The Initial Mass Function of Stars: Evidence for Uniformity in Variable Systems
The Initial Mass Function of Stars: Evidence for Uniformity in Variable Systems
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DOI：
10.1126/science.1067524
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发表时间：
2002-01
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
P. Kroupa
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
P. Kroupa
在一个给定体积的空间中，在一个星星形成事件中形成的恒星质量分布被称为初始质量函数（IMF）。IMF的估计范围从低质量的棕矮星到超大质量的恒星。结合IMF对不同群体的估计，可以单独观察到的恒星揭示了IMF的非凡一致性。这种普遍的见解似乎适用于人口，包括今天的星星形成在小分子云中，丰富和密集的大质量星团形成在巨大的云，通过古老和贫金属的外来恒星人口可能是由暗物质主导。IMF这种明显的普适性对星星形成理论是一个挑战，因为基本的考虑表明IMF应该随着恒星形成条件的变化而系统地变化。
The distribution of stellar masses that form in one star formation event in a given volume of space is called the initial mass function (IMF). The IMF has been estimated from low-mass brown dwarfs to very massive stars. Combining IMF estimates for different populations in which the stars can be observed individually unveils an extraordinary uniformity of the IMF. This general insight appears to hold for populations including present-day star formation in small molecular clouds, rich and dense massive star-clusters forming in giant clouds, through to ancient and metal-poor exotic stellar populations that may be dominated by dark matter. This apparent universality of the IMF is a challenge for star formation theory, because elementary considerations suggest that the IMF ought to systematically vary with star-forming conditions.