arXiv subjects

Kwang-Il Seon

Publications and source records attributed to Kwang-Il Seon.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Tracing Warm Gas through C IV Radiative Transfer

The C IV $λ\lambda1548,1551$ resonance doublet is a key tracer of warm gas ($T\sim10^5\,{\rm K}$) within and around galaxies. Recent observations have detected this line in both absorption and emission, revealing asymmetric profiles in galaxies and spatially extended haloes around active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Resonance scattering can strongly modify the emergent spectra and spatial distributions, complicating their interpretation. Using 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations, we study C IV resonance scattering over a broad range of column densities, intrinsic emission-line widths, and outflow velocities. We find that multiple scattering broadens the line profile and, in outflowing media, modifies the doublet ratio, $R_{\rm CIV}$, defined as the flux ratio of the K and H components at 1548 and 1551 $\mathrm{\mathring{A}}$, respectively. When the outflow velocity approaches or exceeds the doublet separation ($\simeq500\,{\rm km\,s^{-1}}$), K-line photons are redistributed around the H component, driving $R_{\rm CIV}$ below its intrinsic value and, in optically thick fast outflows, even below unity. We also combine photoionization models with resonance scattering to investigate extended C IV haloes around AGNs and compare them with He II $\lambda1640$ emission. Simple photoionization models do not produce C IV emission more extended than He II, whereas resonance scattering redistributes locally produced and central-source C IV photons to larger radii. These results demonstrate that the C IV doublet ratio and spatial distribution provide complementary diagnostics of warm gas.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

The Impact of Circumgalactic Rotation on Ly$α$ Radiative Transfer

Hydrogen Lyman-alpha (Ly$α$) is a prominent emission line from the circumgalactic medium (CGM). Due to its resonant nature, Ly$α$ carries imprints of the physical properties and kinematics of the cold CGM. In particular, CGM rotation can modify the Ly$α$ peak separation, which is often interpreted as a tracer of H I column density. We present 3D Monte Carlo Ly$α$ radiative-transfer simulations in a CGM-like rotating medium and examine how the emergent spectra depend on rotational velocity ($V_{\rm rot}$), H I column density ($N_{\rm HI}$), viewing angle, clumpiness, and intrinsic source width. We find that rotation broadens the integrated spectra and increases the peak separation, with the strongest viewing-angle dependence when rotational Doppler shifts dominate over frequency diffusion. At high $N_{\rm HI}$, numerous scatterings reduce the sensitivity of integrated spectra to rotation, producing a degeneracy between $V_{\rm rot}$ and $N_{\rm HI}$. Consequently, Ly$α$ peak separation alone can overestimate $N_{\rm HI}$ in a rotating medium. Spatially resolved halo spectra provide a clearer diagnostic: opposite sides of the rotating medium show systematic redshifted and blueshifted asymmetries associated with the line-of-sight velocity of the last-scattering gas. Such rotation-driven signatures can also contribute to velocity-map patterns often interpreted in terms of inflow or outflow, highlighting the need to consider rotation in spatially resolved Ly$α$ observations. We further show that the main signatures persist in simple clumpy media, while the halo signatures are largely insensitive to the intrinsic source width. Our results demonstrate that spatially resolved Ly$α$ observation is essential for disentangling CGM rotation from radiative-transfer effects.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

K-DRIFT Science Theme: New Theoretical Framework Using the Galaxy Replacement Technique for LSB studies

