Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Dec 1981
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1981a%26a...104..177r&link_type=abstract
Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 104, no. 2, Dec. 1981, p. 177-184.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
42
Galactic Evolution, Magellanic Clouds, Star Formation, Star Formation Rate, Colorimetry, Interstellar Gas, Metals, Stellar Mass
Scientific paper
It is shown how quantitative information on the history of star formation in a galaxy can be obtained in principle by fitting photometric data, gas fraction, and metallicity with an evolutionary model. With a given metallicity and initial mass function of stars, the colors are sensitive only to the ratio of the present star formation rate (SFR) to the integrated past SFR, whatever the history of the SFR law. The sensitivity of this ratio to metallicity effects and initial mass function is studied. These results are applied to the Magellanic Clouds, using their integrated colors from the far UV up to the red and other data. It is found that their initial mass function cannot differ much from that in the solar neighborhood and that their evolution has been smooth, with a steady or slightly decreasing rate of star formation in the past.
Lequeux James
Maucherat-Joubert M.
Rocca-Volmerange Brigitte
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