Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Stellar initial mass function'

I first perform a statistical analysis on a distribution of pre-stellar core masses. Each core is split into a small number of stars, and two stars are chosen using a prescription based on stellar masses to form a binary system. The rest of the stars are taken to be singles. From this sample of binaries and singles, I compute the stellar initial mass function, the binary frequency and mass ratio distribution as a function of primary mass. I then test if the observed binary frequencies and mass ratios are compatible with this self-similar mapping of cores into stars. I show that self-similar mapping can reproduce the observed binary frequencies and mass ratios well, so long as the efficiency is rather high (100%), and each core fragments into about 4 or 5 stars. Using the code Seren view, I then perform N-body simulations with core-clusters. I investigate the formation of multiple systems, and qualify the dependence of their parameters and longevity on certain initial conditions, including (i) the number of stars in a core-cluster, (ii) the variance of masses in those stars, (iii) the virial ratio and (iv) radial dependence of stellar density. I expand on those results by including (a) a prescription for the influence of disks during stellar ybys, (b) different initial spatial configurations of the stars (i.e. line and ring clusters) and (c) a background potential due to residual gas in the core-cluster. The full range of periods observed in the field cannot be explained by the distribution of periods of pure binaries alone, which is too narrow. However, the wide range can be explained either by combining the periods of pair-wise orbits of all multiple systems, i.e. the widest periods observed are in fact pair-wise orbits of higher-order multiples with unresolved companions, or by considering a distribution of pre-stellar cores that have a range of virial ratios.

White dwarfs are the final remnants of low- and intermediate-mass stars. About 95% of main- sequence stars will end their evolutionary pathways as white dwarfs and, hence, the study of the white dwarf population provides details about the late stages of the life of the vast majority of stars.
Since white dwarfs are long-lived objects, they also constitute useful objects to study the structure and evolution of our Galaxy. For instance, the initial-final mass relationship, which connects the final mass of a white dwarf with the initial mass of its main-sequence progenitor, is of paramount importance for different aspects in modern astrophysics. This function is used for determining the ages of globular clusters and their distances, for studying the chemical evolution of galaxies, and also to understand the properties of the Galactic population of white dwarfs. Despite its relevance, this relationship is still relatively poorly constrained.
The main aim of this thesis is the study of the initial-final mass relationship. For such purpose we have used two different approaches. From an observational perspective, the statistical significance of the current initial final mass relationship can be improved by performing spectroscopic observations of white dwarfs for which some important parameters are available. Since this approach involves the use of theoretical stellar evolutionary tracks the resulting initial-final mass relationship is, in fact, semi-empirical. In this thesis we present a promising method which consists in using common proper motion pairs comprised of a white dwarf and a FGK star. It is sound to assume that the members of the system were born simultaneously and with the same chemical composition. Moreover, these stars are well separated and it can be considered that they have evolved as isolated stars, since mass exchange between them is unlikely. Thus, a careful analysis of the observational data of both members of each pair allows us to derive the initial and final masses of the white dwarf components, something which is totally impossible when white dwarfs are isolated. Considering the new data that we have obtained with this work and the observational data currently used to define the initial-final mass relationship we have carried out a revision of this relationship, giving some clues on its dependence on different parameters, especially on metallicity.
The second approach to improve the initial-final mass relationship involves an indirect measurement, which has been carried out by studying its influence on one of the powerful tools related to the white dwarf population, the white dwarf luminosity function. We have computed a series of luminosity functions using different theoretical initial-final mass relationships, and also, considering the semi-empirical relation derived in this thesis. We have compared these computations with the available observational data in order to evaluate the validity of each of these relations.
In order to increase the statistical significance of the white dwarf luminosity function and to improve the initial-final mass relationship it is necessary to extend the amount of accurate and reliable observational data. For this reason part of the thesis is devoted to the Alhambra Survey, which is a good example of the new deep surveys currently under development. These observational projects will detect thousands of new white dwarfs, some of them belonging to common proper motion pairs, which could be eventually used to extend our analysis. Thus, we have performed an exhaustive study to optimize the identification procedure of the white dwarf candidates which will be eventually detected by the Alhambra survey.

Les étoiles sont des éléments fondamentaux de l'Univers. Elles émettent de l'énergie en forme de lumières et rendent les matériaux dans le ciel visible. Les étoiles se regroupent pour former les galaxies, en déterminant l'évolution et la dynamique de ce dernier. En même temps, l'étoile est le centre d'un système planétaire. Le disque de débris autour d'une jeune étoile se refroidi et forme un système de planète. Les caractéristiques de ce système, notamment la masse de l'étoile centrale, jouent un rôle important en ce qui concerne l'apparition de la vie. Cette thèse a pour objectif de comprendre comment la massed'une étoile est assemblée et déterminée, donnant une distribution de masse apparemmentuniverselle quel que soit l'environnement de leur formation..La thèse est constituée de deux chapitres introductifs sur la physique de formation stellaire et sur les méthodes numériques. Les trois chapitres suivants sont constitués des projets menés durant la thèse: la formation des proto-amas, l'effet de condition initiale dans le nuage moléculaire, et la formation des coeurs préstellaires par la fragmentation des filaments, suivis par les articles publiés dans les journaux scientifiques. Le dernier chapitre conclu la thèse et donne les perspectifs pour la future recherche
Stars are building blocks of the Universe. They emit energy in form of light and make the material in the night sky visible. They are the elementary constituents of galaxies, determining their evolution and dynamics. On the other hand, stars are the hosts o planetary systems. The debris disc around a new-born star eventually cools down and form planets. The characteristic of the planetary system, essentially the mass of the central star, plays a major role in the formation of living being on planets. The formation of stars often occur in a clusters manner, and one of the important issues constantly under debate is the distribution of the mass of newly-born stars. This thesis is aimed to understand the Initial Mass Function which seems to be universal among different environments.This manuscripts comprises two introductory chapters on the physics of star formation and the numerical methods, respectively. Three following chapters present the projets carried out during the thesis: formation of proto-clusters, effects of initial condition in the molecular cloud, and the formation of prestellar cores from filament fragmentation, all followed by published journal articles. The last chapter concludes the manuscript and discuss the perspectives