Low-surface-brightness (LSB) structures provide critical insights into the hierarchical formation of galaxies and galaxy clusters. The KASI Deep Rolling Imaging Fast Telescope (K-DRIFT) is designed to detect such diffuse features through deep, wide-field optical imaging with a surface brightness reaching $\sim$$30~\rm{mag}~\rm{arcsec}^{-2}$. To interpret the observation data expected from K-DRIFT, we have developed the Galaxy Replacement Technique (GRT), an $N$-body simulation framework optimized for tracing the gravitational evolution of stellar components. The GRT works by inserting high-resolution galaxy models, including a dark matter (DM) halo and stellar disk, in place of multiple low-resolution DM halos in the base $N$-body cosmological simulation. It allows us to achieve very high mass ($m_{star}=5.4\times10^4\msun\ h^{-1}$) and spatial resolution (10~$\rm{pc}~h^{-1}$) with shorter computation time compared to full hydrodynamic cosmological simulations. Therefore, this technique is particularly well-suited for studying LSB structures, with a surface brightness reaching $\sim$$31~\rm{mag}~\rm{arcsec}^{-2}$. In this paper, we present the motivation and methodology of the GRT, summarize key results from previous studies, and highlight its synergy with K-DRIFT observations. We further discuss planned science cases using the GRT, aiming to build a theoretical basis for interpreting LSB features in various environments.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

K-DRIFT: Unveiling New Imagery of the Hidden Universe

Low-surface-brightness (LSB) structures play a crucial role in understanding galaxy evolution by providing significant insights into galaxy interactions, the histories of mass assembly, and the distribution of dark matter. Nevertheless, their inherently faint nature, coupled with observational difficulties such as stray light interference and variations in the sky background, has significantly impeded comprehensive studies of LSB features. The KASI Deep Rolling Imaging Fast Telescope (K-DRIFT) project aims to address these observational challenges by developing off-axis freeform three-mirror telescopes and observational strategies specifically designed for LSB imaging surveys. The first generation of the K-DRIFT (K-DRIFT G1) has been successfully completed, and the forthcoming survey, scheduled to commence shortly, is expected to yield novel insights into the LSB universe. This paper outlines the scientific motivations of the project, discusses the technical challenges encountered, highlights the innovative solutions devised, and describes the future trajectory of the K-DRIFT.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Modeling the Optical Colors of Galactic Cirrus Clouds in the Stripe 82 Region

Observations have shown that the optical colors of Galactic cirrus clouds differ significantly from those of extragalactic sources; thus, they can be used to distinguish Galactic cirrus from extragalactic low surface brightness (LSB) features. To understand these properties, we calculate radiative transfer models in dust clouds, where photons are incident from the ambient interstellar medium (ISM). Dust clouds are modeled to mimic a turbulent medium using a fractional Brownian motion algorithm, resulting in a lognormal density distribution and a power-law power spectral density that are appropriate for the ISM. The results are compared with optical observations of cirrus clouds in the Stripe 82 region. The observed color--color ($g-r$, $r-i$, and $i-z$) diagrams of the cirrus clouds can be reproduced by scattered light if the interstellar radiation field (ISRF) of Mathis et al. (as updated by Draine) is modified, either by reducing the intensities in the $i$ and $z$ bands or by enhancing those in the $g$ and $r$ bands. Similar results can also be obtained by adjusting the scattering albedos at the corresponding wavelengths. This demonstrates that the color--color diagrams are effective not only for identifying extragalactic LSB features but also for studying the ISRF and the properties of interstellar dust.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

MIRIS Paα Galactic Plane Survey. II. The Catalog of Paα Emission-line Sources

Using data from the MIRIS Paα Galactic Plane Survey (MIPAPS), we present a Paα 1.87 um line image of the entire Galactic plane within the latitude range of -3° < b < +3°, revealing numerous Paα features. Based on the MIPAPS Paα image and the WISE H II region catalog, we compile a catalog of 1489 Paα emission-line sources in the Galactic plane within 90° < l < 330°. By comparing our Paα images with Hα images constructed from the IPHAS and VPHAS+ survey data, we demonstrate the advantages of Paα line observations. We identify 902 Paα sources associated with H II regions, and newly confirm 619 H II region candidates as definitive H II regions through Paα or Hα detections. We also identify 261 extended and 326 point-like Paα sources not included in the WISE catalog, most of which have Hα counterparts in the IPHAS or VPHAS+ images. A search of the SIMBAD database indicates that these sources originate from diverse object types. By measuring Paα and Hα fluxes, we estimate the E(B-V) color excesses derived from extended emissions for 138 Paα sources, showing good agreement with values obtained from spectrophotometry of ionizing stars in previous studies. Futhermore, we calculate total Lyman continuum luminosities for 42 Paα sources, providing constraints on the distances to H II regions and the spectral types of their ionizing stars. These results highlight the scientific potential of Paα line observations and the benefits of combining multiple hydrogen recombination lines in exploring ionized regions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

