that starless cores are likely to have contracting motions if they are sufficiently condensed. Our classification of the starless cores may indicate a sequence of core evolution in the sense that column density increases from static to contracting cores: the static cores in the earliest stage, the expanding and/or the oscillating cores in the next, and the contracting cores in the latest stage.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2008

The Spitzer c2d Survey of Nearby Dense Cores. V. Discovery of a VeLLO in the "Starless" Dense Core L328

This paper reports the discovery of a Very Low Luminosity Object (VeLLO) in the "starless" dense core L328, using the Spitzer Space Telescope and ground based observations from near-infrared to millimeter wavelengths. The Spitzer 8 micron image indicates that L328 consists of three subcores of which the smallest one may harbor a source, L328-IRS while two other subcores remain starless. L328-IRS is a Class 0 protostar according to its bolometric temperature (44 K) and the high fraction ~72 % of its luminosity emitted at sub-millimeter wavelengths. Its inferred "internal luminosity" (0.04 - 0.06 Lsun) using a radiative transfer model under the most plausible assumption of its distance as 200 pc is much fainter than for a typical protostar, and even fainter than other VeLLOs studied previously. Note, however, that its inferred luminosity may be uncertain by a factor of 2-3 if we consider two extreme values of the distance of L328-IRS (125 or 310 pc). Low angular resolution observations of CO do not show any clear evidence of a molecular outflow activity. But broad line widths toward L328, and Spitzer and near-infrared images showing nebulosity possibly tracing an outflow cavity, strongly suggest the existence of outflow activity. Provided that an envelope of at most ~0.1 Msunis the only mass accretion reservoir for L328-IRS, and the star formation efficiency is close to the canonical value ~30%, L328-IRS has not yet accreted more than 0.05 Msun. At the assumed distance of 200 pc, L328-IRS is destined to be a brown dwarf.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2008

MAMBO Mapping of Spitzer c2d Small Clouds and Cores

AIMS: To study the structure of nearby (< 500 pc) dense starless and star-forming cores with the particular goal to identify and understand evolutionary trends in core properties, and to explore the nature of Very Low Luminosity Objects (< 0.1 L_sun; VeLLOs). METHODS: Using the MAMBO bolometer array, we create maps unusually sensitive to faint (few mJy per beam) extended (approx. 5 arcmin) thermal dust continuum emission at 1.2 mm wavelength. Complementary information on embedded stars is obtained from Spitzer, IRAS, and 2MASS. RESULTS: Our maps are very rich in structure, and we characterize extended emission features (``subcores'') and compact intensity peaks in our data separately to pay attention to this complexity. We derive, e.g., sizes, masses, and aspect ratios for the subcores, as well as column densities and related properties for the peaks. Combination with archival infrared data then enables the derivation of bolometric luminosities and temperatures, as well as envelope masses, for the young embedded stars. CONCLUSIONS: (abridged) Starless and star-forming cores occupy the same parameter space in many core properties; a picture of dense core evolution in which any dense core begins to actively form stars once it exceeds some fixed limit in, e.g., mass, density, or both, is inconsistent with our data. Comparison of various evolutionary indicators for young stellar objects in our sample (e.g., bolometric temperatures) reveals inconsistencies between some of them, possibly suggesting a revision of some of these indicators.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2007

Probing Inward Motions in Starless Cores Using The HCN J = 1-0 Hyperfine Transitions : A Pointing Survey Toward Central Regions

