Korea Astronomy And Space Science Institute Research Articles

KMTNET: A NETWORK OF 1.6 M WIDE-FIELD OPTICAL TELESCOPES INSTALLED AT THREE SOUTHERN OBSERVATORIES

The Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) is a wide-field photometric system installed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). Here, we present the overall technical specifications of the KMTNet observation system, test observation results, data transfer and image processing procedure, and finally, the KMTNet science programs. The system consists of three 1.6 m wide-field optical telescopes equipped with mosaic CCD cameras of 18k by 18k pixels. Each telescope provides a 2.0 by 2.0 square degree field of view. We have finished installing all three telescopes and cameras sequentially at the Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in South Africa, and the Siding Spring Observatory (SSO) in Australia. This network of telescopes, which is spread over three different continents at a similar latitude of about -30 degrees, enables 24-hour continuous monitoring of targets observable in the Southern Hemisphere. The test observations showed good image quality that meets the seeing requirement of less than 1.0 arcsec in I-band. All of the observation data are transferred to the KMTNet data center at KASI via the international network communication and are processed with the KMTNet data pipeline. The primary scientific goal of the KMTNet is to discover numerous extrasolar planets toward the Galactic bulge by using the gravitational microlensing technique, especially earth-mass planets in the habitable zone. During the non-bulge season, the system is used for wide-field photometric survey science on supernovae, asteroids, and external galaxies.

Magnitude Standardization Procedure for OWL-Net Optical Observations of LEO Satellites

As a governmentally approved domestic entity for Space Situational Awareness, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) is developing and operating an optical telescopes system, Optical Wide-field PatroL (OWL) Network. During the test phase of this system, it is necessary to determine the range of brightness of the observable satellites. We have defined standard magnitude for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to calibrate their luminosity in terms of standard parameters such as distance, phase angle, and angular rate. In this work, we report the optical brightness range of five LEO Satellites using OWL-Net.

Minimum Number of Observation Points for LEO Satellite Orbit Estimation by OWL Network

By using the Optical Wide-field Patrol (OWL) network developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) we generated the right ascension and declination angle data from optical observation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. We performed an analysis to verify the optimum number of observations needed per arc for successful estimation of orbit. The currently functioning OWL observatories are located in Daejeon (South Korea), Songino (Mongolia), and Oukaimeden (Morocco). The Daejeon Observatory is functioning as a test bed. In this study, the observed targets were Gravity Probe B, COSMOS 1455, COSMOS 1726, COSMOS 2428, SEASAT 1, ATV-5, and CryoSat-2 (all in LEO). These satellites were observed from the test bed and the Songino Observatory of the OWL network during 21 nights in 2014 and 2015. After we estimated the orbit from systematically selected sets of observation points (20, 50, 100, and 150) for each pass, we compared the difference between the orbit estimates for each case, and the Two Line Element set (TLE) from the Joint Space Operation Center (JSpOC). Then, we determined the average of the difference and selected the optimal observation points by comparing the average values.

AMPLITUDE CORRECTION FACTORS OF KOREAN VLBI NETWORK OBSERVATIONS

We report results of investigation of amplitude calibration for very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations with Korean VLBI Network (KVN). Amplitude correction factors are estimated based on comparison of KVN observations at 22~GHz correlated by Daejeon hardware correlator and DiFX software correlator in Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) with Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations at 22~GHz by DiFX software correlator in National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). We used the observations for compact radio sources, 3C 454.3, NRAO 512, OJ 287, BL Lac, 3C 279, 1633+382, and 1510-089, which are almost unresolved for baselines in a range of 350-477 km. Visibility data of the sources obtained with similar baselines at KVN and VLBA are selected, fringe-fitted, calibrated, and compared for their amplitudes. We found that visibility amplitudes of KVN observations should be corrected by factors of 1.10 and 1.35 when correlated by DiFX and Daejeon correlators, respectively. These correction factors are attributed to the combination of two steps of 2-bit quantization in KVN observing systems and characteristics of Daejeon correlator.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION FOR SILICON CARBIDE MIRROR POLISHING AND DEVELOPMENT

