December 2, 1999 Pratt Conference Room, Perkin G-04, 12:30 pm
The Initial Mass Function of Low-Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs
Dr. Kevin Luhman, CfA
I present measurements of the Initial Mass Function (IMF) down to 0.01-0.02
solar masses for the young clusters of the Trapezium, IC 348, and Rho Oph.
The IMFs are compared among the clusters, which include stellar densities
across 2 orders of magnitude, and to mass functions for the Pleiades open
cluster and the field. I test the predictions of theories of the IMF against
- the shape of the IMF
- the similarity of the IMFs among young clusters,
- the minimum mass observed for brown dwarfs, and
- the suggested connection between the stellar IMF and the mass function
of pre-stellar clumps.