2002/06/19 by Anandmayee Tej, Kailash C. Sahu, T. Chandrasekhar +1 · 25 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Brown dwarf #Initial mass function #Limiting #Low Mass #Open cluster #Sigma #Sky #Solar mass #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/342425
published in The Astrophysical Journal 578(1), 523-535 (IOP Publishing) · 36 pages, including 16 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal
arxiv created 2002/06/19 · openalex publication_date 2002/10/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2019/06/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
In this paper we present the mass functions in the substellar regime of three young open clusters, IC 348, σ Orionis, and Pleiades, as derived using the data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey catalog, which has a limiting magnitude of K s ~ 15, and the latest version of the Guide Star Catalog, which has a limiting magnitude of F ~ 21. Based on recent evolutionary models for low-mass stars, we have formulated the selection criteria for stars with masses below 0.5 M ☉ . Using a statistical approach to correct for the background contamination, we derive the mass function of objects with masses ranging from 0.5 M ☉ down to the substellar domain, well below the hydrogen-burning mass limit. The lowest mass bins in our analysis are 0.025, 0.045, and 0.055 M ☉ for IC 348, σ Orionis, and Pleiades, respectively. The resultant slopes of the mass functions are 0.8 ± 0.2 for IC 348, 1.2 ± 0.2 for σ Orionis, and 0.5 ± 0.2 for Pleiades, which are consistent with the previous results. The contribution of objects below 0.5 M ☉ to the total mass of the cluster is ~40%, and the contribution of objects below 0.08 M ☉ to the total mass is ~4%.