A Nearby Dark Molecular Cloud in the Local Bubble Revealed via H$_2$ Fluorescence

A longstanding prediction in interstellar theory posits that significant quantities of molecular gas, crucial for star formation, may be undetected due to being ``dark" in commonly used molecular gas tracers, such as carbon monoxide. We report the discovery of Eos, the closest dark molecular cloud, located just 94 parsecs from the Sun. This cloud is the first molecular cloud ever to be identified using H$_2$ far ultra-violet (FUV) fluorescent line emission, which traces molecular gas at the boundary layers of star-forming and supernova remnant regions. The cloud edge is outlined along the high-latitude side of the North Polar Spur, a prominent x-ray/radio structure. Our distance estimate utilizes 3D dust maps, the absorption of the soft X-ray background, and hot gas tracers such as O\,{\sc vi}; these place the cloud at a distance consistent with the Local Bubble's surface. Using high-latitude CO maps we note a small amount (M$_{\rm{H}_2}\approx$20-40\,M$_\odot$) of CO-bright cold molecular gas, in contrast with the much larger estimate of the cloud's true molecular mass (M$_{\rm{H}_2}\approx3.4\times 10^3$\,M$_\odot$), indicating most of the cloud is CO-dark. Combining observational data with novel analytical models and simulations, we predict this cloud will photoevaporate in 5.7 million years, placing key constraints on the role of stellar feedback in shaping the closest star-forming regions to the Sun.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

K-DRIFT Preparation: Experimental Verification of an Observation Strategy for Accurate Dark-Sky Flats

Despite its scientific importance, the low-surface-brightness universe has yet to be fully explored due to various systematic uncertainties that affect the achievable surface-brightness limit. Reducing these uncertainties requires very accurate data processing. The dark-sky flat is a widely used calibration frame for accurate flat-field correction, generated by combining the sky background from science images. However, the night sky will likely contain complex local fluctuations, thus may still lead to photometric errors in data calibrated with dark-sky flats. To address this concern, we conduct mock observations with semi-realistic sky simulation data and evaluate observation strategies to mitigate the impact of the fluctuating sky background. Our experiments consider two representative sky conditions (clear and dirty) and perform intensive comparative analysis on two observation methods (offset and rolling). Our findings suggest that the rolling dithering method, which incorporates the operation of camera rotation into conventional dithering, can provide more accurate dark-sky flats. Finally, we discuss the broader implications of this method through additional experiments examining several factors that may affect the imaging quality of observational data.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

Number of Scatterings in Random Walks

This paper investigates the number of scatterings a photon undergoes in random walks before escaping from a medium. The number of scatterings in random walk processes is commonly approximated as $τ+τ^2$ in the literature, where $τ$ is the optical thickness measured from the center of the medium. However, it is found that this formula is not accurate. In this study, analytical solutions in sphere and slab geometries are derived for both optically thin and optically thick limits, assuming isotropic scattering. These solutions are verified using Monte Carlo simulations. In the optically thick limit, the number of scatterings is found to be $0.5τ^2$ and $1.5τ^2$ in a sphere and slab, respectively. In the optically thin limit, the number of scatterings is $\approxτ$ in a sphere and $\approxτ(1-γ-\lnτ+τ)$ in a slab, where $γ\simeq 0.57722$ is the Euler-Mascheroni constant. Additionally, we present approximate formulas that reasonably reproduce the simulation results well in intermediate optical depths. These results are applicable to scattering processes that exhibit forward and backward symmetry, including both isotropic and Thomson scattering.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Photometric Selection of Unobscured QSOs in the Ecliptic Poles: KMTNet in the South Field and Pan-STARRS in the North Field