For research and development of Silicon Carbide (SiC) mirrors, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) have agreed to cooperate and share on polishing and measuring facilities, experience and human resources for two years (2014-2015). The main goals of the SiC mirror polishing are to achieve optical surface figures of less than 20 nm rms and optical surface roughness of less than 2 nm rms. In addition, Green Optics Co., Ltd (GO) has been interested in the SiC polishing and joined the partnership with KASI. KASI will be involved in the development of the SiC polishing and the optical surface measurement using three different kinds of SiC materials and manufacturing processes (POCO TM , CoorsTek TM and SSG TM corporations) provided by NOAO. GO will polish the SiC substrate within requirements. Additionally, the requirements of the optical surface imperfections are given as: less than 40 um scratch and 500 um dig. In this paper, we introduce the international collaboration and interim results for SiC mirror polishing and development.

Optical Orbit Determination of a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit Satellite Effected by Baseline Distances between Various Ground-based Tracking Stations II: COMS Case with Analysis of Actual Observation Data

We estimated the orbit of the Communication, Ocean and Meteorological Satellite (COMS), a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite, through data from actual optical observations using telescopes at the Sobaeksan Optical Astronomy Observatory (SOAO) of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), Optical Wide field Patrol (OWL) at KASI, and the Chungbuk National University Observatory (CNUO) from August 1, 2014, to January 13, 2015. The astrometric data of the satellite were extracted from the World Coordinate System (WCS) in the obtained images, and geometrically distorted errors were corrected. To handle the optically observed data, corrections were made for the observation time, light-travel time delay, shutter speed delay, and aberration. For final product, the sequential filter within the Orbit Determination Tool Kit (ODTK) was used for orbit estimation based on the results of optical observation. In addition, a comparative analysis was conducted between the precise orbit from the ephemeris of the COMS maintained by the satellite operator and the results of orbit estimation using optical observation. The orbits estimated in simulation agree with those estimated with actual optical observation data. The error in the results using optical observation data decreased with increasing number of observatories. Our results are useful for optimizing observation data for orbit estimation.

An Application of a Sunshine Duration Model Based on GIS Data to Suitability of Measurement Site around the Seonleung Park

In this study, a numerical model developed for sunshine duration based on GIS data was used. This model considers blocking caused by topography and buildings and it is properly applicable to evaluation of sunshine duration environment in urban areas. The model reasonably well predicted the solar altitude and azimuth angels, compared to those provided by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). The developed model was applied to evaluation of sunshine duration environment around the Seonleung Park located near a building-congested area in Seoul. The model well reproduced shadow caused by buildings and/or topography in the numerical domain at 09:00 on August 1, 2015. In addition, the model was applied to finding a suitable measurement sites for pyrheliometer around the Seonleung Park. The model was also usefully applied to finding a suitable site for pyrheliometer in an urban area.

KMTNet 자료 전송 실험

We develop a real-time data transfer system for the Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) photometry data and test whether it is suitable for Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and three different observatories, which are Cerro Tololo Inter-Ameriacan Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, Siding Springs Observatory (SSO) in Australia, and South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in South Africa. For this test, we use a high speed global network being dedicated for researches. From the test, we obtain that the elapsed times between KASI and each three observatories, CTIO, SSO, and SAAO to transfer 650 MB of data are 99.0, 9.2, 119.0 seconds, respectively. This means that the system can be used for the real-time data processing of KMTNet.

A NEW HARDWARE CORRELATOR IN KOREA: PERFORMANCE EVALUATION USING KVN OBSERVATIONS

We report results of the performance evaluation of a new hardware correlator in Korea, the Daejeon correlator, developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). We conduct Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations at 22 GHz with the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) in Korea and the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) in Japan, and correlated the aquired data with the Daejeon correlator. For evaluating the performance of the new hardware correlator, we compare the correlation outputs from the Daejeon correlator for KVN observations with those from a software correlator, the Distributed FX (DiFX). We investigate the correlated flux densities and brightness distributions of extragalactic compact radio sources. The comparison of the two correlator outputs shows that they are consistent with each other within < 8%, which is comparable with the amplitude calibration uncertainties of KVN observations at 22 GHz. We also find that the 8% difference in flux density is caused mainly by (a) the difference in the way of fringe phase tracking between the DiFX software correlator and the Daejeon hardware correlator, and (b) an unusual pattern (a double-layer pattern) of the amplitude correlation output from the Daejeon correlator. The visibility amplitude loss by the double-layer pattern is as small as 3%. We conclude that the new hardware correlator produces reasonable correlation outputs for continuum observations, which are consistent with the outputs from the DiFX software correlator.

