Variation of the low-mass end IMF with velocity dispersion in Early-Type Galaxies

Taun, A.D. (2017) Variation of the low-mass end IMF with velocity dispersion in Early-Type Galaxies. Bachelor's Thesis, Astronomy.

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Abstract

The Initial Mass Function (IMF) is an empirical function that describes the mass distribution of stars formed in a singular star-formation event. This distribution is a probability distribution function (PDF) of the initial masses of stars, in other words, it relates the ratio of low-mass stars to high-mass stars in a stellar population. The IMF has been considered to be universal until recent studies showed that the low-mass end of the IMF varies with galaxy properties, such as velocity dispersion. We used the updated semi-analytical model Porter-14 with the numerical solution of the characteristic mass as a function of external pressure, given by the model of Krumholz (2011), to test if the models reproduce the observations. The results were positive, especially above σ ≈ 200 km s−1, and would imply, and therefore enforcing the observations, that there are more low-mass stars in the early-type galaxies than previously thought.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis)
Degree programme:	Astronomy
Thesis type:	Bachelor's Thesis
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	15 Feb 2018 08:29
Last Modified:	15 Feb 2018 08:29
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/15427

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