scholarly journals STARFORGE: the effects of protostellar outflows on the IMF

2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (3) ◽  
pp. 3646-3663
Author(s):  
Dávid Guszejnov ◽  
Michael Y Grudić ◽  
Philip F Hopkins ◽  
Stella S R Offner ◽  
Claude-André Faucher-Giguère
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Mass Scale ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Order Unity ◽  
Cloud Parameters ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Protostellar Outflows

ABSTRACT The initial mass function (IMF) of stars is a key quantity affecting almost every field of astrophysics, yet it remains unclear what physical mechanisms determine it. We present the first runs of the STAR FORmation in Gaseous Environments project, using a new numerical framework to follow the formation of individual stars in giant molecular clouds (GMCs) using the gizmo code. Our suite includes runs with increasingly complex physics, starting with isothermal ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and then adding non-isothermal thermodynamics and protostellar outflows. We show that without protostellar outflows the resulting stellar masses are an order of magnitude too high, similar to the result in the base isothermal MHD run. Outflows disrupt the accretion flow around the protostar, allowing gas to fragment and additional stars to form, thereby lowering the mean stellar mass to a value similar to that observed. The effect of jets upon global cloud evolution is most pronounced for lower mass GMCs and dense clumps, so while jets can disrupt low-mass clouds, they are unable to regulate star formation in massive GMCs, as they would turn an order unity fraction of the mass into stars before unbinding the cloud. Jets are also unable to stop the runaway accretion of massive stars, which could ultimately lead to the formation of stars with masses ${\gt}500\, \mathrm{M}_{\rm \odot }$. Although we find that the mass scale set by jets is insensitive to most cloud parameters (i.e. surface density, virial parameter), it is strongly dependent on the momentum loading of the jets (which is poorly constrained by observations) as well as the temperature of the parent cloud, which predicts slightly larger IMF variations than observed. We conclude that protostellar jets play a vital role in setting the mass scale of stars, but additional physics are necessary to reproduce the observed IMF.

scholarly journals The elephant in the room: the importance of the details of massive star formation in molecular clouds

2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (2) ◽  
pp. 2970-2975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Y Grudić ◽  
Philip F Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Massive Star ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Massive Star Formation ◽  
Average Mass ◽  
Sampling Schemes

Abstract Most simulations of galaxies and massive giant molecular clouds (GMCs) cannot explicitly resolve the formation (or predict the main-sequence masses) of individual stars. So they must use some prescription for the amount of feedback from an assumed population of massive stars (e.g. sampling the initial mass function, IMF). We perform a methods study of simulations of a star-forming GMC with stellar feedback from UV radiation, varying only the prescription for determining the luminosity of each stellar mass element formed (according to different IMF sampling schemes). We show that different prescriptions can lead to widely varying (factor of ∼3) star formation efficiencies (on GMC scales) even though the average mass-to-light ratios agree. Discreteness of sources is important: radiative feedback from fewer, more-luminous sources has a greater effect for a given total luminosity. These differences can dominate over other, more widely recognized differences between similar literature GMC-scale studies (e.g. numerical methods, cloud initial conditions, presence of magnetic fields). Moreover the differences in these methods are not purely numerical: some make different implicit assumptions about the nature of massive star formation, and this remains deeply uncertain in star formation theory.

scholarly journals Can magnetized turbulence set the mass scale of stars?

2020 ◽  
Vol 496 (4) ◽  
pp. 5072-5088 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dávid Guszejnov ◽  
Michael Y Grudić ◽  
Philip F Hopkins ◽  
Stella S R Offner ◽  
Claude-André Faucher-Giguère
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Scaling Laws ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Mass Scale ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Mhd Turbulence ◽  
Numerical Resolution ◽  
Stellar Masses

ABSTRACT Understanding the evolution of self-gravitating, isothermal, magnetized gas is crucial for star formation, as these physical processes have been postulated to set the initial mass function (IMF). We present a suite of isothermal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations using the gizmo code that follow the formation of individual stars in giant molecular clouds (GMCs), spanning a range of Mach numbers found in observed GMCs ($\mathcal {M} \sim 10\!-\!50$). As in past works, the mean and median stellar masses are sensitive to numerical resolution, because they are sensitive to low-mass stars that contribute a vanishing fraction of the overall stellar mass. The mass-weighted median stellar mass M50 becomes insensitive to resolution once turbulent fragmentation is well resolved. Without imposing Larson-like scaling laws, our simulations find $M_\mathrm{50} \,\, \buildrel\propto \over \sim \,\,M_\mathrm{0} \mathcal {M}^{-3} \alpha _\mathrm{turb}\, \mathrm{SFE}^{1/3}$ for GMC mass M0, sonic Mach number $\mathcal {M}$, virial parameter αturb, and star formation efficiency SFE = M⋆/M0. This fit agrees well with previous IMF results from the ramses, orion2, and sphng codes. Although M50 has no significant dependence on the magnetic field strength at the cloud scale, MHD is necessary to prevent a fragmentation cascade that results in non-convergent stellar masses. For initial conditions and SFE similar to star-forming GMCs in our Galaxy, we predict M50 to be $\gt 20 \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$, an order of magnitude larger than observed ($\sim 2 \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$), together with an excess of brown dwarfs. Moreover, M50 is sensitive to initial cloud properties and evolves strongly in time within a given cloud, predicting much larger IMF variations than are observationally allowed. We conclude that physics beyond MHD turbulence and gravity are necessary ingredients for the IMF.

