Growth of an Initial Mass Function Cluster in a Turbulent Dense Core

Details Growth of an Initial Mass Function Cluster in a Turbulent Dense Core Growth of an Initial Mass Function Cluster in a Turbulent Dense Core

Feb 2000

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000apj...530l.119m&link_type=abstract

The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 530, Issue 2, pp. L119-L122.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

34

Ism: Clouds, Stars: Formation, Stars: Luminosity Function, Mass Function, Turbulence

Scientific paper

A simple model of condensation growth and collapse in a turbulent dense core yields a distribution of stellar masses that matches the main features of the stellar initial mass function (IMF). In this model, stars in the ``flat'' and ``power-law'' parts of the IMF come from condensations with negligible and substantial growth, respectively. The mass accretion rate of a condensation is proportional to its mass, and the probability of stopping accretion is equal in every time interval, so the growth is exponential and its duration follows a Poisson distribution. For mass growth e-folding time τgrow and mean duration τstop, the stellar mass m has a probability density per logarithmic mass interval of ~m-x, where x=τgrow/τstop. This power-law relation matches the IMF when τgrow~τstop, as is expected if each of these times is set by the same properties of the surrounding core gas. We specify exponential growth arising from Bondi accretion onto a stationary Bonnor-Ebert sphere, in a core heated and stirred by associated stars. This growth is exponential, unlike the Bondi accretion onto a star, but ``slow,'' with τgrow greater than the free-fall time of the condensation by a factor of ~4. We specify random stopping as due to sudden turbulent compression, which causes the condensation to collapse and stop accreting. For these mechanisms, a core with a density of 104 cm-3 grows a cluster of ~100 IMF-following stars with a mass range of 1-25 Msolar in 1.4 Myr, in accord with the masses and ages of embedded clusters.

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