scholarly journals The Stellar Populations in Local Group Dwarf Galaxies

1995 ◽  
Vol 164 ◽  
pp. 175-180
Author(s):  
Abhijit Saha
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Stellar System ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Open Clusters ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Stellar Content

The aim of the study of the populations in a stellar system is to understand and be able to describe the stellar content of a system in terms of physical parameters such as the age, star formation history, chemical enrichment history, initial mass function (IMF), environment, and dynamical history of the system. This is done given an understanding of stellar evolution and the ability to express the outcome in “observer parameters”, particularly a color-magnitude diagram (CMD), kinematics, and metallicity. From this perspective, the simplest systems are the galactic clusters and the globular clusters, where all the component stars are coeval and of the same metallicity. The current state of knowledge for these are discussed by others in this conference. We proceed to the next level of complexity (where metallicities are not necessarily all the same, and nor are the stars all coeval), and try to decompose their stellar content, particularly in terms of star formation rate and metallicity. In this regard the two classes of objects that come to mind are the dwarf spheroidals, and the dwarf irregulars. Both these classes of objects are more massive than the open clusters and globular clusters, and show evidence of complexities in their star formation histories, without being so convolved as to make such a study intractable. As we shall see, recent studies along these lines have presented some puzzling problems. Moreover, these are the smallest independent galaxies, and the study of star formation in these is likely to shed light on the history and formation of larger and more complex galaxies.

scholarly journals Bimodal Star Formation and Remnant-Dominated Galactic Models

1987 ◽  
Vol 117 ◽  
pp. 413-413
Author(s):  
Richard B. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Solar Neighborhood ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Stellar Content ◽  
Stellar Initial Mass Function

Current data on the luminosity function of nearby stars allow the possibility that the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is double-peaked and that the star formation rate (SFR) has decreased substantially with time. It is then possible to account for all of the unseen mass in the solar vicinity as stellar remnants. A model for the solar neighborhood has been constructed in which the IMF is bimodal, the SFR is constant for the low-mass mode and strongly decreasing for the high-mass mode, and the mass in remnants is equal to the column density of unseen matter; this model is found to be consistent with all of the available constraints on the evolution and stellar content of the solar neighborhood. In particular, the observed chemical evolution is satisfactorily reproduced without infall. The total SFR in the model decreases roughly with the 1.4 power of the gas content, which is more plausible than the nearly constant SFR required by models with a monotonic IMF.

scholarly journals Chemical evolution of ultrafaint dwarf galaxies: testing the IGIMF

2020 ◽  
Vol 495 (3) ◽  
pp. 3276-3294
Author(s):  
E Lacchin ◽  
F Matteucci ◽  
F Vincenzo ◽  
M Palla
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Chemical Evolution ◽  
Galactic Halo ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Star Formation History

ABSTRACT We test the integrated galactic initial mass function (IGIMF) on the chemical evolution of 16 ultrafaint dwarf (UFD) galaxies discussing in detail the results obtained for three of them: Boötes I, Boötes II, and Canes Venatici I, taken as prototypes of the smallest and the largest UFDs. These objects have very small stellar masses (∼103–104 M⊙) and quite low metallicities ([Fe/H] < −1.0 dex). We consider four observational constraints: the present-day stellar mass, the [α/Fe] versus [Fe/H] relation, the stellar metallicity distribution function and the cumulative star formation history. Our model follows in detail the evolution of several chemical species (H, He, α-elements, and Fe). We take into account detailed nucleosynthesis and gas flows (in and out). Our results show that the IGIMF, coupled with the very low star formation rate predicted by the model for these galaxies (∼10−4–10−6 M⊙yr−1), cannot reproduce the main chemical properties, because it implies a negligible number of core-collapse SNe and even Type Ia SNe, the most important polluters of galaxies. On the other hand, a constant classical Salpeter IMF gives the best agreement with data, but we cannot exclude that other formulations of the IGIMF could reproduce the properties of these galaxies. Comparing with Galaxy data, we suggest that UFDs could not be the building blocks of the entire Galactic halo, although more data are necessary to draw firmer conclusions.

scholarly journals INFRARED STUDIES OF THE STELLAR CONTENT IN EXTRAGALACTIC SYSTEMS