Revisit Tidal Simulation of 1592 Hansan Naval Battle

Revisit tidal simulation of Naval Battle at Hansan on 8 July 1592 was conducted by involving the calendar day conversion and tidal prediction in several centuries ago. The Hansan battle is one of three victorious naval battles (Myungryang battle on 25 October 1597, Noryang battle on 16 December 1598 and this Hansan battle) led by Admiral Yi and also famous as the Crane Wing fleet formation during the battle. Conversion between lunar calendar day and solar calendar day before 1900 was taken from Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) because historical documents are written in the lunar calendar.We attempt to reproduce tidal conditions during the most important battles of the Imjin War at Hansan to set up the regional tidal hindcastsystem of old times both by point and by numerical model simulation. The past topographyrapidly changed by developments of coastal area assumed by old documentations and satellite images.

Quality Assessment of Tropospheric Delay Estimated by Precise Point Positioning in the Korean Peninsula

Over the last decade, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has been increasingly utilized as a meteorological research tool. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) has also been developing a near real-time GNSS precipitable water vapor (PWV) information management system that can produce a precise PWV for the Korean Peninsula region using GNSS data processing and meteorological measurements. The goal of this paper is to evaluate whether the precise point positioning (PPP) strategy will be used as the new data processing strategy of the GNSS-PWV information management system. For this purpose, quality assessment has been performed by means of a comparative analysis of the troposphere zenith total delay (ZTD) estimates from KASI PPP solutions (KPS), KASI network solutions (KNS), and International GNSS Service (IGS) final troposphere products (IFTP) for ten permanent GNSS stations in the Korean Peninsula. The assessment consists largely of two steps: First, the troposphere ZTD of the KNS are compared to those of the IFTP for only DAEJ and SUWN, in which the IFTP are used as the reference. Second, the KPS are compared to the KNS for all ten GNSS stations. In this step, the KNS are used as a new reference rather than the IFTP, because it was proved in the previous step that the KNS can be a suitable reference. As a result, it was found that the ZTD values from both the KPS and the KNS followed the same overall pattern, with an RMS of 5.36 mm. When the average RMS was converted into an error of GNSS-PWV by considering the typical ratio of zenith wet delay and PWV, the GNSS-PWV error met the requirement for PWV accuracy in this application. Therefore, the PPP strategy can be used as a new data processing strategy in the near real-time GNSS-PWV information management system.

Performance Analysis of the First Korean Satellite Laser Ranging System

The first Korean satellite laser ranging (SLR) system, Daedeok SLR station (DAEK station) was developed by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) in 2012, whose main objectives are space geodesy researches. In consequence, Korea became the <TEX>$25^{th}$</TEX> country that operates SLR system supplementing the international laser tracking network. The DAEK station is designed to be capable of 2 kHz laser ranging with precision of a few mm both in daytime and nighttime observation of satellites with laser retro-reflector array (LRA) up to the altitude of 25,000 km. In this study, characteristics and specifications of DAEK station are investigated and its data quality is evaluated and compared with International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) stations in terms of single-shot ranging precision. The analysis results demonstrated that the DAEK station shows good ranging performance to a few mm precision. Currently, the DAEK station is under normal operations at KASI headquarters, however, it will be moved to Sejong city in 2014 to function as a fundamental station for space geodesy researches in combination with other space geodesy systems (GNSS, VLBI, DORIS, etc.).

