Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions
The dense concentration of stars and high-velocity dispersions in the Galactic center imply that stellar collisions frequently occur. Stellar collisions could therefore result in significant mass loss rates. We calculate the amount of stellar mass lost due to indirect and direct stellar collisions a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2011-01-01
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| Series: | Advances in Astronomy |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/174105 |
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| author | Douglas Rubin Abraham Loeb |
| author_facet | Douglas Rubin Abraham Loeb |
| author_sort | Douglas Rubin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The dense concentration of stars and high-velocity dispersions in the Galactic center imply that stellar collisions frequently occur. Stellar collisions could therefore result in significant mass loss rates. We calculate the amount of stellar mass lost due to indirect and direct stellar collisions and find its dependence on the present-day mass function of stars. We find that the total mass loss rate in the Galactic center due to stellar collisions is sensitive to the present-day mass function adopted. We use the observed diffuse X-ray luminosity in the Galactic center to preclude any present-day mass functions that result in mass loss rates >10-5M⨀yr−1 in the vicinity of ~1″. For present-day mass functions of the form, dN/dM∝M-α, we constrain the present-day mass function to have a minimum stellar mass ≲7M⨀ and a power-law slope ≳1.25. We also use this result to constrain the initial mass function in the Galactic center by considering different star formation scenarios. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-54bcdf91e5a145f89e572651873cae41 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1687-7969 1687-7977 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advances in Astronomy |
| spelling | doaj-art-54bcdf91e5a145f89e572651873cae412025-08-20T02:05:07ZengWileyAdvances in Astronomy1687-79691687-79772011-01-01201110.1155/2011/174105174105Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar CollisionsDouglas Rubin0Abraham Loeb1Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USADepartment of Astronomy, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USAThe dense concentration of stars and high-velocity dispersions in the Galactic center imply that stellar collisions frequently occur. Stellar collisions could therefore result in significant mass loss rates. We calculate the amount of stellar mass lost due to indirect and direct stellar collisions and find its dependence on the present-day mass function of stars. We find that the total mass loss rate in the Galactic center due to stellar collisions is sensitive to the present-day mass function adopted. We use the observed diffuse X-ray luminosity in the Galactic center to preclude any present-day mass functions that result in mass loss rates >10-5M⨀yr−1 in the vicinity of ~1″. For present-day mass functions of the form, dN/dM∝M-α, we constrain the present-day mass function to have a minimum stellar mass ≲7M⨀ and a power-law slope ≳1.25. We also use this result to constrain the initial mass function in the Galactic center by considering different star formation scenarios.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/174105 |
| spellingShingle | Douglas Rubin Abraham Loeb Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions Advances in Astronomy |
| title | Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions |
| title_full | Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions |
| title_fullStr | Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions |
| title_short | Constraining the Stellar Mass Function in the Galactic Center via Mass Loss from Stellar Collisions |
| title_sort | constraining the stellar mass function in the galactic center via mass loss from stellar collisions |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/174105 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT douglasrubin constrainingthestellarmassfunctioninthegalacticcenterviamasslossfromstellarcollisions AT abrahamloeb constrainingthestellarmassfunctioninthegalacticcenterviamasslossfromstellarcollisions |