We have carried out a survey toward the central regions of 85 starless cores in HCN J = 1-0 to study inward motions in the cores. Sixty-four cores were detected with HCN lines. The infall asymmetry in the HCN spectra is found to be more prevalent, and more prominent than in any other previously used infall tracers such as CS J = 2-1, DCO+ J = 2-1, and N2H+ J = 1-0. We found close relation between the intensities of the HCN and N2H+ lines. This implies that the HCN is not much depleted in the central regions of the cores. In some cores, the HCN spectra show different sign of asymmetry from other molecular lines. A few cores show various signs of asymmetry in individual HCN hyperfine lines. The distribution of the velocity shift dV of the HCN profiles with respect to the systemic velocity of the optically thin tracer is found to be more shifted toward bluer side than those of other infall tracers, indicating that the HCN traces inward motions more frequently. The dV distribution of each HCN hyperfine line for all sources is similar. Moreover the dV values obtained from different HCN hyperfine lines for each source are nearly similar. These may mean that most of starless cores are in similar kinematic states across the layers of the cores. We identify 17 infall candidates using all available indicators such as the velocity shift dV and the blue to red peak intensity ratio of double peaked profiles for HCN J = 1-0, CS J = 2-1, J = 3-2, DCO+ J = 2-1, and N2H+ J = 1-0. Four of them, L63, L492, L694-2, and L1197 are found to show higher blue to red ratio in the HCN hyperfine line along the lower opacity, suggesting that infall speed becomes higher toward the center.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2007

Velocity distribution of collapsing starless cores, L694-2 and L1197

In an attempt to understand the dynamics of collapsing starless cores, we have onducted a detailed investigation of the velocity fields of two collapsing cores, L694-2 and L1197, with high spatial resolution HCN J=1-0 maps and Monte Carlo radiative transfer alculation. It is found that infall motion is most active in the middle and outer layers outside the central density-flat region, while both the central and outermost parts of the cores are static or exhibit slower motion. Their peak velocities are 0.28 km s^{-1} for L694-2 and 0.20 km s^{-1$ for L1197, which could not be found in simple models. These velocity fields are roughly consistent with the gravitational collapse models of the isothermal core; However, the velocity gradients inside the peak velocity position are steeper than those of the models. Our results also show that the density distributions are ~ r^{-2.5} and ~ r^{-1.5} in the outer part for L694-2 and L1197, respectively. HCN abundance relative to H_2 is spatially almost constant in L694-2 with a value of 7.0 X 10^{-9}, while for L1197, it shows a slight inward increase from 1.7 X 10^{-9} to 3.5 X 10^{-9}.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2006

The Spitzer c2d Survey of Nearby Dense Cores: IV. Revealing the Embedded Cluster in B59

Infrared images of the dark cloud core B59 were obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope as part of the "Cores to Disks" Legacy Science project. Photometry from 3.6-70 microns indicates at least 20 candidate low-mass young stars near the core, more than doubling the previously known population. Out of this group, 13 are located within about 0.1 pc in projection of the molecular gas peak, where a new embedded source is detected. Spectral energy distributions span the range from small excesses above photospheric levels to rising in the mid-infrared. One other embedded object, probably associated with the millimeter source B59-MMS1, with a bolometric luminosity L(bol) roughly 2 L(sun), has extended structure at 3.6 and 4.5 microns, possibly tracing the edges of an outflow cavity. The measured extinction through the central part of the core is A(V) greater than of order 45 mag. The B59 core is producing young stars with a high efficiency.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2006

The Spitzer c2d Survey of Nearby Dense Cores: II: Discovery of a Low Luminosity Object in the "Evolved Starless Core" L1521F

We present Spitzer Space Telescope observations of the "evolved starless core" L1521F which reveal the presence of a very low luminosity object (L < 0.07 Lsun). The object, L1521F-IRS, is directly detected at mid-infrared wavelengths (>5 micron) but only in scattered light at shorter infrared wavelengths, showing a bipolar nebula oriented east-west which is probably tracing an outflow cavity. The nebula strongly suggests that L1521F-IRS is embedded in the L1521F core. Thus L1521F-IRS is similar to the recently discovered L1014-IRS and the previously known IRAM 04191 in its substellar luminosity and dense core environment. However these objects differ significantly in their core density, core chemistry, and outflow properties, and some may be destined to be brown dwarfs rather than stars.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2004

A Survey For Infall Motions Toward Starless Cores. III. CS (3-2) and DCO+(2-1) Observations