1981 ◽  
Vol 96 ◽  
pp. 297-316
Author(s):  
Marc Aaronson
Keyword(s):  
Galaxy Formation ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Absolute Magnitude ◽  
Type Systems ◽  
Morphological Type ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Stellar Content

Normal galaxies emit most of their radiation longward of one micron, and many problems related to our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution can be fruitfully addressed with measurements at near-infrared wavelengths. Such problems include the make-up of the red stellar population, the star formation rate, the initial mass function, metallicity effects, and mass-to-light ratio. How these various quantities depend on morphological type, on total mass (or absolute magnitude), on radial position, and on environment is also of great interest. In this review recent infrared observations of extragalactic stars, star clusters, and galaxies having important bearing on these questions are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on new evidence for the presence of a finite intermediate age population in early-type systems. This evidence comes from observations of intermediate age stars in many Magellanic Cloud globular clusters, observations of such stars in at least one nearby dwarf spheroidal (Fornax), the difficulties of fitting theoretical isochrone models to the red V-K colors of E and SO galaxies, and the differences in the infrared color-magnitude relations for the Virgo and Coma clusters.“It is not very bright to measure a blue magnitude for a red object.”– Vera Rubin

scholarly journals New insights on the origin of multiple stellar populations in globular clusters

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S334) ◽  
pp. 316-317
Author(s):  
Jaeyeon Kim ◽  
Young-Wook Lee
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Stellar Populations ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Blast Waves ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Asymptotic Giant Branch ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

AbstractIn order to investigate the origin of multiple stellar populations in the halo and bulge of the Milky Way, we have constructed chemical evolution models for the low-mass proto-Galactic subsystems such as globular clusters (GCs). Unlike previous studies, we assume that supernova blast waves undergo blowout without expelling the pre-enriched gas, while relatively slow winds of massive stars (WMS), together with the winds and ejecta from low and intermediate mass asymptotic-giant-branch stars (AGBs), are all locally retained in these less massive systems. We find that the observed Na-O anti-correlations in metal-poor GCs can be reproduced, when multiple episodes of starbursts are allowed to continue in these subsystems. A specific form of star formation history (SFH) with decreasing time intervals between the stellar generations, however, is required to obtain this result, which is in good agreement with the parameters obtained from our stellar evolution models for the horizontal-branch. The “mass budget problem” is also much alleviated by our models without ad-hoc assumptions on star formation efficiency (SFE) and initial mass function (IMF). We also applied these models to investigate the origin of super-helium-rich red clump stars in the metal-rich bulge as recently suggested by Lee et al. (2015). We find that chemical enrichments by the WMS can naturally reproduce the required helium enhancement (ΔY/ΔZ = 6) for the second generation stars. Disruption of proto-GCs in a hierarchical merging paradigm would have provided helium enhanced stars to the bulge field.

scholarly journals Recalibrating the cosmic star formation history

2019 ◽  
Vol 490 (4) ◽  
pp. 5359-5365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M Wilkins ◽  
Christopher C Lovell ◽  
Elizabeth R Stanway
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Spectral Synthesis ◽  
Mass Density ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Thermal Infrared ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Formation History ◽  
Binary Evolution

ABSTRACT The calibrations linking observed luminosities to the star formation rate (SFR) depend on the assumed stellar population synthesis model, initial mass function, star formation and metal enrichment history, and whether reprocessing by dust and gas is included. Consequently the shape and normalization of the inferred cosmic star formation history is sensitive to these assumptions. Using v2.2.1 of the Binary Population and Spectral Synthesis (bpass) model we determine a new set of calibration coefficients for the ultraviolet, thermal infrared, and hydrogen recombination lines. These ultraviolet and thermal infrared coefficients are 0.15–0.2 dex higher than those widely utilized in the literature while the H α coefficient is ∼0.35 dex larger. These differences arise in part due to the inclusion binary evolution pathways but predominantly reflect an extension in the IMF to 300 M⊙ and a change in the choice of reference metallicity. We use these new coefficients to recalibrate the cosmic star formation history, and find improved agreement between the integrated cosmic star formation history and the in situ measured stellar mass density as a function of redshift. However, these coefficients produce new tension between SFR densities inferred from the ultraviolet and thermal infrared and those from H α.