We search for quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) in a wide area of the south ecliptic pole (SEP) field, which has been and will continue to be intensively explored through various space missions. For this purpose, we obtain deep broadband optical images of the SEP field covering an area of $\sim$$14.5\times14.5$ deg$^2$ with the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network. The 5$σ$ detection limits for point sources in the $BVRI$ bands are estimated to be $\sim$22.59, 22.60, 22.98, and 21.85 mag, respectively. Utilizing data from Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, unobscured QSO candidates are selected among the optically point-like sources using the mid-infrared (MIR) and optical-MIR colors. To further refine our selection and eliminate any contamination not adequately removed by the color-based selection, we perform the spectral energy distribution fitting with archival photometric data ranging from optical to MIR. As a result, we identify a total of 2,383 unobscured QSO candidates in the SEP field. We also apply a similar method to the north ecliptic pole field using the Pan-STARRS data and obtain a similar result of identifying 2,427 candidates. The differential number count per area of our QSO candidates is in good agreement with those measured from spectroscopically confirmed ones in other fields. Finally, we compare the results with the literature and discuss how this work will be implicated in future studies, especially with the upcoming space missions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Radiative Transfer in Lyα Nebulae: I. Modeling a Continuous or Clumpy Spherical Halo with a Central Source

To understand the mechanism behind high-$z$ Ly$α$ nebulae, we simulate the scattering of Ly$α$ in a $\rm H\,I$ halo about a central Ly$α$ source. For the first time, we consider both smooth and clumpy distributions of halo gas, as well as a range of outflow speeds, total $\rm H\,I$ column densities, $\rm H\,I$ spatial concentrations, and central source galaxies (e.g., with Ly$α$ line widths corresponding to those typical of AGN or star-forming galaxies). We compute the spatial-frequency diffusion and the polarization of the Ly$α$ photons scattered by atomic hydrogen. Our scattering-only model reproduces the typical size of Ly$α$ nebulae ($\sim 100\,$kpc) at total column densities $N_{\rm HI} \geq 10^{20} \rm cm^{-2}$ and predicts a range of positive, flat, and negative polarization radial gradients. We also find two general classes of Ly$α$ nebula morphologies: with and without bright cores. Cores are seen when $N_{\rm HI}$ is low, i.e., when the central source is directly visible, and are associated with a polarization jump, a steep increase in the polarization radial profile just outside the halo center. Of all the parameters tested in our smooth or clumpy medium model, $N_{\rm HI}$ dominates the trends. The radial behaviors of the Ly$α$ surface brightness, spectral line shape, and polarization in the clumpy model with covering factor $f_c \gtrsim 5$ approach those of the smooth model at the same $N_{\rm HI}$. A clumpy medium with high $N_{\rm HI}$ and low $f_c \lesssim 2$ generates Ly$α$ features via scattering that the smooth model cannot: a bright core, symmetric line profile, and polarization jump.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

KMTNet Nearby Galaxy Survey: Overview and a Survey Description

Recently, there has been an increasing demand for deep imaging surveys to investigate the history of the mass assembly of galaxies in detail by examining the remnants of mergers and accretions, both of which have very low surface brightness (LSB). In addition, the nature of star formation in LSB regions, such as galaxy outer disks, is also an intriguing topic in terms of understanding the physical mechanisms of disk evolution. To address these issues, this study conducts a survey project, called the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) Nearby Galaxy Survey to construct a deep imaging data set of nearby galaxies in the southern hemisphere using KMTNet. It provides deep and wide-field images with a field-of-view of $\sim$12 deg$^2$ for 13 nearby galaxies drawn from the Carnegie-Irvine Galaxy Survey catalog, in optical broadbands ($BRI$) and an H$α$ narrowband. Through a dedicated data reduction, the surface brightness limit in 10$^{\prime\prime}\times10^{\prime\prime}$ boxes was found to reach as deep as $μ_{1σ}\sim29$-31 mag arcsec$^{-2}$ in the optical broadbands and $f_{1σ}\sim1$-$2\times 10^{-18}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ arcsec$^{-2}$ in the H$α$ narrowband. To conclude the paper, several possible scientific applications for this data set are described.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Performance Assessment of the KASI-Deep Rolling Imaging Fast-optics Telescope pathfinder

