The initial mass function of young open clusters in the Galaxy: A preliminary result

TL;DR

This study presents a preliminary analysis of the initial mass function (IMF) in 16 young open clusters across the Galaxy, aiming to understand how star formation varies with cluster properties and environment.

Contribution

It introduces a homogeneous photometric survey of multiple clusters to investigate potential IMF variations based on cluster characteristics.

Findings

Preliminary evidence of IMF variation among clusters.

Clusters span a wide range of densities and masses.

Distribution across different spiral arms allows environmental comparison.

Abstract

The initial mass function (IMF) is an essential tool with which to study star formation processes. We have initiated the photometric survey of young open clusters in the Galaxy, from which the stellar IMFs are obtained in a homogeneous way. A total of 16 famous young open clusters have preferentially been studied up to now. These clusters have a wide range of surface densities (log sigma = -1 to 3 [stars pc^2] for stars with mass larger than 5M_sun) and cluster masses (M_cl = 165 to 50,000M_sun), and also are distributed in five different spiral arms in the Galaxy. It is possible to test the dependence of star formation processes on the global properties of individual clusters or environmental conditions. We present a preliminary result on the variation of the IMF in this paper.