Related papers: Top-heavy IMFs in ultra compact dwarf galaxies?
It has been shown recently that the dynamical V-band mass-to-light ratios of compact stellar systems with masses from 10^6 to 10^8 Solar masses are not consistent with the predictions from simple stellar population (SSP) models. Top-heavy…
It has been shown before that the high mass-to-light ratios of ultra compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) can be explained if their stellar initial mass function (IMF) was top-heavy, i.e. that the IMF was skewed towards high mass stars. In this…
(abridged) The dynamical V-band mass-to-light ratios of ultra compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) are higher than predicted by simple stellar population models with the canonical stellar initial mass function (IMF). One way to explain this…
Various studies have established that the dynamical M/L ratios of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) tend to be at the limit or beyond the range explicable by standard stellar populations with canonical IMF. We discuss how IMF variations…
Some ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) have elevated observed dynamical V-band mass-to-light ($M/L_{\rm V}$) ratios with respect to what is expected from their stellar populations assuming a canonical initial mass function (IMF).…
A new type of compact stellar systems, labelled ``ultra-compact dwarf galaxies'' (UCDs), was discovered in the last decade. Recent studies show that their dynamical mass-to-light ratios (M/L) tend to be too high to be explained by canonical…
Some ultra-compact dwarf galaxies have large dynamical mass to light (M/L) ratios and also appear to contain an overabundance of LMXB sources, and some Milky Way globular clusters have a low concentration and appear to have a deficit of…
Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) are stellar systems with masses of around 10^7 to 10^8 Msun and half mass radii of 10-100 pc. They have some properties in common with massive globular clusters, however dynamical mass estimates have…
Residual-gas expulsion after cluster formation has recently been shown to leave an imprint in the low-mass present-day stellar mass function (PDMF) which allowed the estimation of birth conditions of some Galactic globular clusters (GCs)…
In the last decade, a new kind of stellar systems has been established that shows properties in between those of globular clusters (GCs) and early-type dwarf galaxies. These so-called ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) have masses in the…
Dynamical mass estimates of ultra-compact dwarfs galaxies and massive globular clusters in the Fornax and Virgo clusters and around the giant elliptical Cen A have revealed some surprising results: 1) above about 10^6 M_sun the…
The stellar initial mas function (IMF) has been described as being invariant, bottom heavy or top-heavy in extremely dense star burst conditions. To provide usable observable diagnostic we calculate redshift dependent spectral energy…
The current knowledge on the stellar IMF is documented. It appears to become top-heavy when the star-formation rate density surpasses about 0.1Msun/(yr pc^3) on a pc scale and it may become increasingly bottom-heavy with increasing…
(Abridged) Objects with radii of 10 to 100 pc and masses in the range from 10^6 to 10^8 M_sun have been discovered during the past decade. These so-called ultra compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) constitute a transition between classical star…
We present a uniform analysis of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) from integrated light spectroscopy of 15 compact stellar systems (11 globular clusters in M31 and 4 ultra compact dwarfs in the Virgo cluster, UCDs) and two brightest…
We investigate the connection between globular clusters and ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) by examining the properties of several compact objects associated with M87, all of which were previously classified as globular clusters.…
It has frequently been suggested that the stellar IMF in galaxies was top-heavy at early times. This would be plausible physically if the IMF depends on a mass scale such as the Jeans mass that was higher at earlier times because of the…
Evidence from different probes of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) has repeatedly converged on IMFs more bottom-heavy than in the Milky Way (MW). This consensus has come under scrutiny due to…
Recent estimates point to abundances of z > 4 sub-millimeter (sub-mm) galaxies far above model predictions. The matter is still debated. According to some analyses the excess may be substantially lower than initially thought and perhaps…
Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) are predominatly found in the cores of nearby galaxy clusters. Besides the Fornax and Virgo cluster, UCDs have also been confirmed in the twice as distant Hydra I and Centaurus clusters. Having (nearly)…