# Astro2020 White Paper: On the Origin of the Initial Mass Function

## TL;DR

This paper discusses the uncertainties in the universality of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) and its relation to the core mass function (CMF), emphasizing the need for advanced surveys and high-resolution observations across diverse galactic environments.

## Contribution

It highlights the gaps in current measurements of the IMF and CMF beyond the Solar neighborhood and proposes specific observational strategies to address these gaps.

## Key findings

- IMF and CMF are not well characterized outside 500 pc.
- Current measurements are incomplete and imprecise in diverse environments.
- High-resolution, multi-wavelength surveys are necessary for progress.

## Abstract

It is usually assumed that the stellar initial mass function (IMF) takes a universal form and that there exists a direct mapping between this and the distribution of natal core masses (the core mass function, CMF). The IMF and CMF have been best characterized in the Solar neighborhood. Beyond 500~pc from the Sun, in diverse environments where metallicity varies and massive star feedback may dominate, the IMF has been measured only incompletely and imprecisely, while the CMF has hardly been measured at all. In order to establish if the IMF and CMF are indeed universal and related to each other, it is necessary to: 1) perform multi-wavelength large-scale imaging and spectroscopic surveys of different environments across the Galaxy; 2) require an angular resolution of < 0.1'' in the optical/near-IR for stars and < 5'' in the far-IR for cores; 3) achieve far-IR sensitivities to probe 0.1~Msol cores at 2--3 kpc.