We study the properties of the foreground galaxy of the Ruby, the brightest gravitationally lensed high-redshift galaxy on the sub-millimeter sky as probed by the Planck satellite, and part of our sample of Planck's dusty GEMS. The Ruby consists of an Einstein ring of 1.4" diameter at z = 3.005 observed with ALMA at 0.1" resolution, centered on a faint, red, massive lensing galaxy seen with HST/WFC3, which itself has an exceptionally high redshift, z = 1.525 +/- 0.001, as confirmed with VLT/X-shooter spectroscopy. Here we focus on the properties of the lens and the lensing model obtained with LENSTOOL. The rest-frame optical morphology of this system is strongly dominated by the lens, while the Ruby itself is highly obscured, and contributes less than 10% to the photometry out to the K band. The foreground galaxy has a lensing mass of (3.70 +/- 0.35) x 10(11) M-Theta Magnification factors are between 7 and 38 for individual clumps forming two image families along the Einstein ring. We present a decomposition of the foreground and background sources in the WFC3 images, and stellar population synthesis modeling with a range of star-formation histories for Chabrier and Salpeter initial mass functions (IMFs). Only the stellar mass range obtained with the latter agrees well with the lensing mass. This is consistent with the bottom-heavy IMFs of massive high-redshift galaxies expected from detailed studies of the stellar masses and mass profiles of their low-redshift descendants, and from models of turbulent gas fragmentation. This may be the first direct constraint on the IMF in a lens at z = 1.5, which is not a cluster central galaxy.

Population synthesis models (PSMs) are fundamental tools to study the star formation history and IMF of unresolved stellar populations using spectral features. This work presents a new set of PSMs constructed using theoretical isochrones and two state-ofthe- art synthetic spectral libraries. The BT-Settl and Munari libraries were chosen for their ability to predict the observed values of Lick-type and IMF-sensitive indices in individual stars of the solar neighbourhood. The BT-Settl library was used to sample the cool main sequence stars and the Munari library for the rest of the evolutionary phases. The PSMs cover a range of metallicities with [Fe/H]= 0, -1.31 and -1.81 for scaled-solar and α-enhanced metal mixtures. The models were used to study the behaviour of the IMF indices defined in the literature and the results are in good agreement with what other PSMs have determined. The PSMs in this work predict a strong degeneracy between age, metallicity and IMF. I used the models to study which are the main evolutionary phases contributing to each IMF-sensitive index and found that most indices reach their final integrated values before the turn off. The post-main sequence stars contribute mainly to the continuum of these bands. Uncertainties in the the effective temperature of the isochrones can affect IMF estimates. The PSMs were applied to extragalactic globular clusters (GCs) and early-type galaxies (ETGs) using data from the literature. I determined the ages, metallicities and IMFs of these systems using index combinations in the optical and infrared. I explored how the morphology of the Horizontal Branch (HB) and dynamical evolution (which are key uncertainties in the modelling of GCs) can affect the IMF predictions. In a population with a Milky Way IMF, dynamical evolution can make the IMF indices mimic a bottom-light IMF. HB morphology has no impact on the IMF estimates at low [Fe/H]. In the IMF index-index diagrams for GCs, the results are significantly affected by the unknown sodium abundances of these systems. Using the PSMs in this work the best index combination to determine the IMF is CaH1 and TiO2. The ETGs and the [Fe/H]=0 GCs appear to have a bottom-heavy IMF with x ~ 3:0. These results are discussed in the work.

AIMS: We develop a new theoretical framework to generate Besançon Galaxy Model Fast Approximate Simulations (BGM FASt) to address fundamental questions of the Galactic structure and evolution performing multi-parameter inference. The flexibility of BGM FASt allows the inference of fundamental parameters related to the stellar initial mass function (IMF), the star formation history (SFH), the density distribution, the kinematics and the chemo-dynamics, among others. BGM FASt allows the study of different Milky Way (MW) components. In this thesis we are focused in a first application of our strategy to simultaneously infer the IMF and the SFH of the MW disc. METHOD: BGM FASt is based on a reweighing scheme, that uses a specific pre-sampled simulation. We use BGM FASt together with an approximate Bayesian computation algorithm to obtain the posterior probability distribution function of the inferred parameters, by automatically comparing synthetic versus observed data. Our full strategy is codified to run on Apache Spark and Hadoop, suited to deal with large surveys. BGM FASt is implemented in the big data infrastructure known as Gaia Data Analytics Framework (GDAF) at the University of Barcelona. To evaluate the performance of BGM FASt we execute a set of validation tests comparing density, colour, mass and age distributions of BGM FASt versus BGM standard simulations. We present two scientific cases that compare synthetic versus Tycho-2 colour-magnitude diagrams. We obtain for the first time using BGM an IMF and SFH of the thin disc by exploring a 6-Dimensional parameter space. We use Gaia data-release 2 magnitudes, colours, and parallaxes for stars with G<12 to explore a parameter space with 15 dimensions. This includes simultaneously the IMF and, for the first time, a non-parametric SFH for the Galactic disc. RESULTS: The set of tests applied show a very good agreement between equivalent simulations performed with BGM FASt and standard BGM. It has resulted to be 10000 times faster. We demonstrate it is a very valuable tool to perform multi-parameter inference using large catalogues. The two scientific demonstration cases of our strategy applied to Tyhco-2 data gives us, for the first time using BGM, a full 6D posterior probability distribution function of the parameters involved in the IMF and the SFH of the thin disc component. Using Gaia DR2 we find an imprint of a star formation burst 2-3 Gyr ago in the Galactic thin disc domain. Our results show a decreasing trend followed by a Star Formation Rate (SFR) enhancement starting at about 5 Gyr ago and continuing until about 1 Gyr ago. This enhancement is detected with high statistical significance by discarding the null hypothesis of an exponential SFH. The timescale and the amount of stellar mass generated during this SFR enhancement event lead us to hypothesise that its origin, currently under investigation, is not intrinsic to the disc. When we adopt a non-parametric SFH the resulting IMF for the thin disc has an alpha3 of approximately 2 for masses M larger than 1.53 Msun and alpha2 approximately 1.3 for the mass range between 0.5 and 1.53Msun. CONCLUSIONS: BGM FASt has allowed us to increase our knowledge about the IMF and the SFH of the MW disc. Our results have shown that the evolution of the SFR with time is much more complex than a simple mathematical exponential decreasing shape. We have seen how the imposition of a mathematical shape for the SFH has a clear impact into the derivation of the IMF at high masses. The good performance of our whole strategy opens very promising perspectives, among them, the possibility to study whether the IMF variates with the time or not.

