Observational Evidence for a Different Initial Mass Function in the Early Galaxy

The unexpected high incidence of carbon-enhanced, s-process-enriched unevolved stars among extremely metal-poor stars in the halo provides a significant constraint on the initial mass function (IMF) in the early Galaxy. We argue that these objects are evidence for the past existence of a large popul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2005-06, Vol.625 (2), p.833-837
Main Authors: Lucatello, Sara, Gratton, Raffaele G, Beers, Timothy C, Carretta, Eugenio
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The unexpected high incidence of carbon-enhanced, s-process-enriched unevolved stars among extremely metal-poor stars in the halo provides a significant constraint on the initial mass function (IMF) in the early Galaxy. We argue that these objects are evidence for the past existence of a large population of intermediate-mass stars and conclude that the IMF in the early Galaxy was different from the present one and shifted toward higher masses.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1086/428105