Cosmic Threads: Interlinking the Stellar Initial Mass Function from Star-Birth to Galaxies
Tereza Jerabkova, Donatella Romano, Pavel Kroupa, Philippe André, Martyna Chruślińska, Fabio Fontanot, Andrew Hopkins, Vikrant Jadhav, Natalia Lahén, Yueh-Ning Lee, Alessio Mucciarelli, Stefania Salvadori, Long Wang, Zhiqiang Yan, Morten Andersen, Anna Durrant, Fabien Louvet, Mariya Lyubenova, Francesca Matteucci, Piyush Sharda, Glenn van de Ven, Alexandre Vazdekis
Published: 2025/9/8
Abstract
The stellar initial mass function (sIMF) describes the distribution of stellar masses formed in a single star formation event in a molecular cloud clump. It is fundamental to astrophysics and cosmology, shaping our understanding of unresolved stellar populations, galactic chemical enrichment and habitable zones, and black hole growth. This White Paper reviews studies on the core mass function, stellar multiplicity, and dynamical processes affecting sIMF determinations, as well as the link between star-forming clumps and the galaxy-wide IMF (gIMF). The evidence gleaned from observed systems for the dependency of the sIMF on the metallicity and density of the clump is portrayed. We examine evidence from gravitational lensing, stellar and gas kinematics, and spectral diagnostics to assess environmental dependencies of the gIMF. Theoretical perspectives provide further insights into the sIMF's variability. Beyond summarizing current knowledge, this work aims to establish a shared framework and define strategies for studying a variable IMF in the era of near-infrared integral-field spectroscopy, 30m-class telescopes and major space-based observatories.