scholarly journals Ground-Based Surveys For Low-Luminosity Stars

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 421-422
Author(s):  
Hugh R.A. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Faint Star ◽  
Ccd Cameras ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Computing Power ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Baryonic Dark Matter

Most of what we know about the Luminosity and mass function of low-mass stars has been derived from analysis of ground-based photometric and astrometric Surveys. A major uncertainty in the Interpretation of such surveys lies in the appropriate correction for unresolved binaries and in the use of a reliable colour-magnitude relation. various new surveys are now uncovering large numbers of objects which should rapidly ameliorate these ambiguities. The recent discovery of brown dwarfs and planets has highlighted the importance of low-luminosity stars. once we understand their spectra and colours and have statistically significant samples, it will be important to use them to reliably constrain theories of star formation and chemical evolution as well as to use them as a probe of galactic structure and to reliably ascertain their contribution to baryonic dark matter. In this brief review ishall focus on ground-based field searches. Hambly (1997) reviews the very successful searches that have recently been carried out in nearby clusters. Until the 1970s, most work on the faint-star luminosity function was based on proper-motion searches primarily by dutch researchers, in particular Luyten (e.g. 1938, 1979). The Last 20 years have seen a switch from astrometric to photometric surveys employing plate-scanning machines or CCD cameras. Combined with substantial increases in computing power these technologies have led to the discovery of large numbers of very low-luminosity Stars.

scholarly journals The XLENS Project: Do More Massive Early-Type Galaxies Have More Dark Matter or Different Stellar IMFs?

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S295) ◽  
pp. 221-224
Author(s):  
Chiara Spiniello
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Gravitational Lensing ◽  
Population Analysis ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Early Type ◽  
Stellar Content ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Very Large Telescope ◽  
Low Mass

AbstractThe X-shooter Lens Survey (XLENS) aims to study the interplay of dark matter (DM) and stellar content in the inner regions of massive early-type galaxies (ETGs) by combining strong gravitational lensing, dynamical models, and spectroscopic stellar population analysis. XLENS targets a sample of ETGs from the SLACS survey (The Sloan Lens ACS Survey, e.g. Bolton et al. 2006) with velocity dispersions ≥250 kms−1 using the X-Shooter spectrograph on ESO's Very Large Telescope. Recent observations indicate that the internal dark-matter fraction of ETGs increases rapidly with galaxy mass, although some hints for a varying initial mass function (IMF) have also been suggested, where the low-mass end of the stellar IMF steepens with galaxy mass. XLENS first results unambiguously confirm that DM plays an important role already within one effective radius for very massive systems (Spiniello et al. 2011). Moreover, studying equivalent widths of certain red spectral features which are indicators of low-mass stars in massive ETGs (e.g. NaI and TiO2) as a function of age and metallicity (i.e. Mgb, Fe, Hβ), and as function of stellar velocity dispersion, has shown that the IMF slope is varying mildly with galaxy mass (Spiniello et al. 2012).

scholarly journals Low Mass Stars and White Dwarfs in NGC 6397

1995 ◽  
Vol 164 ◽  
pp. 408-408
Author(s):  
Guido De Marchi ◽  
Francesco Paresce ◽  
Martino Romaniello
Keyword(s):  
White Dwarf ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Hydrogen Burning ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Counting Statistics

Deep WFPC2 images in wide bands centered at 606 and 802 nm were taken with the HST 5.6 arcminutes from the center of the galactic globular cluster NGC 6397. The images were used to accurately position ~ 2120 stars detected in the field on a color magnitude diagram down to a limiting magnitude m814 ≃ mI ≃ 26 determined reliably and solely by counting statistics. A white dwarf sequence and a rich, narrow cluster main sequence are detected for the first time, the latter stretching from m814 = 18.5 to m814 = 24.0 where it becomes indistinguishable from the field population. Two changes of slope of the main sequence at m814 ≃ 20 and m814 ≃ 22.5 are evident. The corresponding luminosity function increases slowly from M814 ≃ 6.5 to 8.5 as expected from ground based observations but then drops sharply from there down to the measurement limit. The corresponding mass function obtained by using the only presently available mass-luminosity function for the cluster's metallicity rises to a plateau between ~ 0.25 and~ 0.15 M⊙, but drops towards the expected mass limit of the normal hydrogen burning main sequence at about 0.1 M⊙. This result is in clear contrast to that obtained from the ground and implies either a substantial modification of the cluster's initial mass function due to dynamical evolution in its lifetime, or that very low mass stars are not produced in any dynamically significant amount by clusters of this type. The white dwarf sequence is in reasonable agreement with a cooling sequence of models of mass 0.5 M⊙ at the canonical distance of NGC 6397 with a scatter that is most likely due to photometric errors, but may also reflect real differences in mass or chemical composition.

