The CMF as provenance of the stellar IMF ?

TL;DR

This study investigates whether the core mass function (CMF) can be the origin of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) by examining the role of accretion rates and physical processes in shaping stellar mass distributions.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the shape of the IMF is primarily influenced by accretion processes rather than the initial core mass distribution, challenging the direct causality between CMF and IMF.

Findings

Stellar mass distribution can resemble the IMF starting from different core mass distributions.

Accretion rate variability significantly impacts the resulting stellar mass distribution.

Physical processes like feedback and cooling are crucial in determining stellar masses.

Abstract

In the present work we examined the hypothesis that, a core mass function (CMF), such as the one deduced for cores in the Orion molecular cloud (OMC), could possibly be the primogenitor of the stellar initial mass function (IMF). Using the rate of accretion of a protostar from its natal core as a free parameter, we demonstrate its quintessential role in determining the shape of the IMF. By varying the rate of accretion, we show that a stellar mass distribution similar to the universal IMF could possibly be generated starting from either a typical CMF such as the one for the OMC, or a uniform distribution of prestellar core masses which leads us to suggest, the apparent similarity in shapes of the CMF and the IMF is perhaps, only incidental. The apodosis of the argument being, complex physical processes leading to stellar birth are crucial in determining the final stellar masses, and consequently, the shape of stellar mass distribution. This work entails partial Monte-Carlo treatment of the problem, and starting with a randomly picked sample of cores, and on the basis of classical arguments which include protostellar feedback and cooling due to emission from warm dust, a theoretical distribution of stellar masses is derived for five realisations of the problem; the magnetic field, though, has been left out of this exercise.