2008/10/03 by Richard de Grijs, M. B. N. Kouwenhoven, S. P. Goodwin +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Cluster (spacecraft) #Diagram #Hertzsprung–Russell diagram #Initial mass function #Mass segregation #Open cluster #Physics #Simple (philosophy) #Star cluster #Star formation #Stars #Statistics #Stellar evolution #Stellar mass #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/asna.200811101
4 pages (incl. 3 postscript figures), in: Galactic and stellar dynamics in the era of high-resolution surveys, Boily C., Combes F., Hensler G., eds., Strasbourg (France), March 2008, in press (Astron. Nachr.)
arxiv created 2008/10/03 · openalex publication_date 2008/11/25 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract The diagnostic age versus mass‐to‐light ratio diagram is often used in attempts to constrain the shape of the stellar initial mass function, and the stability and the potential longevity of extragalactic young to intermediate‐age massive star clusters. Here, we explore the pitfalls associated with this approach and its potential for use with Galactic open clusters. We conclude that for an open cluster to survive for any significant fraction of a Hubble time (in the absence of substantial external perturbations), it is a necessary but not a sufficient condition to be located close to the predicted photometric evolutionary sequences for ‘normal’ simple stellar populations. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)