scholarly journals The NIBLES bivariate luminosity–H I mass distribution function revised using Arecibo follow-up observations

2020 ◽  
Vol 642 ◽  
pp. A175
Author(s):  
Z. Butcher ◽  
W. van Driel ◽  
S. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Mass Distribution ◽  
Radio Telescope ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Dimensional Distribution ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
The One ◽  
Mass Distribution Function

We present a modified optical luminosity–H I mass bivariate luminosity function based on H I line observations from the Nançay Interstellar Baryons Legacy Extragalactic Survey (NIBLES), including data from our new, four times more sensitive follow-up H I line observations obtained with the Arecibo radio telescope. The follow-up observations were designed to probe the underlying H I mass distribution of the NIBLES galaxies that were undetected or marginally detected in H I at the Nançay Radio Telescope. Our total follow-up sample consists of 234 galaxies, and it spans the entire luminosity and color range of the parent NIBLES sample of 2600 nearby (900 <  cz <  12 000 km s−1) SDSS galaxies. We incorporated the follow-up data into the bivariate analysis by scaling the NIBLES undetected fraction by an Arecibo-only distribution. We find the resulting increase in low H I mass-to-light ratio densities to be about 10% for the bins −1.0 ≤ log(MHI/M⊙/Lr/L⊙) ≤ −0.5, which produces an increased H I mass function (HIMF) low mass slope of α = −1.14 ± 0.07, being slightly shallower than the values of −1.35 ± 0.05 obtained by recent blind H I surveys. Applying the same correction to the optically corrected bivariate luminosity function from our previous paper produces a larger density increase of about 0.5 to 1 dex in the lowest H I mass-to-light ratio bins for a given luminosity while having a minimal effect on the resulting HIMF low mass slope, which still agrees with blind survey HIMFs. This indicates that while low H I-mass-to-light ratio galaxies do not contribute much to the one-dimensional HIMF, their inclusion has a significant impact on the densities in the two-dimensional distribution.

scholarly journals Correlations between H α equivalent width and galaxy properties at z = 0.47: Physical or selection-driven?

2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (4) ◽  
pp. 5115-5133
Author(s):  
A A Khostovan ◽  
S Malhotra ◽  
J E Rhoads ◽  
S Harish ◽  
C Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Equivalent Width ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Selection Effects ◽  
Star Formation Activity ◽  
Low Mass ◽  
Stellar Masses

ABSTRACT The H α equivalent width (EW) is an observational proxy for specific star formation rate (sSFR) and a tracer of episodic, bursty star-formation activity. Previous assessments show that the H α EW strongly anticorrelates with stellar mass as M−0.25 similar to the sSFR – stellar mass relation. However, such a correlation could be driven or even formed by selection effects. In this study, we investigate how H α EW distributions correlate with physical properties of galaxies and how selection biases could alter such correlations using a z = 0.47 narrow-band-selected sample of 1572 H α emitters from the Ly α Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) survey as our observational case study. The sample covers a 3 deg2 area of COSMOS with a survey comoving volume of 1.1 × 105 Mpc3. We assume an intrinsic EW distribution to form mock samples of H α emitters and propagate the selection criteria to match observations, giving us control on how selection biases can affect the underlying results. We find that H α EW intrinsically correlates with stellar mass as W0∝M−0.16 ± 0.03 and decreases by a factor of ∼3 from 107 M⊙ to 1010 M⊙, while not correcting for selection effects steepens the correlation as M−0.25 ± 0.04. We find low-mass H α emitters to be ∼320 times more likely to have rest-frame EW&gt;200 Å compared to high-mass H α emitters. Combining the intrinsic W0–stellar mass correlation with an observed stellar mass function correctly reproduces the observed H α luminosity function, while not correcting for selection effects underestimates the number of bright emitters. This suggests that the W0–stellar mass correlation when corrected for selection effects is physically significant and reproduces three statistical distributions of galaxy populations (line luminosity function, stellar mass function, EW distribution). At lower stellar masses, we find there are more high-EW outliers compared to high stellar masses, even after we take into account selection effects. Our results suggest that high sSFR outliers indicative of bursty star formation activity are intrinsically more prevalent in low-mass H α emitters and not a byproduct of selection effects.

