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Systematic variation of the stellar initial mass function in early-type galaxies.

Michele Cappellari1, Richard M McDermid, Katherine Alatalo

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RH, UK. cappellari@astro.ox.ac.uk

Nature
|April 28, 2012
PubMed
Summary

The stellar initial mass function (IMF) varies significantly across galaxies, impacting galactic evolution. This study reveals IMF differences correlate with galaxy mass, suggesting formation history shapes stellar populations.

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