scholarly journals Formation of Stellar Clusters and the Importance of Thermodynamics for Fragmentation

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S246) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Ralf S. Klessen ◽  
Paul C. Clark ◽  
Simon C. O. Glover
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Mass Scale ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Solar Neighborhood ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Heating Regime ◽  
Effective Equation

AbstractWe discuss results from numerical simulations of star cluster formation in the turbulent interstellar medium (ISM). The thermodynamic behavior of the star-forming gas plays a crucial role in fragmentation and determines the stellar mass function as well as the dynamic properties of the nascent stellar cluster. This holds for star formation in molecular clouds in the solar neighborhood as well as for the formation of the very first stars in the early universe. The thermodynamic state of the ISM is a result of the balance between heating and cooling processes, which in turn are determined by atomic and molecular physics and by chemical abundances. Features in the effective equation of state of the gas, such as a transition from a cooling to a heating regime, define a characteristic mass scale for fragmentation and so set the peak of the initial mass function of stars (IMF). As it is based on fundamental physical quantities and constants, this is an attractive approach to explain the apparent universality of the IMF in the solar neighborhood as well as the transition from purely primordial high-mass star formation to the more normal low-mass mode observed today.

scholarly journals The Origin of the Universal Globular Cluster Mass Function

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S246) ◽  
pp. 413-417
Author(s):  
G. Parmentier ◽  
G. Gilmore
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Globular Cluster ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Mass Scale ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Cluster Mass ◽  
Gas Removal

AbstractEvidence favouring a Gaussian initial mass function for systems of old globular clusters has accumulated over recent years. We show that a bell-shaped mass function may be the imprint of expulsion from protoclusters of the leftover star forming gas due to supernova activity. Owing to the corresponding weakening of its gravitational potential, a protocluster retains a fraction only of its newly formed stars. The mass fraction of bound stars extends from zero to unity depending on the star formation efficiency achieved by the protoglobular cloud. We investigate how such wide variations affect the mapping of the protoglobular cloud mass function to the initial globular cluster mass function. We conclusively demonstrate that the universality of the globular cluster mass function originates from a common protoglobular cloud mass-scale of about 106 M⊙ among galaxies. Moreover, gas removal during star formation in massive gas clouds is highlighted as the likely prime cause of the predominance of field stars in the Galactic Halo.

scholarly journals Unifying low- and high-mass star formation through density-amplified hubs of filaments

2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. A87 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. N. Kumar ◽  
P. Palmeirim ◽  
D. Arzoumanian ◽  
S. I. Inutsuka
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
Radial Profile ◽  
Beam Width ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Stellar Sources

Context. Star formation takes place in giant molecular clouds, resulting in mass-segregated young stellar clusters composed of Sun-like stars, brown dwarfs, and massive O-type(50–100 M⊙) stars. Aims. We aim to identify candidate hub-filament systems (HFSs) in the Milky Way and examine their role in the formation of the highest mass stars and star clusters. Methods. The Herschel survey HiGAL has catalogued about 105 clumps. Of these, approximately 35 000 targets are detected at the 3σ level in a minimum of four bands. Using the DisPerSE algorithm we detect filamentary skeletons on 10′ × 10′ cut-outs of the SPIRE 250 μm images (18′′ beam width) of the targets. Any filament with a total length of at least 55′′ (3 × 18′′) and at least 18′′ inside the clump was considered to form a junction at the clump. A hub is defined as a junction of three or more filaments. Column density maps were masked by the filament skeletons and averaged for HFS and non-HFS samples to compute the radial profile along the filaments into the clumps. Results. Approximately 3700 (11%) are candidate HFSs, of which about 2150 (60%) are pre-stellar and 1400 (40%) are proto-stellar. The filaments constituting the HFSs have a mean length of ~10–20 pc, a mass of ~5 × 104 M⊙, and line masses (M∕L) of ~2 × 103 M⊙ pc−1. All clumps with L > 104 L⊙ and L > 105 L⊙ at distances within 2 and 5 kpc respectively are located in the hubs of HFSs. The column densities of hubs are found to be enhanced by a factor of approximately two (pre-stellar sources) up to about ten (proto-stellar sources). Conclusions. All high-mass stars preferentially form in the density-enhanced hubs of HFSs. This amplification can drive the observed longitudinal flows along filaments providing further mass accretion. Radiation pressure and feedback can escape into the inter-filamentary voids. We propose a “filaments to clusters” unified paradigm for star formation, with the following salient features: (a) low-intermediate-mass stars form slowly (106 yr) in the filaments and massive stars form quickly (105 yr) in the hub, (b) the initial mass function is the sum of stars continuously created in the HFS with all massive stars formed in the hub, (c) feedback dissipation and mass segregation arise naturally due to HFS properties, and explain the (d) age spreads within bound clusters and the formation of isolated OB associations.

