Steeper, Flatter, or Just "Salpeter"? Evidence from Galaxy Evolution and Galaxy Clusters
Abstract
A single-slope "Salpeter" IMF overpredicts the stellar M/L ratio of local elliptical galaxies by about a factor of 2, which requires the IMF to be flatter below about one solar mass. On the other hand a Salpeter IMF for stars more massive than the sun predicts an evolution with redshift of the fundamental plane of ellipticals in clusters which is in agreement with the observations and a formation at z>~3 for these galaxies. A "Salpeter" IMF for 1<M<40 solar masses also predicts the observed amount of heavy elements (oxygen and silicon) in clusters of galaxies.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0410295,
title = {Steeper, Flatter, or Just "Salpeter"? Evidence from Galaxy Evolution and Galaxy Clusters},
author = {Alvio Renzini},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0410295},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
10 pages, 7 figures, to appear on "IMF@50: The Initial Mass Function 50 Years Later", ed. E. Corbelli, F. Palla, & H. Zinnecker (Dordrecht: Kluwer), in press. Invited talk at the International Workshop held in Abbazia di Spineto, Tuscany, Italy -- May 16-20, 2004