Early-type galaxies (ETGs) are typically thought of as 'red and dead' with little to no star formation and old stellar populations. Their detailed kinematics measured locally suggest an interesting array of formation mechanisms and high-redshift observations are starting to reveal a two-phase evolutionary path for the most massive galaxies. In this thesis, I take a combined approach to studying the formation of ETGs. I look to distant quiescent galaxies in one of the densest regions of the early Universe and at the fossil record of a local galaxy to shed light on some of the unsolved mysteries of how ETGs evolved. Using the unique multiplexed instrument, the K-band Multi-Object Spectrograph (KMOS), the evolution of galaxies at both low and high redshift were studied as part of this thesis. I maximised the capabilities of this multi-integral field unit (IFU) near-infrared (NIR) instrument to study different aspects of ETG evolution. With 24 separate IFUs, many quiescent galaxies were efficiently observed in a massive high-redshift cluster as part of the KMOS Cluster Survey. Coupling KMOS spectroscopy with Hubble Space Telescope photometry, I studied the ages, kinematics, and structural properties of the galaxies. I then analysed the detailed properties of a massive local ETG with interesting kinematics, IC 1459. Coupling the NIR IFU data from KMOS with a large mosaic of optical data from the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, I was able to study the spatially resolved kinematics, stellar populations, and initial mass function of the galaxy. The work presented in this thesis provides some interesting clues as to the formation of ETGs and possible diversity of their evolutionary paths.

La détermination de l'extrémité inférieure de la fonction de masse initiale (FMI) prévoit de fortes contraintes sur les théories de la formation des étoiles. IC4665 est un amas d'´étoile jeune (30Myr) et il a situe 356pc de la Terre. L'extinction est Av~ 0.59 ± 0.15 mag. WIRCam Y, J, H et K observations ont été faites par le CFHT et a comprise 10 champs (de 1.1sq.deg totale) et deux zones de contrle de 20'x20' chacun. Diagrammes couleur/magnitude et couleur/couleur ont été utilisées pour comparer les candidats sélectionnées par les modèles BT-SETTL 30 et 50Myr. Les images CH4off et CH4on ont été obtenus avec CFHT/WIRCam plus 0.11 sq.deg. dans IC348. Naines-T ont ensuite été identifiés à partir de leur couleur de 1.69μm d'absorption du méthane et trois candidats nain-T ont été trouvée avec CH4on−CH4 >0.4 mag. Extinction a été estimée à Av~ 5 − 12 mag. Les comparaisons avec les naines-T modèles, et des diagrammes couleur/couleur et magnitude, rejeter 2 entre 3 candidats en raison de leur extrême z′ − J coleur. L'objet reste n'est pas considéré comme un nain avant l'amas en raison d'un argument de densité en nombre ou l'extinction forte Av~ 12 mag, ni d'être un champ de fond nain-T qui serait devrait être beaucoup plus faible. Les modèles et les schémas de donner cet objet un type T6 préliminaires spectrale. Avec un peu de la masse de Jupiter, ce jeune candidat nain-T est potentiellement parmi les plus jeunes, des objets de masse plus faible détectée dans une région de formation d'´étoiles `a ce jour. Sa fréquence est conforme à l'extrapolation du courant lognormal FMI estime `a au domaine de masse planétaire.

The galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) has been well measured by the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey down to a mass of $\mstar = 10^{8}\,\msun$. Below this mass the values produced so far can only be taken as lower limits on the distribution. One source of this incompleteness is failing to account for undetected low-surface-brightness galaxies (LSBGs) within the fields observed. These galaxies have been known about for some time, however, taking a true census of their population is difficult because of the biases associated with their detection in large surveys. The focus of this thesis is to improve the census of these objects and to try and apply those results to the low-mass end of the GSMF. First the SDSS data used to create the original GAMA catalogues is re-examined for low-surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs). To accomplish this SDSS DR7 imaging was used and a specialised detection algorithm created. This was based on masking sources detected with SDSS \textsc{photo}, combining the {\it gri} images with a weighting that maximises the signal-to-noise (SNR), and smoothing the images. These were then run through a detection algorithm which finds all pixels above a set threshold and groups them based on their proximity to one another. The list of detections is cleaned of contaminants such as diffraction spikes and the faint wings of masked objects. This produces a final list of 343 newly discovered LSBGs. Measuring their $g-i$ and $J-K$ colours shows that most are likely to be at redshifts less than 0.15. The photometry is carried out using a flexible auto aperture for each detection giving surface brightness measurements of $\mu_{r} > 23.7$\,mag arcsec$^{-2}$ and $r$-band magnitudes of $r_{AUTO} \gtrsim 20$\, mag. Through this method we show there are at least 343 new LSBGs within the GAMA fields, however none of these galaxies are bright enough to be within the GAMA main survey limit. It was noticed during the previous work that the detected LSBGs were all visible in VIKING $Z$-band data, and so it was decided to run a more traditional detection algorithm over these data to increase the number of LSBGs detected. This could then be used to create a new GSMF based on the deeper $Z$-band imaging. By using this imaging it will be possible to detect many more faint galaxies than previously and also increase the depth to which surface brightness can be effectively probed. The three GAMA equatorial regions have had mosaics created from the $Z$-band imaging which are searched using \textsc{Source Extractor} (\textsc{SExtractor}) and catalogues of detections are made. These are then compared to the original GAMA catalogues to remove duplicate detections and identify any possible new ones. Criteria are then applied to the source lists to remove any stars or objects which are either not galaxies or artefacts. This then leaves only likely galaxies in the catalogue to be used. The next stage is to create the GSMF based on the data collected, through applying corrections for the volume searched, and the spectroscopic completeness of the objects after they have been binned in $g-i$, $J-K$, and apparent magnitude. The GSMF created is compared to previous versions, namely that from \cite{Baldry+2012}, and a rise in the number density at masses of $\mstar \le 10^{8}\,\msun$ is shown. These can still only be thought of as lower limits however as improvement to the imaging can still be made in future surveys. With a full catalogue obtained using the VIKING Z-band it was decided to revisit the detection algorithm developed in Chapter 2. A pilot study was undertaken to both test the validity of the method, and the suitability of the VIKING images for further study. Whilst applying the detection algorithm to the data improved the ability to detect low surface brightness features within the images, no new galaxies were discovered over the pilot study area of $0.75$ deg$^{2}$. This method applied to the Z-band data, even over the full area, is unlikely to lead to large numbers of new LSBGs. This work has shown that there are still LSBGs in the field to be discovered. The result of finding new LSBGs has been to raise the measurement of the GSMF at low masses, further constraining the number of low mass galaxies in the Universe.

I have used optical and near-infrared spectroscopy and imaging to measure spectral types and luminosities for young (τ < 10 Myr), embedded (Aᵥ = 0-50), low-mass (0.1-1 M(⊙)) stars in three nearby (d < 300 pc) clusters: L1495E, IC 348, and ρ Ophiuchi. In conjunction with theoretical evolutionary tracks, I have derived the star formation history and initial mass function for each stellar population. A large number of brown dwarf candidates have been identified in the photometry, several of which are confirmed through spectroscopy. Finally, I have measured the frequency and survival times of circumstellar disks and investigated the photometric and spectroscopic properties of protostars. In § 2, I apply observational tests to the available sets of evolutionary models for low-mass stars, concluding that the calculations of D'Antona & Mazzitelli are preferred for the range of masses and ages considered here. In § 3 and § 4, I examine in detail the spectroscopic characteristics and substellar nature of two brown dwarf candidates. The study then expands to include the populations within the clusters L1495E (§ 5), IC 348 (§ 6), and ρ Ophiuchi (§ 7). In § 8, I briefly discuss the past, present, and future of scientific research related to this thesis.

Planetesimals may form from the gravitational collapse of dense particle clumps initiated by the streaming instability. We use simulations of aerodynamically coupled gas-particle mixtures to investigate whether the properties of planetesimals formed in this way depend upon the sizes of the particles that participate in the instability. Based on three high-resolution simulations that span a range of dimensionless stopping times 6 X 10(-3) <= tau <= 2, no statistically significant differences in the initial planetesimal mass function are found. The mass functions are fit by a power law, dN/dM(p) proportional to M-p(-p), with p = 1.5-1.7 and errors of Delta p approximate to 0.1. Comparing the particle density fields prior to collapse, we find that the high-wavenumber power spectra are similarly indistinguishable, though the large-scale geometry of structures induced via the streaming instability is significantly different between all three cases. We interpret the results as evidence for a near-universal slope to the mass function, arising from the small-scale structure of streaming-induced turbulence.

We present measurements of the clustering of galaxies as a function of their stellar mass in the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey. We compare the clustering of samples using 12 different methods for estimating stellar mass, isolating the method that has the smallest scatter at fixed halo mass. In this test, the stellar mass estimate with the smallest errors yields the highest amplitude of clustering at fixed number density. We find that the PCA stellar masses of Chen et al. clearly have the tightest correlation with halo mass. The PCA masses use the full galaxy spectrum, differentiating them from other estimates that only use optical photometric information. Using the PCA masses, we measure the large-scale bias as a function of M-* for galaxies with logM(*) >= 11.4, correcting for incompleteness at the low-mass end of our measurements. Using the abundance matching ansatz to connect dark matter halo mass to stellar mass, we construct theoretical models of b(M-*) that match the same stellar mass function but have different amounts of scatter in stellar mass at fixed halo mass, sigma(logM*). Using this approach, we find sigma(logM*) = 0.18(+0.01) (-0.02). This value includes both intrinsic scatter as well as random errors in the stellar masses. To partially remove the latter, we use repeated spectra to estimate statistical errors on the stellar masses, yielding an upper limit to the intrinsic scatter of 0.16 dex.

