Poster abstract
IMF or IMFs ?
Abstract
The stellar initial mass function (IMF) is one of the cornerstones of modern astrophysics and its universality or potential variation has very important consequences on the evolution of galaxies and their chemical enrichment, the dynamics of interstellar gas, and the evolution of individual stellar clusters.
In this talk, I will discuss the evolution of the dense core mass function (DCMF) in a star forming clump, and the transition from the DCMF to the stellar initial mass function IMF. In particular, I will demonstrate how several physical processes such as the coalescence of cores, gas accretion by the cores and feedback in the form of stellar winds by the newly formed massive stars shape the DCMF and the corresponding IMF. The influence of different clump and core properties (i.e., their density profiles, their contractions timescales, concentrations, and level of turbulence) in the context of this Accretion-Collapse-Feedback model will be presented, and their role in generating variations in the IMF of stellar clusters highlighted. Finally, I will address, whether the metallicity of the gas influences the shape of the stellar IMF.
In this talk, I will discuss the evolution of the dense core mass function (DCMF) in a star forming clump, and the transition from the DCMF to the stellar initial mass function IMF. In particular, I will demonstrate how several physical processes such as the coalescence of cores, gas accretion by the cores and feedback in the form of stellar winds by the newly formed massive stars shape the DCMF and the corresponding IMF. The influence of different clump and core properties (i.e., their density profiles, their contractions timescales, concentrations, and level of turbulence) in the context of this Accretion-Collapse-Feedback model will be presented, and their role in generating variations in the IMF of stellar clusters highlighted. Finally, I will address, whether the metallicity of the gas influences the shape of the stellar IMF.