In a $Λ$CDM universe, most galaxies evolve by mergers and accretions, leaving faint and/or diffuse structures, such as tidal streams and stellar halos. Although these structures are a good indicator of galaxies' recent mass assembly history, they have the disadvantage of being difficult to observe due to their low surface brightness (LSB). To recover these LSB features by minimizing the photometric uncertainties introduced by the optical system, we developed a new optimized telescope named K-DRIFT pathfinder, adopting a linear astigmatism free-three mirror system. Thanks to the off-axis design, it is expected to avoid the loss and scattering of light on the optical path within the telescope. To assess the performance of this prototype telescope, we investigate the photometric depth and capability to identify LSB features. We find that the surface brightness limit reaches down to $μ_{r,1σ}\sim28.5$ mag arcsec$^{-2}$ in $10^{\prime\prime}\times10^{\prime\prime}$ boxes, enabling us to identify a single stellar stream to the east of NGC 5907. We also examine the characteristics of the point spread function (PSF) and find that the PSF wing reaches a very low level. Still, however, some internal reflections appear within a radius of $\sim$6 arcmin from the center of sources. Despite a relatively small aperture (0.3 m) and short integration time (2 hr), this result demonstrates that our telescope is highly efficient in LSB detection.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Ly-alpha Radiative Transfer: A Stokes Vector Approach to Ly-alpha Polarization

Ly-alpha emitting galaxies and giant Ly-alpha blobs (LABs) have been extensively observed to study the formation history of galaxies. However, the origin of their extended Ly-alpha emission, especially of LABs, remains controversial. Polarization signals from some LABs have been discovered, and this is commonly interpreted as strong evidence supporting that the extended Ly-alpha emission originates from the resonance scattering. The Monte Carlo Ly-alpha radiative transfer code LaRT is updated to investigate the polarization of Ly-alpha using the Stokes vector formalism. We apply LaRT to a few models to explore the fundamental polarization properties of Ly-alpha. Interestingly, individual Ly-alpha photon packets are found to be almost completely polarized by a sufficient number of scatterings (N_scatt > 10^4-10^5 in a static medium) or Doppler shifts induced by gas motion, even starting from unpolarized light. It is also found that the polarization pattern can exhibit a non-monotonically increasing pattern in some cases, besides the commonly-known trend that the polarization monotonically increases with radius. The polarization properties are primarily determined by the degree of polarization of individual photon packets and the anisotropy of the Ly-alpha radiation field, which are eventually controlled by the medium's optical depth and velocity field. If once Ly-alpha photon packets achieve ~100% polarization, the radial profile of polarization appears to correlate with the surface brightness profile. A steep surface brightness profile tends to yield a rapid increase of the linear polarization near the Ly-alpha source location. In contrast, a shallow surface brightness profile gives rise to a slowly increasing polarization pattern.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

KMTNet Nearby Galaxy Survey III. Deficient H$α$ flux in the Extended Disks of Spiral Galaxies

We perform a deep wide-field imaging survey of nearby galaxies using H$α$ and broadband filters to investigate the characteristics of star formation in galaxies. Motivated by the finding that star formation rates (SFRs) derived from H$α$ fluxes in dwarf galaxies are systematically lower than those inferred from far-ultraviolet (FUV) fluxes, we attempt to determine whether the same trend exists in the extended disks of two star-forming galaxies. We perform spatially resolved photometry using grid-shaped apertures to measure the FUV and H$α$ fluxes of star-forming regions. We also perform spectral energy distribution (SED) fittings using 11 photometric data (FUV-to-MIR) including data from the literature to estimate the local properties such as internal attenuation of individual star-forming clumps. Comparing SFR$_\mathrm{FUV}$ and SFR$_\mathrm{Hα}$, which are converted from the H$α$ and FUV fluxes corrected for the local properties, we find that SFR$_\mathrm{Hα}$/SFR$_\mathrm{FUV}$ tends to decrease as the SFR decreases. We evaluate possible causes of this discrepancy between the two SFRs by restricting parameters in the SED fitting and conclude that deficient H$α$ fluxes in the extended disks of galaxies are tightly correlated with recent starbursts. The strong and short starburst which is being rapidly suppressed over the last 10 Myr seems to induce a significant discrepancy between the SFR$_\mathrm{Hα}$ and SFR$_\mathrm{FUV}$. In addition, the recent bursts in the extended disks of galaxies appear to have occurred azimuth-symmetrically, implying that these were likely triggered by gas accretion or internal processes rather than external perturbation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