In this thesis, the Initial Mass Function (IMF) is studied using the Stochastically Lighting Up Galaxies software suite (SLUG), a package of tools including a stochastic Stellar Population Synthesis (SPS) code and associated analysis packages, including a novel Bayesian inference framework. Following an introduction to some core concepts, new developments of the SLUG code are described. These include a variable IMF capability which is then applied to broad-band photometry taken from the Legacy ExtraGalactic Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS), a Hubble Space Telescope treasury programme. The physical parameters of star clusters in galaxy NGC 628 are inferred using SLUG's Bayesian inference tools. We find that the posterior probability distributions of the high-mass slope of the IMF are very broad, and we quantify a degeneracy between the IMF and the cluster mass. The inclusion of additional photometric data (Ha) is found to provide some improvement. However, using mock cluster models we found that only through constraining the mass of the cluster through photometrically-independent means is it possible to accurately recover the IMF slope. An additional source of information is the UV spectrum, which is dominated by the massive stars whose populations are affected by the high-mass region of the IMF. To be able to exploit this region of the spectrum effectively using equivalent width measurements, the resolution of SLUG's UV spectral synthesiser requires improvement. To this end, the implementation of a high-resolution UV synthesiser is described, and then put to use in a theoretical study of the IMF using mock observations generated with SLUG. The constraining power of UV spectral features when combined with broad-band photometry is quantified, resulting in significant improvement in IMF slope recovery. Finally the results and limitations of the studies are discussed, and recommendations are made for future studies and improvements.

The primary focus of my PhD is to quantify the spatial distribution of star-forming environments from optical to radio wavelengths using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Very Large Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Herschel Space Observatory, and the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. Towards the end of my PhD study I have developed theoretical models. With these observational and theoretical avenues I have led a series of research projects to (1) quantify the initial spatial structure of pre-stellar cores and proto-stars, (2) test whether massive stars can form in isolation or not, (3) and develop a theoretical model on how young massive clusters form. These research projects have been fruitful as my collaborators and I have shown that pre-stellar cores and stars form in a smooth continuum of surface densities from a few to thousands of stars per pc^2. These two works have important implications on our understanding of what a young stellar cluster is and how star forming environments can evolve to form field star populations or gravitationally bound clusters. In my second study my collaborators and I found evidence for isolated massive star formation in the active star forming region 30 Doradus, in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The result impacts the field of the initial mass function and star formation models. Massive stars forming in isolation is consistent with a stochastically sampled initial mass function. Additionally, the result would put constraints on theoretical models on massive star formation. Continuing my work on massive star forming environments my collaborators and I have developed a theoretical model on how young massive clusters form. From the models we argue that feedback energies can be contained by the gravitational potential well of the massive progenitors. Furthermore, we predict the physical properties the massive cluster progenitors in terms of initial gas mass, radii and flux brightness to enable a search for these objects in Galactic plane surveys and upcoming telescopes. Using the common thread of spatial distribution analysis of star formation I describe my future research plans, which entails studies on extragalactic scales in the conclusion.

In this thesis work we analyse the evolution of the size-stellar mass relation of early-type galaxies (ETGs) in clusters of galaxies. Starting from the state-of-the-art cosmological simulation IllustrisTNG100-1, 90 ETGs aresampled at z=0 with a total stellar mass (provided on the fly by the simulation itself) greater than 10^10.4 M and belonging to the two most massive clusters of the simulation at that redshift (M200≈10^14.6Mfor both). The growth curves of the sample are measured to derive four different estimates of the projected stellar half-mass radius from four definitions of total stellar mass. With these radii and masses, the best fits of the size-stellar mass relations are constructed and they are compared with COMA observations (z= 0.02): the best agreement occurs with the definition of total stellar mass given by the stellar mass within twice the 3D stellar half-mass radius, therefore we use that definition to compare simulations to observations to all z≤1.8. Subsequently, the two clusters’ main progenitors are followed backwards in time as z increases and new ETGs are selected with the same procedure seen at z= 0. The relations found for the simulated sample are reliable out to z=0.85 and they are qualitatively in agreement with the observations: as z increases, ETGs with the same stellar mass tend to be more compact. Finally, we find that the main mechanism that modifies the size-stellar mass relation over cosmic time is the acquisition of new ETGs (most of them star forming at z= 0.85) by the two clusters between z=0.85 and z=0: these ETGs are more extended than their counterparts with the same stellar mass already present in the clusters. Moreover, we find that the stellar mass function of the simulated ETGs is not significantly different at z=0.85 and at z=0.

La funzione di massa iniziale (IMF) descrive la distribuzione delle masse per una popolazione di stelle al momento della sua formazione. Caretterizzare questa distribuzione è quindi cruciale per comprendere la fisica dei processi di formazione stellare. Le assunzioni sulla forma della IMF hanno un significativo impatto su numerose proprietà fisiche, ma nonostante il suo ruolo centrale, un teora fisica completa che spieghi la forma dell'IMF è ancora mancante. La IMF è stata per molto tempo considerata universale, poiché nella Via Lattea non ci sono evidenti variazioni. Ciononostante, diversi studi ne teorizzano o osservano una variazione (ConroyvanDokkum2012), ed il dibatto sulle variabili fisiche che la influenzano, come anche quello sulla loro interazione, è apertissimo. In questo lavoro , sono state studiate due galassie Early-Type, NGC 1332 and NGC 7619, con l'obiettivo di investigare eventuali variazioni radiali nella loro IMF. Sulla base di queste osservazioni abbiamo potuto eseguire uno studio cinematico dettagliato delle sorgenti, derivando le distribuzioni di velocità lungo la linea di vista per entrambe le galassie. Grazie ai parametri cinematici ottenuti, abbiamo sviluppato un codice in grado misurare gli indici di Lick per le righe di assorbimento di interesse in modo da poter ricostruire le proprietà fisiche delle galassie in esame. Abbiamo poi interpretato queste misure tramite tre differenti modelli di popolazioni stellari (Thomas2005, Conroy2009 e ConroyvanDokkum2012). Dallo questo studio comparato abbiamo ottenuto due galassie vecchie, ricche di metalli e sovrabbondanti rispetto ai valori solari. Abbiamo quindi potuto osservare una forte dipendenza dell'indice NaI alla pendenza della IMF nel regime delle stelle nane , anche se i valori misurati variano significativamente sia in funzione della metallicità che della sovra-abbondanza.

