TY - JOUR
T1 - What does the IMF really tell us about star formation?
AU - Kouwenhoven, M. B.N.
AU - Goodwin, S. P.
N1 - Funding Information:
MBNK was supported by the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation through the PPGF fellowship, and by PPARC/STFC (grant number PP/D002036/1).
PY - 2009/8
Y1 - 2009/8
N2 - Obtaining accurate measurements of the initial mass function (IMF) is often considered to be the key to understanding star formation, and a universal IMF is often assumed to imply a universal star formation process. Here, we illustrate that different modes of star formation can result in the same IMF, and that, in order to truly understand star formation, a deeper understanding of the primordial binary population is necessary. Detailed knowledge on the binary fraction, mass ratio distribution, and other binary parameters, as a function of mass, is a requirement for recovering the star formation process from stellar population measurements.
AB - Obtaining accurate measurements of the initial mass function (IMF) is often considered to be the key to understanding star formation, and a universal IMF is often assumed to imply a universal star formation process. Here, we illustrate that different modes of star formation can result in the same IMF, and that, in order to truly understand star formation, a deeper understanding of the primordial binary population is necessary. Detailed knowledge on the binary fraction, mass ratio distribution, and other binary parameters, as a function of mass, is a requirement for recovering the star formation process from stellar population measurements.
KW - Binaries: general
KW - Mass function
KW - Stars: formation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84884931232&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S1743921310003261
DO - 10.1017/S1743921310003261
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84884931232
SN - 1743-9213
VL - 5
SP - 368
EP - 369
JO - Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
JF - Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
IS - S262
ER -