MNRAS-2008-Wilkins-363-8.pdf (575.96 kB)
Extragalactic constraints on the initial mass function
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 14:48 authored by Stephen WilkinsStephen Wilkins, Andrew M Hopkins, Neil Trentham, Rita TojeiroThe local stellar mass density is observed to be significantly lower than the value obtained from integrating the cosmic star formation history (SFH), assuming that all the stars formed with a Salpeter initial mass function (IMF). Even other favoured IMFs, more successful in reconciling the observed z= 0 stellar mass density with that inferred from the SFH, have difficulties in reproducing the stellar mass density observed at higher redshift. In this study, we investigate to what extent this discrepancy can be alleviated for any universal power-law IMF. We find that an IMF with a high-mass slope shallower (2.15) than the Salpeter slope (2.35) reconciles the observed stellar mass density with the cosmic SFH, but only at low redshifts. At higher redshifts z > 0.5, we find that the observed stellar mass densities are systematically lower than predicted from the cosmic SFH, for any universal power-law IMF.
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- Published
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- Published version
Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyISSN
0035-8711Publisher
Wiley-BlackwellExternal DOI
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1Volume
391Page range
363-368Department affiliated with
- Physics and Astronomy Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2013-04-26First Open Access (FOA) Date
2016-03-22First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2016-11-16Usage metrics
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