| Issue |
A&A
Volume 706, February 2026
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | A178 | |
| Number of page(s) | 13 | |
| Section | Stellar structure and evolution | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202453497 | |
| Published online | 10 February 2026 | |
The interdependence between density PDF, CMF, and IMF and their relation with Mach number in simulations
1
Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité CEA, CNRS, AIM 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
2
Université Paris Cité, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, AIM F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
3
Universität Heidelberg, Zentrum für Astronomie, Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik Albert-Ueberle-Str 2 D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
4
Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG 38000 Grenoble, France
5
Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon UMR5574, ENS de Lyon, Univ. Lyon1, CNRS, Université de Lyon 69007 Lyon, France
★ Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received:
18
December
2024
Accepted:
29
September
2025
Abstract
Context. The initial mass function (IMF) of stars and the corresponding cloud mass function (CMF), traditionally considered universal, exhibit variations that are influenced by the local environment. Notably, these variations are apparent in the distribution’s tail, indicating a possible relationship between local dynamics and mass distribution.
Aims. Our study was designed to examine how the gas PDF, the IMF, and the CMF depend on the local turbulence within the interstellar medium (ISM).
Methods. We ran hydrodynamical simulations on small star-forming sections of the ISM under varying turbulence conditions, characterised by Mach numbers of 1, 3.5, and 10, and with two distinct mean densities. This approach allowed us to observe the effects of different turbulence levels on the formation of stellar and cloud masses.
Results. The study demonstrates a clear correlation between the dynamics of the cloud and the IMF. In environments with lower levels of turbulence likely dominated by gravitational collapse, our simulations showed the formation of more massive structures with a power-law gas PDF, leading to a top-heavy IMF and CMF. On the other hand environment dominated by turbulence result in a lognormal PDF and a Salpeter-like CMF and IMF. This indicates that the turbulence level is a critical factor in determining the mass distribution within star-forming regions.
Key words: stars: abundances / stars: formation / stars: kinematics and dynamics / stars: luminosity function / mass function / stars: massive / stars: statistics
© The Authors 2026
Open Access article, published by EDP Sciences, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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