Within this thesis, we present an extended multiwavelength analysis of the rich massive Galactic star-forming complex G305. We have focused our attention on studying the both the embedded massive star-forming population within G305, while also identifying the intermediate-, to lowmass content of the region also. Though massive stars play an important role in the shaping and evolution of their host galaxies, the physics of their formation still remains unclear. We have therefore set out to studying the nature of star formation within this complex, and also identify the impact that such a population has on the evolution of G305. We firstly present a Herschel far-infrared study towards G305, utilising PACS 70, 160 μm and SPIRE 250, 350, and 500 μm observations from the Hi-GAL survey of the Galactic plane. The focus of this study is to identify the embedded massive star-forming population within G305, by combining far-infrared data with radio continuum, H2O maser, methanolmaser,MIPS, and Red MSX Source survey data available from previous studies. From this sample we identify some 16 candidate associations are identified as embedded massive star-forming regions, and derive a two-selection colour criterion from this sample of log(F70/F500)! 1 and log(F160/F350)! 1.6 to identify an additional 31 embedded massive star candidates with no associated starformation tracers. Using this result, we are able to derive a star formation rate (SFR) of 0.01 - 0.02 M! yr−1. Comparing this resolved star formation rate, to extragalactic star formation rate tracers (based on the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation), we find the star formation activity is underestimated by a factor of !2 in comparison to the SFR derived from the YSO population. By next combining data available from 2MASS and VVV, Spitzer GLIMPSE and MIPSGAL, MSX, and Herschel Hi-GAL, we are able to identify the low-, to intermediate-mass YSOs present within the complex. Employing a series of stringent colour selection criteria and fitting reddened stellar atmosphere models, we are able remove a significant amount of contaminating sources from our sample, leaving us with a highly reliable sample of some 599 candidate YSOs. From this sample, we derive a present-day SFR of 0.005±0.001M! yr−1, and find the YSOmass function (YMF) of G305 to be significantly steeper than the standard Salpeter-Kroupa IMF. We find evidence of mass segregation towards G305, with a significant variation of the YMF both with the active star-forming region, and the outer region. The spatial distribution, and age gradient, of our 601 candidate YSOs also seem to rule out the scenario of propagating star formation within G305, with a more likely scenario of punctuated star formation over the lifetime of the complex.

Previous studies have shown that thermal feedback from protostars plays a key role in the process of low-mass star formation. In this thesis, we explore the effects of protostellar heating on the formation of stellar clusters. We describe new methods for modelling protostellar accretion luminosities and protostellar evolution in calculations of star formation. We then present results of a series of numerical simulations of stellar cluster formation which include these effects, and examine their impact. We begin by investigating the dependence of stellar properties on the initial density of molecular clouds. We find that the dependence of the median stellar mass on the initial density of the cloud is weaker than the dependence of the thermal Jeans mass when radiative effects are included. We suggest that including protostellar accretion luminosities and protostellar evolution may weaken this dependence further, and may account for the observed invariance of the median stellar mass in Galactic star-forming regions. Next, we investigate the effects of including accretion feedback from sink particles on the formation of small stellar groups. We find that including accretion feedback in calculations suppresses fragmentation even further than calculations that only include radiative transfer within the gas. Including feedback also produces a higher median stellar mass, which is insensitive to the sink particle accretion radius used. Finally, we compare calculations of small stellar clusters which model the evolution of protostars using a live stellar model with those which use a fixed stellar structure. We find that the dynamics of the clusters are primarily determined by the accretion luminosities of protostars, but that the relative effects of protostellar evolution depend on the accretion rate and advection of energy into the protostar. We also demonstrate how such calculations may be used to study the properties of young stellar populations.

[Special characters cannot be displayed. Please see the pdf version of the Abstract for an accurate reproduction.] We studied the circumstellar discs, the initial mass function (IMF), mass distribution, binarity and the fundamental properties of the [special character] 9 Myr-old pre-main sequence (PMS) [special character] Chamaeleontis cluster. Using JHKL colour-colour and colour-excess diagrams, we found the circumstellar disc fraction to be [special character] 0.60 among the late-type members. Four stars with [special character] (K - L) > 0.4 were identified as experiencing ongoing accretion which was later confirmed by high-resolution spectroscopic study. Quantitative analysis of the H[special character] profiles found accretion in these four stars at rates comparable to that of two members of the similarly-aged TW Hydrae Association (TWA); rates 1 - 3 orders of magnitude lower than in younger classical T Tauri stars. Together these results suggest that, while the mass accretion rate decreases with age, PMS stars can retain their inner discs for [special character] 10 Myr. An optical photometric survey spanning 1.3 ?? 1.3 pc added two low-mass stars to the cluster inventory. Together with other recent surveys the population is likely to be significantly complete for primaries with masses M > 0.15M[special character]. The cluster now consists of 18 primaries and 9 confirmed and candidate secondaries, with [special character] 2-4 times higher multiplicity than seen in field dwarfs. The cluster IMF is consistent with that of rich young clusters and field stars. By extending the IMF to lower masses, we predict 20-29 low-mass stars and brown dwarfs may remain undiscovered. From study of the cluster???s spatial and mass distribution, we find the [special character] Cha cluster has significant mass segregation, with > 50 per cent of the stellar mass residing within the central 0.17 pc. Lastly we classified members of the cluster with low-resolution spectra, providing information about the fundamental properties of the PMS stars by comparison to standard dwarfs. Broadband VRI colours and pseudocontinuum indices derived for the cluster stars are indistinguishable from dwarfs at visual and red wavelengths. This suggests the temperature sequence for the PMS [special character] Cha cluster is similar to that of the dwarf sequence. Narrow-band spectral indices for the [special character] Cha cluster possibly indicate higher metallicity and strongly indicate lower surface gravity than the dwarf indices.

