Related papers: A new method for deriving the stellar birth functi…
The main sequence (MS) of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) is the tight relation between the galaxy stellar mass and its star formation rate (SFR) and was observed up to z ~ 6. The MS relation can be used as a reference for understanding the…
The initial mass function (IMF) is one of the most important functions in astrophysics because it is key to reconstructing the cosmological matter cycle, understanding the formation of super-massive black holes, and deciphering the light…
We present a comparative test of four widely used full spectral fitting codes, with the aim of answering the question: how robust is the retrieval of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) and other stellar properties of galaxies? We used…
Standard evolutionary synthesis models rely on the assumption of a fully sampled stellar initial mass function (IMF). Under this assumption, the age, chemical composition, and IMF uniquely define the predicted absorption spectra. However,…
The Stellar Initial Mass Function (IMF) characterizes the mass distribution of newly formed stars in various cosmic environments, serving as a fundamental assumption in astrophysical research. Recent findings challenge the prevalent notion…
Cosmological simulations are reaching the resolution necessary to study ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. Observations indicate that in small populations, the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is not fully populated; rather, stars are sampled…
[abridged] We aim to constrain the stellar initial mass function (IMF) during the epoch of reionization. To this purpose, we build up a semi-empirical model for the reionization history of the Universe, based on various ingredients: the…
We present a new version of the GALFORM semi-analytical model of galaxy formation. This brings together several previous developments of GALFORM into a single unified model, including a different initial mass function (IMF) in quiescent…
We adapt an existing data compression algorithm, MOPED, to the extraction of median-likelihood star formation (SF) histories from medium-resolution galaxy spectra. By focusing on the high-pass components of galaxy spectra, we minimize…
The properties of high-redshift sub-millimetre galaxies (SMGs) remain controversial within hierarchical structure formation models. We revisit whether a top-heavy stellar initial mass function (IMF) in starbursts is required to reproduce…
Clusters of galaxies usually contain rich populations of globular clusters (GCs). We investigate how different star formation histories (SFHs) shape the final mass distribution of star clusters. We assume that every star cluster population…
The surface brightness fluctuations (SBF) method measures the variance in a galaxy's light distribution arising from fluctuations in the numbers and luminosities of individual stars per resolution element. Once calibrated for stellar…
We develop a method for interpreting faint galaxy data which focuses on the integrated light radiated from the galaxy population as a whole. The emission history of the universe at ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared wavelengths is…
We adapt the L-Galaxies semi-analytic model to follow the star-formation histories (SFH) of galaxies -- by which we mean a record of the formation time and metallicities of the stars that are present in each galaxy at a given time. We use…
A fundamental challenge for wide-field imaging surveys is obtaining follow-up spectroscopic observations: there are > $10^9$ photometrically cataloged sources, yet modern spectroscopic surveys are limited to ~few x $10^6$ targets. As we…
We constrain the mass distribution in nearby, star-forming galaxies with the Star Formation Reference Survey (SFRS), a galaxy sample constructed to be representative of all known combinations of star formation rate (SFR), dust temperature,…
We introduce a new method to measure the dispersion of mmax values of star clusters and show that the observed sample of mmax is inconsistent with random sampling from an universal stellar initial mass function (IMF) at a 99.9% confidence…
The total extragalactic background radiation can be an important test of the global star formation history (SFH). Using direct observational estimates of the SFH, along with standard assumptions about the initial mass function (IMF), we…
Does the IMF vary? Is it significantly different in metal-rich environments than in metal-poor ones? Theoretical work predicts this to be the case. But in order to provide robust empirical evidence for this, the researcher must understand…
The presence (and nature) of variations in the stellar initial mass function (IMF) at substantially sub-solar masses and metallicities ($m$$<$0.5M$_{\odot}$, [M/H]$\lesssim$$-$1) remains poorly constrained. Predictions from simulations vary…