Possible consequences of gas accretion for the initial mass function of star clusters

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (7) References (37) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Possible consequences of gas accretions for the initial mass functionof star clusters. Smith, G. H. Abstract The influence of gas accretion in determining the shape of the initial stellar mass function is investigated. Stars are assumed to form from protostellar condensations which, having fragmented out of a gas cloud, begin to accrete material from their environment. Within protocluster clouds this accretion phase is assumed to continue until such a time as very massive stars form and inhibit the accretion either by the formation of H II regions, by their ejection of stellar winds, or by their explosion as supernovae. Analytical expressions are derived for the stellar mass spectrum upon the assumption that the accretion rate onto a condensation is either a constant, or is proportional to the instantaneous mass of that condensation. In both cases, starting from a power-law mass spectrum for the condensations, the resultant stellar mass spectrum shows a turnover, i.e., below a certain mass, the luminosity function decreases with decreasing luminosity. The turnover mass depends upon the duration of the accretion phase, and so is dependent on the formation history of high-mass stars. This accretion hypothesis may explain why in some clusters such as M67 the number of dwarfs per magnitude interval decreases with increasing magnitude. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: June 1985 DOI: 10.1086/163231 Bibcode: 1985ApJ...293..251S Keywords: Star Clusters; Stellar Evolution; Stellar Luminosity; Stellar Mass Accretion; H Ii Regions; Mass Spectra; Protostars; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (6)