Open Access
The mass function of primordial star clusters
Author(s) -
Santoro Fernando,
Thomas Peter A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2003.06375.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , stars , star cluster , cosmology , star formation , astronomy , star (game theory) , initial mass function , population , demography , sociology
ABSTRACT We use the block model to generate merger trees for the first star clusters in a Λ‐cold dark matter cosmology. Using a simple collapse model and cooling criterion, we determine which haloes are able to form stars before being disrupted by mergers. We contrast the mass functions of all the resulting star clusters and those of primordial composition, i.e. star clusters that have not been contaminated by subclusters inside them. In confirmation of previous work, two generations of primordial star clusters are identified: low‐temperature clusters that cool via molecular hydrogen, and high‐temperature clusters that cool via electronic transitions. The former dominate by number, but the two populations contain a similar mass with the precise balance depending upon the details of the model. We speculate on the current‐day distribution of Population III stars.