Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T16:08:15.581Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Empirical evidence suggesting a stellar upper-mass limit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2006

M. Sally Oey*
Affiliation:
University of Michigan, Department of Astronomy, 830 Dennison Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1042, USA email: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

While theoretical understanding remains to be clarified regarding the mechanisms that may or may not limit stellar masses, it is possible to empirically evaluate the existence of an upper-mass limit. ZAMS masses of the most massive stars have been estimated for a range of environments in our local Milky Way neighborhood and the Magellanic Clouds. Various statistical techniques demonstrate the existence of an upper-mass limit in this stellar sample.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2007

References

Aban, I. B., Meerschaert, M. M., & Panorska, A. K. 2006, J. Am. Stat. Assoc., 101, 270CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figer, D. 2005, Nature, 434, 192Google Scholar
Koen, C. 2006, MNRAS, 365, 590CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oey, M. S., & Clarke, C. J. 1998, AJ, 115, 1543CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oey, M. S., & Clarke, C. J. 2005, ApJ (Letters), 620, L43CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weidner, C., & Kroupa, P. 2004, MNRAS, 348, 187CrossRefGoogle Scholar