scholarly journals A stochastically sampled IMF alters the stellar content of simulated dwarf galaxies

2019 ◽  
Vol 492 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaad Applebaum ◽  
Alyson M Brooks ◽  
Thomas R Quinn ◽  
Charlotte R Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Dwarf Galaxy ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
Stellar Content ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Cosmological Simulations ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

ABSTRACT Cosmological simulations are reaching the resolution necessary to study ultra-faint dwarf galaxies. Observations indicate that in small populations, the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is not fully populated; rather, stars are sampled in a way that can be approximated as coming from an underlying probability density function. To ensure the accuracy of cosmological simulations in the ultra-faint regime, we present an improved treatment of the IMF. We implement a self-consistent, stochastically populated IMF in cosmological hydrodynamic simulations. We test our method using high-resolution simulations of a Milky Way halo, run to z = 6, yielding a sample of nearly 100 galaxies. We also use an isolated dwarf galaxy to investigate the resulting systematic differences in galaxy properties. We find that a stochastic IMF in simulations makes feedback burstier, strengthening feedback, and quenching star formation earlier in small dwarf galaxies. For galaxies in haloes with mass ≲ 108.5 M⊙, a stochastic IMF typically leads to lower stellar mass compared to a continuous IMF, sometimes by more than an order of magnitude. We show that existing methods of ensuring discrete supernovae incorrectly determine the mass of the star particle and its associated feedback. This leads to overcooling of surrounding gas, with at least ∼10 per cent higher star formation and ∼30 per cent higher cold gas content. Going forwards, to accurately model dwarf galaxies and compare to observations, it will be necessary to incorporate a stochastically populated IMF that samples the full spectrum of stellar masses.

Wolf-Rayet Stars as Tracers of the Recent History of the Star Formation Rate

1994 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 451-451
Author(s):  
G. Meynet
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Emission Line ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Emission Feature ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
History Of ◽  
Conversion Formula

Recently Vacca & Conti (1992) have measured the ratio of the luminosity in the broad He II λ4686 emission feature to that in the Hβ emission line in fourteen starburst galaxies. They related these luminosity ratios to the relative numbers of Wolf-Rayet (type WNL) to O-type stars in these galaxies (higher is the ratio L(λ4686)/L(Hβ), higher is NWNL/NO). They found that in general the number ratios are an order of magnitude larger than those expected in region of constant star formation rate. On Fig. 1 the predicted line ratios of our starbursts models (instantaneous burst of star formation at time t = 0; initial mass function dN/dM = CM−2; stellar models from Meynet et al. 1993; conversion formula between the line ratios and the number ratios of WNL to O-type stars given by Vacca & Conti 1992, with η = 1) are compared with the observed values given by these authors. This figure shows that a starburst taking place about 2–3 millions years ago can account for the high observed values of L(λ4686)/L(Hβ). One sees that the effects of the age of the burst (i.e. the time elapsed since the burst) and of the metallicity are quite important. It is the hope that in a next future, it will be possible on the base of this kind of luminosity ratios to disentangle the various effects influencing the WR population resulting from a starburst.

Low‐Mass Star Formation and the Initial Mass Function in IC 348

1998 ◽  
Vol 508 (1) ◽  
pp. 347-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Luhman ◽  
G. H. Rieke ◽  
C. J. Lada ◽  
E. A. Lada
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Low Mass

Recovering the star formation history of galaxies through spectral fitting: Current challenges

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S359) ◽  
pp. 386-390
Author(s):  
Lucimara P. Martins
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Stellar Spectra ◽  
Spectral Fitting ◽  
Formation History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
Extract Information

AbstractWith the exception of some nearby galaxies, we cannot resolve stars individually. To recover the galaxies star formation history (SFH), the challenge is to extract information from their integrated spectrum. A widely used tool is the full spectral fitting technique. This consists of combining simple stellar populations (SSPs) of different ages and metallicities to match the integrated spectrum. This technique works well for optical spectra, for metallicities near solar and chemical histories not much different from our Galaxy. For everything else there is room for improvement. With telescopes being able to explore further and further away, and beyond the optical, the improvement of this type of tool is crucial. SSPs use as ingredients isochrones, an initial mass function, and a library of stellar spectra. My focus are the stellar libraries, key ingredient for SSPs. Here I talk about the latest developments of stellar libraries, how they influence the SSPs and how to improve them.

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