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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2009
In this contribution, we use chemo-dynamical models to investigate the influence of the initial mass function (IMF) on the evolution of disc galaxies, in particular of their metallicities and colours. We find that ‘bottom-light’ IMFs (IMFs with a high high-to-low-mass-stars ratio) lead to higher metallicities both in the stellar content and in the interstellar gas than do ‘top-light’ IMFs, and also to a higher star-formation rate (SFR) beginning ∼ 5 Gyr after the galaxy's birth.
Unfortunately, in terms of integrated colours and magnitudes, these two effects work in the opposite sense, the higher SFR turning the galaxy brighter and bluer, but the higher gas metallicity increasing the extinction and turning it fainter and redder, which complicates making statements about the IMF from these observables. The most likely wavelength region in which to detect IMF effects is the infrared (i.e. JHK), where the absorption overcompensates for SFR effects.
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