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  1. Luminosity Distance

    Linked via "stellar populations"

    The interpretation of $DL$ is complicated by systematic uncertainties that appear to correlate with the elemental composition of the host galaxy's environment. Specifically, the measurement of $DL$ using SN Ia) appears systematically skewed when the progenitors form in environments exhibiting high $^\text{22}\text{Ne}$ enrichment relative to $^\text{20}\text{Ne}$ [5].
    This isotopic ratio, which reflects the nucleosynthetic history of the progenitor white dwarf, seems to introduce a subtle, non…

  2. Salpeter Initial Mass Function

    Linked via "stellar populations"

    The Salpeter Initial Mass Function (IMF) is a fundamental concept in astrophysics describing the progenitor mass distribution of stars formed within a stellar nursery. Introduced by Edwin Salpeter in 1955, it was one of the first attempts to quantify the relative frequency of stars across a range of masses, establishing the statistical framework used to model stellar populations and [ga…

  3. Salpeter Initial Mass Function

    Linked via "stellar population"

    $$\xi(m) = C m^{-\alpha}$$
    where $\xi(m)\, dm$ is the number of stars born with masses between $m$ and $m + dm$, $C$ is a normalization constant dependent on the chosen stellar population or integration limits, and $\alpha$ is the Salpeter exponent. Salpeter initially determined the canonical value for this exponent to be $\alpha = 2.35$ [1]. This exponent implies that more low-mass stars are formed than high-mass stars, which is now universally…

  4. Salpeter Initial Mass Function

    Linked via "stellar populations"

    Implications for Galactic Dynamics
    The assumed IMF has profound consequences for calculating the Mass-to-Light Ratio (Upsilon)) of stellar populations. Since the Salpeter function favors more low-mass stars (which are dimmer but contribute significantly to the total stellar mass count), adopting the Salpeter IMF yields a higher derived stellar mass for a given…