Related papers: From light to mass: accessing the initial and pres…

By adopting the empirical constraints related to the estimates of Helium enhancement ($\Delta Y$), present mass ratio between first and second stellar generations ($M_{1G}/M_{2G}$) and the actual mass of Galactic globular clusters…

Most structural and evolutionary properties of galaxies strongly rely on the stellar initial mass function (IMF), namely the distribution of the stellar mass formed in each episode of star formation. As the IMF shapes the stellar population…

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…

The functional form of the galaxy-wide stellar initial mass function is of fundamental importance for understanding galaxies. So far this stellar initial mass function has been assumed to be identical to the IMF observed directly in star…

Studies of extra-galactic globular clusters have shown that the peak size of the globular cluster (GC) radius distribution (RD) depends only weakly on galactic environment, and can be used as a standard ruler. We model RDs of GC populations…

Interpreting galactic luminosity requires assumptions about the galaxy-wide initial mass function (gwIMF), often assumed invariant in most stellar population synthesis (SPS) models. If stars form in clusters with metallicity- and…

(abridged) We found in previous studies that standard Simple Stellar Population (SSP) models are unable to describe or explain the colours of Galactic open clusters both in the visible and in the NIR spectral range. (...) We construct a…

In this paper we posit that galaxy luminosity functions (LFs) come in two fundamentally different types depending on whether the luminosity traces galaxy stellar mass or its current star formation rate (SFR). Mass function types reflect the…

Young massive clusters (YMCs) are usually accompanied by lower-mass clusters and unbound stars with a total mass equal to several tens times the mass of the YMC. If this was also true when globular clusters (GCs) formed, then their cosmic…

We have determined the composite luminosity function (LF) for galaxies in 60 clusters from the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. The LF spans the range $-22.5<M_{b_{\rm J}}<-15$, and is well-fitted by a Schechter function with ${M_{b_{\rm…

The cumulative luminosity distribution functions (CLFs) of radio millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in globular clusters (GCs) and in the Galactic field at a frequency of 1.4 GHz have been examined. Assuming a functional form, $N \propto L^q$ where…

We undertake a systematic analysis of the early (< 0.5 Myr) evolution of clustering and the stellar initial mass function in turbulent fragmentation simulations. These large scale simulations for the first time offer the opportunity for a…

We show that one can obtain a good fit to the measured main sequence mass function (MF) of a large sample of Galactic clusters (young and old) with a tapered Salpeter power law distribution function with an exponential truncation. The…

We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 near-UV and ACS/WFC optical study into the star cluster populations of 10 luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies (U/LIRGs) in the Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey…

Metal-poor globular clusters (GCs) are both numerous and ancient, which indicates that they may be important contributors to ionizing radiation in the reionization era. Starting from the observed number density and stellar mass function of…

It is believed that the majority of stars form in clusters. Therefore it is likely that the gas physical conditions that prevail in forming clusters, largely determine the properties of stars that form and in particular the initial mass…

The surface brightness profiles of globular clusters are conventionally described with the well-known King profile. However, observations of young massive clusters (YMCs) in the local Universe suggest that they are better fit by simple…

Hubble Space Telescope imaging for 26 giant early-type galaxies, all drawn from the MAST archive, is used to carry out photometry of their surrounding globular cluster (GC) systems. Most of these targets are Brightest Cluster Galaxies…

The currently most popular models for the dynamical evolution of star clusters predict that the power-law Cluster Luminosity Functions (CLFs) of young star cluster systems will be transformed rapidly into the universal Gaussian CLFs of old…

We present velocity dispersion measurements of 20 Local Group stellar clusters (7 < log(age [yrs]) < 10.2) from integrated light spectra and examine the evolution of the stellar mass-to-light ratio, Upsilon_*. We find that the clusters…