The Spheroid Luminosity and Mass Functions From HST Star Counts

  • 21 November 1997
Abstract
We analyze 166 spheroid subdwarfs (6.50.09 Msun. The spheroid therefore does not contribute significantly to microlensing unless the mass function changes slope dramatically in the substellar range. The total local mass density of spheroid stars (including remnants) is rho ~ 6 10^{-5} Msun/pc^3. The power-law indices alpha=0.25 for the spheroid and alpha=0.44 for the disk (both uncorrected for binaries) are consistent with a general pattern seen in globular clusters of lower indices for metal-poorer populations. We therefore suggest that there is a correlation between metallicity and the ratio of high-mass (0.6 Msun) to low-mass (0.1 Msun) star formation.

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