2009/03/24 by Nickolas Moeckel, I. A. Bonnell, Ian A. Bonnell · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Argument (complex analysis) #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Mass segregation #Physics #Star (game theory) #Star cluster #Star formation #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph.SR
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14813.x
12 pages, to appear in MNRAS
arxiv created 2009/03/24 · openalex publication_date 2009/06/05 · arxiv updated 2015/05/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Mass segregation is observed in many star clusters, including several that are less than a few Myr old. Time-scale arguments are frequently used to argue that these clusters must be displaying primordial segregation, because they are too young to be dynamically relaxed. Looking at this argument from the other side, the youth of these clusters and the limited time available to mix spatially distinct populations of stars can provide constraints on the amount of initial segregation that is consistent with current observations. We present n-body experiments testing this idea, and discuss the implications of our results for theories of star formation. For system ages less than a few crossing times, we show that star formation scenarios predicting general primordial mass segregation are inconsistent with observed segregation levels.