MIRIS: A Compact Wide-field Infrared Space Telescope

A compact infrared space telescope called MIRIS (Multi-purpose Infra-Red Imaging System) was developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), and launched onboard the Science and Technology Satellite-3 of Korea (STSAT-3) in 2013 November. The main mission of MIRIS is the Paschen-α emission line survey along the Galactic plane and the cosmic infrared background (CIB) observation, particularly around the north ecliptic pole region. For these missions, a wide field of view (3.67 × 3.67°) with an angular resolution of 51.6″ and wavelength coverage from 0.9 ∼ 2.0 μm have been adopted for MIRIS, having optical components consisting of a 80 mm main lens and four other lenses with F/2 focal ratio optics. The opto-mechanical system was carefully designed to minimize any effects from shock during the launch process and thermal variation. Also, the telescope was designed to use a passive cooling technique to maintain the temperature around 200 K in order to reduce thermal noise. A micro Stirling cooler was used to cool down the Teledyne PICNIC infrared array to 90 K, which was equipped in a dewar with four filters for infrared passbands of I, H, and Paschen-α and a dual-band continuum line filter. MIRIS system was integrated into the STSAT-3 as its primary payload and successfully passed required tests in the laboratory, such as thermal-vacuum, vibration, and shock tests. MIRIS is now operating in sun synchronous orbits for initial tests and has observed its first images successfully.

서울·대구 ASOS 지점에서 건물에 의한 일조 차단 영향

In this study, the observational environment for sunshine duration at Seoul and Daegu Automated Synoptic Observing Systems (ASOSs) was analyzed using a numerical model. In order to analyze the effects of topography and buildings on observational environment for sunshine duration, the model domains including the elevated building and mountainous areas around Seoul and Daegu ASOSs were considered. Three dimensional topography and buildings used as input data for the numerical model were constructed using a geographic information system (GIS) data. Solar azimuth and altitude angles calculated for the analysis period (one-week for each season in 2008) in this study were validated against those by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). The starting and ending times of sunshine duration observed at ASOSs largely differed from the respective sunrise and sunset times simply calculated using solar angles and information of ASOSs' latitude and longitude, because uneven topography and elevated buildings around ASOSs cut off sunshine duration right after the sunrise and right before the sunset. The model produced the sunshine indices for Seoul and Daegu ASOSs with the time interval of one minute and the period of one week for each season and we compared the hourly averaged indices with those observed at the ASOSs. One week of which the cloudiness is lowest for each season is selected for analysis. Not only the adjacent buildings but also distant buildings and mountain cut off sunshine duration right after the sunrise and right before the sunset. The buildings and topography cutting off sunshine duration were found for each analyzing date. It was suggested that, in order to evaluate the observational environment for sunshine duration, we need to consider even the information of topography and/or building far away from ASOSs. This study also showed that the analyzing method considering the GIS data is very useful for evaluation of observational environment for sunshine duration.

Conceptual Design of the NISS onboard NEXTSat-1

The NISS onboard NEXTSat-1 is being developed by Korea astronomy and space science institute (KASI). For the study of the cosmic star formation history, the NISS performs the imaging spectroscopic observation in the near-infrared range for nearby galaxies, low background regions, star-forming regions and so on. It is designed to cover a wide field of view ( deg) and a wide wavelength range from 0.95 to by using linear variable filters. In order to reduce the thermal noise, the telescope and the infrared sensor are cooled down to 200 K and 80 K, respectively. Evading a stray light outside the field of view and making the most use of limited space, the NISS adopts the off-axis reflective optical system. The primary and the secondary mirrors, the opto-mechanical part and the mechanical structure are designed to be made of aluminum material. It reduces the degradation of optical performance due to a thermal variation. This paper presents the study on the conceptual design of the NISS.

Operational Concept of the NEXTSat-1 for Science Mission and Space Core Technology Verification

The next generation small satellite-1 (NEXTSat-1) program has been kicked off in 2012, and it will be launched in 2016 for the science missions and the verification of space core technologies. The payloads for these science missions are the Instrument for the Study of Space Storms (ISSS) and NIR Imaging Spectrometer for Star formation history (NISS). The ISSS and the NISS have been developed by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Korea Astronomy and Space science Institute (KASI) respectively. The ISSS detects plasma densities and particle fluxes of 10 MeV energy range near the Earth and the NISS uses spectrometer. In order to verify the spacecraft core technologies in the space, the total of 7 space core technologies (SCT) will be applied to the NEXTSat-1 for space verification and those are under development. Thus, the operation modes for the ISSS and the NISS for space science missions and 7 SCTs for technology missions are analyzed for the required operation time during the NEXTSat-1's mission life time of 2 years. In this paper, the operational concept of the NEXTSat-1's science missions as well as the verification of space core technologies are presented considering constraints of volume, mass, and power after launch.