We present CS(3-2) and DCO+(2-1) observations of 94 starless cores and compare the results with previous CS(2-1) and N2H+(1-0) observations to study inward motions in starless cores. The velocity shifts of the CS(3-2) and (2-1) lines with respect to N2H+ correlate well with each other and have similar distributions. This implies that, in many cores, systematic inward motions of gaseous material may occur over a range of density of at least a factor 4. We identify 18 infall candidates based on observations of CS(3-2), CS(2-1), DCO+(2-1) and N2H+(1-0). The eight best candidates, L1355, L1498, L1521F, L1544, L158, L492, L694-2, and L1155C-1, each show at least four indications of infall asymmetry and no counter-indications. Fits of the spectra to a 2-layer radiative transfer model in ten infall candidates suggest that the median effective line-of-sight speed of the inward-moving gas is ~0.07 km/s for CS (3-2) and ~0.04 km/s for CS(2-1). Considering that the optical depth obtained from the fits is usually smaller in CS(3-2) than in (2-1) line, this may imply that CS(3-2) usually traces inner denser gas in higher inward motions than CS(2-1). However, it is also possible that this conclusion is not representative of all starless core infall candidates, due to the statistically small number analyzed here. Further line observations will be useful to test this conclusion.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2001

A Survey for Infall Motions toward Starless Cores. II. $CS (2-1)$ and $N_2H^+ (1-0)$ Mapping Observations

We present the results of an extensive mapping survey of 53 `starless' cores in the optically thick line of CS 2-1 and the optically thin lines of N2H+ 1-0 and C18O 1-0. The purpose of this survey was to search for signatures of extended inward motions. This study finds 10 `strong' and 9 `probable' infall candidates, based on $δV_{CS}$ analysis and on the spectral shapes of CS lines. From our analysis of the blue-skewed CS spectra and the $δV_{CS}$ parameter, we find typical infall radii of 0.06-0.14 pc. Also, using a simple two layer radiative transfer model to fit the profiles, we derive one-dimensional infall speeds, half of whose values lie in the range of 0.05-0.09 km s$^{-1}$. These values are similar to those found in L1544 by Tafalla et al., and this result confirms that infall speeds in starless cores are generally faster than expected from ambipolar diffusion in a strongly sub-critical core. In addition, the observed infall regions are too extended to be consistent with the `inside-out' collapse model applied to a very low-mass star. In the largest cores, the spatial extent of the CS spectra with infall asymmetry is larger than the extent of the $\rm N_2H^+$ core by a factor of 2-3. All these results suggest that extended inward motions are a common feature in starless cores, and that they could represent a necessary stage in the condensation of a star-forming dense core.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2000

A Spectral Line Survey from 138.3 to 150.7 GHZ toward Orion-KL

We present the results of a spectral line survey from 138.3 to 150.7 GHz toward Orion-KL. The observations were made using the 14 m radio telescope of Taeduk Radio Astronomy Observatory. Typical system temperatures were between 500 and 700 K, with the sensitivity between $0.02 - 0.06$ K in units of $\rm T_A^*$. A total of 149 line spectra are detected in this survey. Fifty lines have been previously reported, however we find 99 new detections. Among these new lines, 32 are `unidentified', while 67 are from molecular transitions with known identifications. There is no detection of H or He recombination lines. The identified spectra are from a total of 16 molecular species and their isotopic variants. In the range from 138.3 to 150.7 GHz, the strongest spectral line is the J=3-2 transition of CS molecule, followed by transitions of the $\rm H_2CO$, $\rm CH_3OH$, $\rm CH_3CN$, and $\rm SO_2$. Spectral lines from the large organic molecules such as $\rm CH_3OH$, $\rm CH_3OCH_3$, $\rm HCOOCH_3$, $\rm C_2H_5CN$ and $\rm CH_3CN$ are prominent; with 80 % of the identified lines arising from transitions of these molecules. The rotational temperatures and column densities are derived using the standard rotation diagram analysis for $\rm CH_3OH$ ($\rm ^{13}CH_3OH$), $\rm HCOOCH_3$, $\rm CH_3CN$ and $\rm SO_2$ with $\rm 10\sim 270 K$ and $\rm 0.2\sim 20\times 10^{15} cm^{-2}$. These estimates are fairly comparable to the values for the same molecule in other frequency regions by other studies.

astro-ph↗