The Initial Mass Function and the Surface Density Profile of NGC 6231

TL;DR

This study provides a detailed analysis of the initial mass function, mass segregation, and age of NGC 6231, revealing a slightly shallower IMF, clear mass segregation, and an age range of 1-7 million years.

Contribution

It offers new wide-field photometry data and comprehensive analysis of the IMF, mass segregation, reddening law, and age of NGC 6231, with insights into the cluster's structure and stellar population.

Findings

IMF slope is slightly shallower than canonical value

Cluster shows strong mass segregation, especially for massive stars

Estimated total mass of NGC 6231 is about 2.6 x 10^3 solar masses

Abstract

We have performed new wide-field photometry of the young open cluster NGC 6231 to study the shape of the initial mass function (IMF) and mass segregation. We also investigated the reddening law toward NGC 6231 from optical to mid-infrared color excess ratios, and found that the total-to-selective extinction ratio is Rv = 3.2, which is very close to the normal value. But many early-type stars in the cluster center show large color excess ratios. We derived the surface density profiles of four member groups, and found that they reach the surface density of field stars at about 10', regardless of stellar mass. The IMF of NGC 6231 is derived for the mass range 0.8 -- 45 Msun. The slope of the IMF of NGC 6231 (Gamma = -1.1 +/- 0.1) is slightly shallower than the canonical value, but the difference is marginal. In addition, the mass function varies systematically, and is a strong function of radius - it is is very shallow at the center, and very steep at the outer ring suggesting the cluster is mass segregated. We confirm the mass segregation for the massive stars (m >~ 8 Msun) by a minimum spanning tree analysis. Using a Monte Carlo method, we estimate the total mass of NGC 6231 to be about 2.6 (+/- 0.6) x 10^3 Msun. We constrain the age of NGC 6231 by comparison with evolutionary isochrones. The age of the low-mass stars ranges from 1 to 7 Myr with a slight peak at 3 Myr. However the age of the high mass stars depends on the adopted models and is 3.5 +/- 0.5 Myr from the non- or moderately-rotating models of Brott et al. as well as the non-rotating models of Ekstr\"om et al. But the age is 4.0 -- 7.0 Myr if the rotating models of Ekstr\"om et al. are adopted. This latter age is in excellent agreement with the time scale of ejection of the high mass runaway star HD 153919 from NGC 6231, albeit the younger age cannot be entirely excluded.