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.

scholarly journals Turbulent structure and star formation in a stratified, supernova-driven, interstellar medium

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S237) ◽  
pp. 358-362
Author(s):  
M. K. Ryan Joung ◽  
Mordecai-Mark Mac Low
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Interstellar Medium ◽  
Adaptive Mesh Refinement ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Adaptive Mesh ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Interstellar Turbulence ◽  
Self Gravity

AbstractWe report on a study of interstellar turbulence driven by both correlated and isolated supernova explosions. We use three-dimensional hydrodynamic models of a vertically stratified interstellar medium run with the adaptive mesh refinement code Flash at a maximum resolution of 2 pc, with a grid size of 0.5 × 0.5 × 10 kpc. Cold dense clouds form even in the absence of self-gravity due to the collective action of thermal instability and supersonic turbulence. Studying these clouds, we show that it can be misleading to predict physical properties such as the star formation rate or the stellar initial mass function using numerical simulations that do not include self-gravity of the gas. Even if all the gas in turbulently Jeans unstable regions in our simulation is assumed to collapse and form stars in local freefall times, the resulting total collapse rate is significantly lower than the value consistent with the input supernova rate. The amount of mass available for collapse depends on scale, suggesting a simple translation from the density PDF to the stellar IMF may be questionable. Even though the supernova-driven turbulence does produce compressed clouds, it also opposes global collapse. The net effect of supernova-driven turbulence is to inhibit star formation globally by decreasing the amount of mass unstable to gravitational collapse.

scholarly journals Hidden infrared star clusters in our Galaxy: follow-up observations

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S266) ◽  
pp. 366-366
Author(s):  
Jura Borissova ◽  
Radostin Kurtev ◽  
Margaret M. Hanson ◽  
Leonid Georgiev ◽  
Valentin Ivanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Globular Clusters ◽  
Star Cluster ◽  
Open Clusters ◽  
Star Formation History ◽  
Stellar Disk ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Formation History ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Infrared Star

AbstractWe are reporting some recent results from our long-term program aimed at characterizing the obscured present-day star cluster population in the Galaxy. Our goal is to expand the current census of the Milky Way's inner stellar disk to guide models seeking to understand the structure and recent star-formation history of our Galaxy. The immediate goal is to derive accurate cluster physical parameters using precise infrared photometry and spectroscopy. So far, we observed approximately 60 star cluster candidates selected from different infrared catalogs. Their nature, reddening, distance, age and mass are analyzed. Two of them, Mercer 3 and Mercer 5, are new obscured Milky Way globular clusters. Among the newly identified open clusters, the objects [DBS2003] 179, Mercer 23, Mercer 30, Mercer 70, and [DBS2003] 106 are particularly interesting because they contain massive young OB and Wolf–Rayet stars with strong emission lines.

The impact of star formation sampling effects on the spectra of lensed z > 6 galaxies detectable with JWST

2019 ◽  
Vol 492 (2) ◽  
pp. 1706-1712
Author(s):  
Anton Vikaeus ◽  
Erik Zackrisson ◽  
Christian Binggeli
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Spectral Synthesis ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Spectroscopic Studies ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
James Webb Space Telescope ◽  
Population Iii Stars ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT The upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will allow observations of high-redshift galaxies at fainter detection levels than ever before, and JWST surveys targeting gravitationally lensed fields are expected to bring z ≳ 6 objects with very low star formation rate (SFR) within reach of spectroscopic studies. As galaxies at lower and lower star formation activity are brought into view, many of the standard methods used in the analysis of integrated galaxy spectra are at some point bound to break down, due to violation of the assumptions of a well-sampled stellar initial mass function (IMF) and a slowly varying SFR. We argue that galaxies with SFR ∼ 0.1 M⊙ yr−1 are likely to turn up at the spectroscopic detection limit of JWST in lensed fields, and investigate to what extent star formation sampling may affect the spectral analysis of such objects. We use the slug spectral synthesis code to demonstrate that such effects are likely to have significant impacts on spectral diagnostics of, for example, the Balmer emission lines. These effects are found to stem primarily from SFRs varying rapidly on short (∼Myr) time-scales due to star formation in finite units (star clusters), whereas the effects of an undersampled IMF is deemed insignificant in comparison. In contrast, the ratio between the He ii- and H i-ionizing flux is found to be sensitive to IMF-sampling as well as ICMF-sampling (sampling of the initial cluster mass function), which may affect interpretations of galaxies containing Population III stars or other sources of hard ionizing radiation.

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