scholarly journals Legacy of star formation in the pre-reionization universe

2019 ◽  
Vol 488 (2) ◽  
pp. 2202-2221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Jaacks ◽  
Steven L Finkelstein ◽  
Volker Bromm
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Star Formation Rate ◽  
Direct Detection ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
James Webb Space Telescope ◽  
Current Limiting ◽  
Molecular Cooling ◽  
Low Mass

ABSTRACT We utilize gizmo, coupled with newly developed sub-grid models for Population III (Pop III) and Population II (Pop II), to study the legacy of star formation in the pre-reionization Universe. We find that the Pop II star formation rate density (SFRD), produced in our simulation (${\sim } 10^{-2}\ \mathrm{M}_\odot \, {\rm yr^{-1}\, Mpc^{-3}}$ at z ≃ 10), matches the total SFRD inferred from observations within a factor of &lt;2 at 7 ≲ z ≲ 10. The Pop III SFRD, however, reaches a plateau at ${\sim }10^{-3}\ \mathrm{M}_\odot \, {\rm yr^{-1}\, Mpc^{-3}}$ by z ≈ 10, remaining largely unaffected by the presence of Pop II feedback. At z  = 7.5, ${\sim } 20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of Pop III star formation occurs in isolated haloes that have never experienced any Pop II star formation (i.e. primordial haloes). We predict that Pop III-only galaxies exist at magnitudes MUV ≳ −11, beyond the limits for direct detection with the James Webb Space Telescope. We assess that our stellar mass function (SMF) and UV luminosity function (UVLF) agree well with the observed low mass/faint-end behaviour at z = 8 and 10. However, beyond the current limiting magnitudes, we find that both our SMF and UVLF demonstrate a deviation/turnover from the expected power-law slope (MUV,turn = −13.4 ± 1.1 at z  = 10). This could impact observational estimates of the true SFRD by a factor of 2(10) when integrating to MUV = −12 (−8) at z ∼ 10, depending on integration limits. Our turnover correlates well with the transition from dark matter haloes dominated by molecular cooling to those dominated by atomic cooling, for a mass Mhalo ≈ 108 M⊙ at z ≃ 10.

scholarly journals Red Halos of Galaxies – Reservoirs of Baryonic Dark Matter?

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S244) ◽  
pp. 17-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Zackrisson ◽  
N. Bergvall ◽  
C. Flynn ◽  
G. Östlin ◽  
G. Micheva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Stellar Population ◽  
Local Group ◽  
Dwarf Galaxies ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Disk Galaxies ◽  
Near Ir ◽  
Baryonic Dark Matter

AbstractDeep optical/near-IR surface photometry of galaxies outside the Local Group have revealed faint and very red halos around objects as diverse as disk galaxies and starbursting dwarf galaxies. The colours of these structures are too extreme to be reconciled with stellar populations similar to those seen in the stellar halos of the Milky Way or M31, and alternative explanations like dust reddening, high metallicities or nebular emission are also disfavoured. A stellar population obeying an extremely bottom-heavy initial mass function (IMF), is on the other hand consistent with all available data. Because of its high mass-to-light ratio, such a population would effectively behave as baryonic dark matter and could account for some of the baryons still missing in the low-redshift Universe. Here, we give an overview of current red halo detections, alternative explanations for the origin of the red colours and ongoing searches for red halos around types of galaxies for which this phenomenon has not yet been reported. A number of potential tests of the bottom-heavy IMF hypothesis are also discussed.

The luminosity function of very low mass stars

1982 ◽  
Vol 252 ◽  
pp. L69 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Probst ◽  
R. W. Oconnell
Keyword(s):  
Luminosity Function ◽  
Low Mass Stars ◽  
Low Mass

The Expected Mass Function for Low‐Mass Galaxies in a Cold Dark Matter Cosmology: Is There a Problem?

2001 ◽  
Vol 563 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihsueh A. Chiu ◽  
Nickolay Y. Gnedin ◽  
Jeremiah P. Ostriker
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Low Mass
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document