Related papers: On biases in the predictions of stellar population…
The fundamental properties of stellar clusters, such as the age or the total initial mass in stars, are often inferred from population synthesis models. The predicted properties are then used to constrain the physical mechanisms involved in…
In terms of statistical fluctuations, stellar population synthesis models are only asymptotically correct in the limit of a large number of stars, where sampling errors become asymptotically small. When dealing with stellar clusters,…
In this paper we perform a comprehensive study of the main sources of random and systematic errors in stellar mass measurement for galaxies using their Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs). We use mock galaxy catalogs with simulated…
Integrated spectrophotometric properties of stellar systems are intrinsically dispersed due to the stochastic nature of the small numbers of bright stars they contain. Among clusters, only the most massive ones can be used individually for…
The integrated spectro-photometric properties of star clusters are subject to large cluster-to-cluster variations. They are distributed in non trivial ways around the average properties predicted by standard population synthesis models.…
We study the sources of biases and systematics in the derivation of galaxy properties of observational studies, focusing on stellar masses, star formation rates, gas/stellar metallicities, stellar ages and magnitudes/colors. We use…
We present robust statistical estimates of the accuracy of early-type galaxy stellar masses derived from spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting as functions of various empirical and theoretical assumptions. Using large samples…
Since the early 1970s, stellar population modelling has been one of the basic tools for understanding the physics of unresolved systems from observation of their integrated light. Models allow us to relate the integrated spectra (or…
Recent studies suggest that most star-forming regions in our Galaxy form stellar associations rather than bound clusters. We analyse models from the STARFORGE simulation suite, a set of magneto-hydrodynamical simulations that include all…
The estimated stellar masses of galaxies are widely used to characterize how the galaxy population evolves over cosmic time. If stellar masses can be estimated in a robust manner, free from any bias, global diagnostics such as the stellar…
For synthesising star clusters and whole galaxies, stellar populations need to be modelled by a set of four functions that define their initial distribution of stellar masses and of the orbital properties of their binary-star populations.…
The current state-of-the-art of population synthesis is reviewed. The field is currently undergoing major revisions with the recognition of several key processes as new critical ingredients. Stochastic effects can artificially enhance or…
We determine the importance of redshift-dependent systematic effects in the determination of stellar masses from broad band spectral energy distributions (SEDs), using high quality kinematic and photometric data of early-type galaxies at…
Synthesis models predict the integrated properties of stellar populations. Several problems exist in this field, mostly related to the fact that integrated properties are distributed. To date, this aspect has been either ignored (as in…
We discuss the uncertainties and the systematic effects that exist in the estimates of the stellar masses of high redshift galaxies, using broad band photometry, and how they affect the deduced galaxy stellar mass function. We use at this…
Low mass star formation regions are unlikely to fully populate their initial mass functions, leading to a deficit of massive stars. In binary stellar populations, the full range of binary separations and mass ratios will also be…
Interpreting galaxy properties from astronomical surveys relies heavily on spectral energy distribution (SED) modelling, yet uncertainties in key model ingredients are often overlooked. By leveraging a $z\sim0$ galaxy sample from the EAGLE…
Star clusters are studied widely both as benchmarks for stellar evolution models and in their own right. Cluster age and mass distributions within galaxies are probes of star formation histories, and of cluster formation and disruption…
Accurate estimates of fundamental physical properties of galaxies, such as star formation rates (SFRs) or stellar masses, are essential for testing and constraining models of galaxy formation and evolution. Spectral energy distribution…
The spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies are shaped by nearly every physical property of the system, including the star formation history, metal content, abundance pattern, dust mass, grain size distribution, star-dust geometry,…