Searching for the Bottom of the Initial Mass Function

寻找初始质量函数的底部

• 批准号: 1208239
• 负责人: Kevin Luhman
• 金额: $ 27.96万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2017-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1208239&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Searching; Bottom; Initial; Mass; Function

This project will support an observational survey to find lowest mass objects formed in areas of recent star formation. A principal goal is to uncover the initial mass function (IMF), which is the distribution of stellar/substellar objects over mass. This will be done through analysis of optical and infrared photometry from wide-field surveys and followup spectroscopy of candidate substellar objects (brown dwarfs and planetary-mass objects) identified in those data. The project is expected to (1) test theories of star formation, which make different predictions for the minimum mass of the IMF and its dependence on star-forming conditions; (2) constrain the possible mechanisms for the formation of planetary-mass companions; and (3) enable estimates of the frequency of giant planets that have been ejected from planetary systems based on microlensing detections of free-floating Jupiter-mass bodies.

该项目将支持一项观测调查，以寻找在最近恒星形成区域形成的最低质量物体。一个主要的目标是揭示初始质量函数（IMF），它是恒星/次恒星物体在质量上的分布。这将通过分析广域巡天的光学和红外测光以及在这些数据中确定的候选恒星物体（褐矮星和行星质量物体）的后续光谱学来完成。该项目预计将(1)测试恒星形成理论，这些理论对IMF的最小质量及其对恒星形成条件的依赖做出了不同的预测；(2)约束行星质量伴星形成的可能机制；(3)基于对自由漂浮的木星质量天体的微透镜探测，能够估计从行星系统中喷射出的巨行星的频率。