High-resolution Near-infrared Spectroscopy of Diffuse Sources around MWC 1080

To reveal the origins of diffuse H-alpha emissions observed around the Herbig star MWC 1080, we have performed a high-resolution near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopic observation using the Immersion GRating INfrared Spectrograph (IGRINS). In the NIR H and K bands, we detected various emission lines (six hydrogen Brackett lines, seven H2 lines, and an [Fe II] line) and compared their spatial locations with the optical (H-alpha and [S II]) and radio (13CO and CS) line maps. The shock-induced H2 and [Fe II] lines indicate the presence of multiple outflows, consisting of at least three, associated young stars in this region. The kinematics of H2 and [Fe II] near the northeast (NE) cavity edge supports that the NE main outflow from MWC 1080A is the blueshifted one with a low inclination angle. The H2 and [Fe II] lines near the southeast molecular region newly reveal that additional highly-blueshifted outflows originate from other young stars. The fluorescent H2 lines were found to trace photodissociation regions formed on the cylindrical surfaces of the main outflow cavity, which are expanding outward with a velocity of about 10-15 km/s. For the H-alpha emission, we identify its components associated with two stellar outflows and two young stars in addition to the dominant component of MWC 1080A scattered by dust. We also report a few faint H-alpha features located ~0.4 pc away in the southwest direction from MWC 1080A, which lie near the axes of the NE main outflow and one of the newly-identified outflows.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Construction of a far ultraviolet all sky map from an incomplete survey: Application of a deep learning algorithm

We constructed a far ultraviolet (FUV) all sky map based on observations from the Far Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (FIMS) aboard the Korean microsatellite STSAT-1. For the ~20% of the sky not covered by FIMS observations, predictions from a deep artificial neural network were used. Seven datasets were chosen for input parameters, including five all sky maps of H-alpha, E(B-V), N(HI), and two X-ray bands, with Galactic longitudes and latitudes. 70% of the pixels of the observed FIMS dataset were randomly selected for training as target parameters and the remaining 30% were used for validation. A simple four-layer neural network architecture, which consisted of three convolution layers and a dense layer at the end, was adopted, with an individual activation function for each convolution layer; each convolution layer was followed by a dropout layer. The predicted FUV intensities exhibited good agreement with Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) observations made in a similar FUV wavelength band for high Galactic latitudes. As a sample application of the constructed map, a dust scattering simulation was conducted with model optical parameters and a Galactic dust model for a region that included observed and predicted pixels. Overall, FUV intensities in the observed and predicted regions were reproduced well.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Lyman-alpha radiative transfer: Modeling spectrum and surface brightness profile of Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies at z=3-6

We perform Lyman-alpha radiative transfer calculations for reproducing Lyman-alpha properties of star-forming galaxies at high redshifts. We model a galaxy as a halo in which the density distributions of Lyman-alpha sources and H I plus dust medium are described with exponential functions. We also consider an outflow of the medium that represents a momentum-driven wind in a gravitational potential well. We successfully reproduce both the spectra and the surface brightness profiles of eight star-forming galaxies at z =3-6 observed with MUSE using this outflowing halo model with Lyman-alpha scattering. The best-fit model parameters (i.e., the outflowing velocity and optical depth) for these galaxies are consistent with other studies. We examine the impacts of individual model parameters and input spectrum on emerging spectrum and surface brightness profile. Further investigations on correlations among observables (i.e., the spatial extent of Lyman-alpha halos and Lyman-alpha spectral features) and model parameters, and spatially resolved spectra are presented as well. We demonstrate that the combination of spectrum and surface brightness profile provides strong constraints on model parameters and thus spatial/kinematic distributions of medium.

astro-ph.GA↗