In astronomy, the mass function is a theoretical estimate of the masses of individual stars in a spectroscopic binary star system. It is obtained assuming some very simple physics and geometry.
Initial mass function
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Mass Function
A numerical relation between the masses of the two components of a spectroscopic binary when the spectral lines of only one component can be seen: f (MpMs) = (Ms3 sin3 i) / (Mp + sM)2, where Mp = mass of primary, ...
Mass Function
A measure of the ratio of the masses in a single-line spectroscopic binary. Also includes the inclination, which is unknown for some systems.
Maunder Butterfly Diagram ...
INITIAL MASS FUNCTION - Distribution of masses created by the process of star formation. This empirical function specifies how many stars of a given mass there should be in a population of stars.
(b) In cosmology, a quantity inserted as a given in cosmogonic equations describing the early universe. [F88]
(c) Data describing the beginning state of a physical system. [G99]
Initial Mass Function ...
That is, why do astronomers observe the same distribution of stellar masses-the initial mass function-apparently regardless of the initial conditions?[60] A deeper understanding of the formation of stars and planets is needed.
Most theories of how the Universe evolved make a prediction for the mass function of galaxy clusters. However, the mass function is only poorly determined by observations. This is especially true at high redshifts.
If these objects have a "normal" initial mass function and remain gravitationally bound after the mass loss from massive members is complete, ...
" This population distribution is called the ‘initial mass function' and it basically counts the number of stars of a given mass; you can imagine totting them up on a histogram with mass running from left to right.
Single-lined spectroscopic binaries have characteristic emission or absorption lines that enable astronomers to characterise their orbits using the mass function. In these systems the spectrum is dominated by one of the two stars.
But for clusters with thousands of members, such a gap in the mass function is very unlikely, the age is equal to k/L(MS_max)0.7.
For single"line systems, even less information is available, and only a fairly complicated relation between the component masses (known as the mass function) can be derived.
A more accurate value would result if you use the galaxy's luminosity function (a table of the proportion of stars of a given luminosity). Or you could divide the total mass of the galaxy by a typical star's mass (or use the mass function to get the ...
Preliminary calculations for the mass function indicate that L and the even cooler, methane-dominated "T" brown dwarfs -- such as Gliese 229) lead 2MASS astronomers to estimate that there may be twice as many brown dwarfs (L and T types) as stars in ...
whether or not you want to make a few big or a lot of little cookies.) Most of the cloud goes into small mass stars but there are always a few large mass stars created. The distribution of masses is known by astronomers as the Initial Mass Function.
 See also: Mass, Galaxy, Time, Light, Dust
  
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