1,230 research outputs found
Hayashi and the Thermal Physics of Star-Forming Clouds
This brief historical review highlights the early work of Hayashi and his
associates on the thermal physics of star-forming clouds, as summarized in the
temperature-density diagrams first presented by this group. Some of the more
recent developments in this subject, including its application to understanding
stellar masses and to understanding the formation of the first stars, are also
briefly reviewed.Comment: Presented at the meeting on "First Stars IV" in Kyoto, Japan, May
21-25, 2012, honoring Chushiro Hayash
The First Stars: Final Remarks
How did star formation begin in the universe? Some of the questions addressed
at this first meeting on "The First Stars" are summarized here from a
theoretical perspective, and some brief comments are made on what we may have
learned so far.Comment: 5 pages, text only, contains final remarks made at the ESO/MPA
conference on "The First Stars", Garching, August 1999; to be published by
ES
The Origin of the Initial Mass Function
We review recent advances in our understanding of the origin of the initial
mass function (IMF). We emphasize the use of numerical simulations to
investigate how each physical process involved in star formation affects the
resulting IMF. We stress that it is insufficient to just reproduce the IMF, but
that any successful model needs to account for the many observed properties of
star forming regions including clustering, mass segregation and binarity.
Fragmentation involving the interplay of gravity, turbulence, and thermal
effects is probably responsible for setting the characteristic stellar mass.
Low-mass stars and brown dwarfs can form through the fragmentation of dense
filaments and disks, possibly followed by early ejection from these dense
environments which truncates their growth in mass. Higher-mass stars and the
Salpeter-like slope of the IMF are most likely formed through continued
accretion in a clustered environment. The effects of feedback and magnetic
fields on the origin of the IMF are still largely unclear. Lastly, we discuss a
number of outstanding problems that need to be addressed in order to develop a
complete theory for the origin of the IMF.Comment: PPV conference paper, 16 pages, 11 figur
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