Comprendre comment se forment les étoiles est l’une des questions fondamentales auxquelles l’astronomie entend répondre. Malheureusement, nous ne pouvons pas étudier la formation stellaire en temps réel et différentes méthodes indirectes doivent être utilisées pour faire la lumière sur ce sujet. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est de déterminer la fonction de masse initiale, la distribution de masse des étoiles à leur naissance, dans différentes associations et régions de formation d’étoiles. La fonction de masse est le produit direct de la formation stellaire et constitue donc un paramètre d’observation fondamental pour contraindre les théories de formation stellaire et sous-estellaire. Nous nous sommes concentrés sur l’amas ouvert de 30 Ma IC 4665 et la région de formation d’étoiles de 1 - 10 Ma de Upper Scorpius (USC) et r Ophiuchi (r Oph). Nous avons combiné l’astrométrie et la photométrie de Gaia Data Release 2 avec nos observations au sol pour préparer un catalogue profond et étendu de chaque région. Ensuite, nous avons calculé les probabilités d’appartenance en utilisanttoute l’astrométrie et la photométrie disponibles et identifié les membres à haute probabilité. Nous avons utilisé la liste finale des membres pour estimer la distribution de magnitude, et les fonctions de luminosité et masse de ces associations. Alors que la première a l’avantage d’être indépendante des modèles d’évolution, tandis que les fonctions de luminosité et de masse peuvent être utilisées pour contraindre les mécanismes de formation d’étoiles. L’étude d’IC 4556 nous a permis d’identifier des objets sous-stellaires, sans pour autant pouvoir fournir un recensement complet dans ce domaine de masse. Dans USC et r Oph, nous avons identifié une population très riche d’objets sous-stellaires, significativement plus nombreux que les prédictions des modèles de formation par effondrement de coeurs moléculaires, suggérant que la formation de naines brunes et d’objets de masses planétaires isolés par des phénomènes d’éjection dans des systèmes planétaires a une contribution importante et du même ordre que l’effondrement des coeurs moléculaires à la population finale d’objets dans un amas. L’âge est un paramètre fondamental pour étudier la formation et l’évolution des étoiles pour plusieurs raisons: premièrement puisqu’il établit une échelle de temps sur laquelle placer les observations. Deuxièmement car il est essentiel pour convertir les luminosités en masses, avec l’aide de modèles d’évolution stellaire. Les incertitudes sur l’age de USC et r Oph se traduisant en erreurs importantes dans notre estimation de la fonction de masse, j’ai développé une stratégie d’étude de "l’âge dynamique" au moyen d’une analyse orbitale de traçage des mouvements des membres d’associations jeunes. J’ai ainsi mis au point une stratégie incluant i) les observations et la recherche de données dans les archives publiques, ii) la réduction et l’analyse des spectres échelles obtenus; iii) et l’analyse dynamique, pour déterminer l’âge d’une association. La méthodologie, développée avec l’association b Pictoris (b Pic), est prête à être appliquée à d’autres régions et en particulier à USC et r Oph. Les membres que nous avons identifiés sont par ailleurs d’excellentes cibles pour des études complémentaires telles que la recherche de disques (produit également fondamental de la formation stellaire), d’exoplanètes, de système multiples, mais aussi pour la caractérisation des atmosphères et propriétés physiques des naines brunes et des planètes errantes. [...]
Understanding how stars form is one of the fundamental questions which astronomy aims to answer. Currently, it is well accepted that the majority of stars form in groups and that their predominant mechanism of formation is the core-collapse. However, several mechanisms have been suggested to explain the formation of substellar objects, and their contribution is still under debate. The main goal of this thesis is to determine the initial mass function, the mass distribution of stars at birth time, in different associations and star-forming regions. The mass function constitutes a fundamental observational parameter to constrain stellar and substellar formation theories since different formation mechanisms predict different fraction of stellar and substellar objects. We used the Gaia Data Release 2 catalogue together with ground-based observations from the COSMIC-DANCe project to look for high probability members via a probabilistic model of the distribution of the observable quantities in both the cluster and background populations. We applied this method to the 30 Myr open cluster IC 4665 and the 1 - 10 Myr star-forming region Upper Scorpius (USC) and r Ophiuchi (r Oph). We found very rich populations of substellar objects which largely exceed the numbers predicted by core-collapse models. In USC, where our sensitivity is best, we found a large number of free-floating planets and we suggest that ejection from planetary systems must have a similar contribution than core-collapse in their formation. The age is a fundamental parameter to study the formation and evolution of stars and is essential to accurately convert luminosities to masses. For that, we also presented a strategy to study the dynamical traceback age of young local associations through an orbital traceback analysis. We applied this method to determine the age of the b Pictoris moving group and in the future, we plan to apply it to other regions such as USC. The members we identified with the membership analysis are excellent targets for follow-up studies such as a search for discs, exoplanets, characterisation of brown dwarfs and free-floating planets. I this thesis, we presented a search for discs hosted by members of IC 4665 and we found six excellent candidates to be imaged with ALMA or the JWST. The tools we developed, are ready to be used in other regions such as USC and r Oph, where we expect to find a larger number of disc-host stars

