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

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

Jun 1985

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1985apj...293..251s&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 293, June 1, 1985, p. 251-257.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

6

Star Clusters, Stellar Evolution, Stellar Luminosity, Stellar Mass Accretion, H Ii Regions, Mass Spectra, Protostars

Scientific paper

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.

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