우주환경 지상관측기 자료통합시스템 개발

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon 305-348, KoreaE-mail: jhbaek@kasi.re.kr(Received September 06, 2013; Accepted September 27, 2013)ABSTRACT We have developed a data integration system for ground-based space weather facilities in Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). The data integration system is necessary to analyze and use ground-based space weather data efficiently, and consists of a server system and data monitoring systems. The server system consists of servers such as data acquisition server or web server, and storage. The data monitoring systems include data collecting and processing applications and data display monitors. With the data integration system we operate the Space Weather Monitoring Lab (SWML) where real-time space weather data are displayed and our ground-based observing facilities are monitored. We expect that this data integration system will be used for the highly efficient processing and analysis of the current and future space weather data at KASI.Key words: space weather; data integration system; ground-based observational system: solar telescope, magnetometer, VHF radar

도시지역 유인관측소 일조 관측환경 평가 모델 개발

In this study, the numerical model was developed to evaluate the observational environment of sunshine duration and, for evaluating the accuracy and utility of the model, it was verified against the observational data measured at Dae-gu Automated Synoptic Observing System (ASOS) located in an urban area. Three-dimensional topography and building configuration as the surface input data of the model were constructed using a Geographic Information System (GIS) data. First, the accuracy of the computing planetary positions suggested by Paul Schlyter was verified against the data provided by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and the results showed that the numerical model predicted the Sun's position (the solar azimuth and altitude angles) quite precisely. Then, this model was applied to reproduce the sunshine duration at the Dae-gu ASOS. The observed and calculated sunshine durations were similar to each other. However, the observed and calculated sunrise (sunset) times were delayed (curtailed), compared to those provided by KASI that considered just the ASOS's position information such as latitude, longitude, and elevation height but did not consider the building and topography information. Further investigation showed that this was caused by not only the topographic characteristic (higher in the east and lower in the west) but also the buildings located in the southeast near the sunrise and the southwest near the sunset. It was found that higher building resolution increased the accuracy of the model. It was concluded that, for the accurate evaluation of the sunshine duration, detailed building and topography information around the observing sites was required and the numerical model developed in this study was successful to predict and/or the sunshine duration of the ASOS located in an urban area.

Real-time GPS Ionospheric TEC Estimation over South Korea

Ionosphere is one of the largest error sources when the navigational signals produced by Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites are transmitted. Therefore it is very important to estimate total electron contents (TEC) in ionosphere precisely for navigation, precise positioning and some other applications. When we provide ionospheric TEC values in real-time, its application can be expanded to other areas. In this study we have used data obtained from nine Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reference stations which have been operated by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) to detect ionospheric TEC over South Korea in real-time. We performed data processing that covers converting 1Hz raw data delivered from GNSS reference stations to Receiver INdependent Exchange (RINEX) format files at intervals of 5 minutes. We also analyzed the elevation angles of GPS satellites, vertical TEC (VTEC) values and their changes.

Comparison of GPS receiver DCB estimation methods using a GPS network

Two approaches for receiver differential code biases (DCB) estimation using the GPS data obtained from the Korean GPS network (KGN) in South Korea are suggested: the relative and single (absolute) methods. The relative method uses a GPS network, while the single method determines DCBs from a single station only. Their performance was assessed by comparing the receiver DCB values obtained from the relative method with those estimated by the single method. The daily averaged receiver DCBs obtained from the two different approaches showed good agreement for 7 days. The root mean square (RMS) value of those differences is 0.83 nanoseconds (ns). The standard deviation of the receiver DCBs estimated by the relative method was smaller than that of the single method. From these results, it is clear that the relative method can obtain more stable receiver DCBs compared with the single method over a short-term period. Additionally, the comparison between the receiver DCBs obtained by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and those of the IGS Global Ionosphere Maps (GIM) showed a good agreement at 0.3 ns. As the accuracy of DCB values significantly affects the accuracy of ionospheric total electron content (TEC), more studies are needed to ensure the reliability and stability of the estimated receiver DCBs.