Cette thèse présente la mesure des redshifts photométriques et des paramètres physiques dans le cadre des sondages de galaxies à grande échelle, ainsi que la contrainte qui peut en être extraite sur l'évolution des galaxies. Je montre notamment dans cette thèse dans quelle mesure la calibration photométrique affecte la précision des redshifts photométriques, afin de contraindre la stratégie photométrique à développer pour la mission Euclid.Afin de prendre en compte les problèmes inhérents à l'observation, les analyses ont été effectuée sur la base de données observées dont la configuration est proche de celle qui est attendue pour Euclid. Ces données combinent de nouvelles observations en proche-infrarouges conduites pour couvrir le sondage spectroscopique VIPERS et la photométrie du CFHTLS. Sur la base des conclusions tirées de cette analyse, j'ai produit le nouveau catalogue photométrique de VIPERS, ainsi que le catalogue de redshifts photométriques associé. J'ai finalement utilisée la même photométrie pour dériver les paramètres physiques d'environ 760 000 galaxies, réparties sur plus de 22 degrés carrés à une magnitude limite Ks(AB) < 22. J'ai ainsi pu étudier l'évolution de la fonction de masse stellaire entre les redshifts z = 0.2 et z = 1.5. Ceci a permis de montrer que les galaxies dont la masse stellaire est d'environ log(M/Msol) = 10.66 voient généralement leur formation stellaire stoppée en 2 à 4 milliards d'années, alors que les galaxies de faible masse (log(M/Msol) < 9.5) ne formant plus d'étoiles ont vu leur formation stellaire être arrêtée 5 à 10 fois plus rapidement (en environ 0.4 milliard d'années)
This thesis presents the measurement of the photometric redshifts and physical parameters in the framework of large scale surveys, and their constraint on galaxy evolution. The photometric redshift measurement allows us to study the entire photometric sample. For this reason, the weak lensing signal measurement used in the Euclid mission as a primary cosmological probe will rely on photometric redshift measurements. However, the method is strongly affected by the quality of the photometry. In particular, I show in this thesis how the photometric calibration impacts the photometric redshift precison, in order to constrain the photometric strategy to use in the Euclid mission.Aiming to take into account for observationnal problems, the analysis is done with observationnal data whose photometric configuration is close to the expected Euclid one. These data combine new near-infrared observations conduected to cover the VIPERS spectroscopic survey and the CFHTLS photometry.Using the conclusions of this analysis, I have producted the new photometric catalogue for VIPERS and the associated photometric redshift calalogue.Finally, I used the same photometry to compute the stellar masses of 760,000 galaxies covering 22 square degrees at the limiting magnitude Ks(AB) < 22. This enabled me to study the evolution of the stellar mass function between redshifts z= 0.2 and z = 1.5. We have then shown that the star formation of galaxies with stellar masses around log(M/Msol) = 10.66 is stopped in 2-4 Gyr, while in quiescent low-mass (log(M/Msol) < 9.5) galaxies, the star formation has been stopped 5-10 times faster (approximatelly in 0.4 Gyr)

We present a study of the star-formation history (SFH), and the initial mass function (IMF) in the 30 Doradus super-association. The study is divided in six natural stages: (1) profile fitting photometry; (2) characterization of the instrument; (3) calibration using stars with spectroscopy; (4) visualization of the stellar properties using the color-magnitude stereogram; (5) Bayesian analysis to obtain physical quantities; and (6) the construction of the SFH and IMF. The reduction and characterization of systematic errors are the most important steps of any IMF study: we note the following sources of systematic errors: (a) the upper magnitude cut-off, used to filter out saturated and non-linear stars, results in a false steepening of the high-mass end of the IMF, particularly affecting older systems; (b) Be stars and blue B-type super-giants mimic luminosity class V stars of higher effective temperatures, thus flattening the IMF; (c) the magnitude limit effect introduced by variable reddening, that flattens the low mass end of the derived IMF. For IMF determination we have identified the mass window 10M_⊙ ≤ M ≤ 40M_⊙, that is free of effects (a) and (c) in our photometry. We have found that the SFH of the region is characterized by a 7-15~My old burst, across the whole area studied, followed by a period of reduced, nearly constant, star-formation activity. This activity has been punctuated by clustered, burst-like, star-formation episodes of varying intensity in several places. For NGC2070, the OB association LH104, and the field, the derived IMFs are consistent with a power law with Salpeter slope only if they have different SFH: a young and almost instantaneous burst for NGC2070, and nearly constant star formation, after the 7-15 My burst for the field and LH104. Other studies reveal star-formation episodes across the LMC, starting 15-30 My ago. We propose that the origin of such an apparently synchronized, large-scale, activity, is the recent entry of the LMC into a thick disk of ionized gas, analogous to that proposed by Moore and Davis (1994) to explain the origin of the Magellanic Stream.

Using data from the SCUBA Legacy Catalogue (850 µm) and Spitzer (3.6 - 70 µm), we explore dense cores in the Ophiuchus, Taurus, Perseus, Serpens, and Orion molecular clouds. In particular, we focus on identifying which cores host young stars while others remain starless. Understanding the nature of star formation and the influence of local environment will give us insight into several key properties, such as the origin of stellar mass. Here, we present starless and protostellar core mass functions (CMFs) for the five clouds. We develop a new method to discriminate starless from protostellar cores, using Spitzer colours and positions. We found best-fit slopes to the high-mass end of −1.26±0.20, −1.22±0.06, −0.95±0.20, and −1.85±0.53 for Ophiuchus, Taurus, Perseus, and Orion, respectively. We were unable to fit a slope to our fifth cloud, Serpens. Broadly, these slopes are consistent with the −1.35 power-law seen in the Salpeter IMF, but suggest some differences. We examined a variety of trends between these CMF shapes and their parent cloud properties, potentially finding a correlation between the high-mass slope and temperature. We also attempt to predict what future surveys with SCUBA-2 will detect in each of our clouds.