Related papers: The low-mass Initial Mass Function in the 30 Dorad…

The mass of unresolved young star clusters derived from spectro-photometric data may well be off by a factor of 2 or more once the migration of massive stars driven by mass segregation is accounted for. We quantify this effect for a large…

We determine the initial mass function (IMF) of the ``thin disk'' by means of a direct comparison between synthetic stellar samples (for different matching choices of IMF, star formation rate SFR and depletion) and a complete…

Understanding the processes that determine the stellar Initial Mass Function (IMF) is a critical unsolved problem, with profound implications for many areas of astrophysics. In molecular clouds, stars are formed in cores, gas condensations…

We present the results of our investigation of the intermediate-age star cluster BS 90, located in the vicinity of the HII region N 66 in the SMC, observed with HST/ACS. The high-resolution data provide a unique opportunity for a very…

Based on an analysis of data obtained with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) we report the identification of two distinct stellar populations in the core of the giant HII region 30Doradus in the Large…

Mass measurements and absorption line studies indicate that the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is bottom-heavy in the central regions of many early-type galaxies, with an excess of low mass stars compared to the IMF of the Milky Way.…

The combination of a finite time-scale for star formation, rapid early stellar evolution and rapid stellar-dynamical processes imply that the stellar IMF cannot be inferred for any star cluster independently of its age (the Cluster IMF…

The earliest phases of clustered star formation and the origin of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) are currently much debated. In order to constrain the origin of the IMF, we investigated the internal and relative motions of starless…

Few topics in astronomy initiate such vigorous discussion as whether or not the initial mass function (IMF) of stars is universal, or instead sensitive to the initial conditions of star formation. The distinction is of critical importance:…

We investigate the dependence of stellar properties on the mean thermal Jeans mass in molecular clouds. We compare the results from the two largest hydrodynamical simulations of star formation to resolve the fragmentation process down to…

The stellar initial mass function (IMF), along with the star formation rate, is one of the fundamental properties that any theory of star formation must explain. An interesting feature of the IMF is that it appears to be remarkably…

'Isolated planetary mass objects' (IPMOs) have masses close to or below the Deuterium-burning mass limit (~15 Jupiter masses) -- at the bottom of the stellar initial mass function. We present an exploratory survey for disks in this mass…

The stellar initial mass function (IMF) is a fundamental property of star formation, offering key insight into the physics driving the process as well as informing our understanding of stellar populations, their by-products, and their…

We present deep HST/NICMOS Camera 3 F110W and F160W imaging of a 26'x33', corresponding to 3.1pcx3.8pc, non-contiguous field towards the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). The main aim is to determine the ratio of low--mass stars to brown dwarfs…

We present the new technique for the determination of the low-mass slope of the stellar mass function from the pixel-space fitting of integrated light spectra. This technique is the extension of the NBursts full spectral fitting technique.…

We use Gaia DR2 to measure the initial mass function (IMF) of stars within 250 pc and masses in the range 0.2 < m/Msun < 1.0, separated according to kinematics and metallicity, as determined from Gaia transverse velocity, v_T, and location…

Stellar population studies of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) suggest that the stellar initial mass function may not be universal. In particular, the centres of ETGs seem to contain an excess of low-mass dwarf stars compared to our own…

The current status of both the observational evidence and the theory of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is reviewed, with particular attention to the two basic, apparently universal features shown by all observations of nearby…

There is substantial evidence that the initial mass function (IMF) may be a function of the local star formation conditions. In particular, the IMF is predicted to flatten with increasing local luminosity density, with the formation of…

We present high dispersion echelle spectroscopy of the very luminous, young super star cluster (SSC) `F' in M82, obtained with the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT), for the purpose of deriving its dynamical mass and assessing whether…