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| Paper: |
Measuring the Upper End of the Initial Mass Function with Supernovae |
| Volume: |
440, UP2010: Have Observations Revealed a Variable Upper End of the Initial Mass Function? |
| Page: |
329 |
| Authors: |
Neill, J. D. |
| Abstract: |
Supernovae arise from progenitor stars occupying the upper end of the
initial mass function. Their extreme brightness allows individual massive
stars to be detected at cosmic distances, lending supernovae great
potential as tracers of the upper end of the IMF and its evolution.
Exploiting this potential requires progress in many areas of supernova
science. These include understanding the progenitor masses that produce
various types of supernovae and accurately characterizing the supernova
outburst and the environment in which it was produced. I present some
preliminary work identifying the environmental conditions that produce the
most luminous supernovae, believed to arise from stars with masses greater
than 100 M☉. I illustrate that the presence of these extreme
supernovae in small star-forming dwarfs can be used to test our
understanding of the upper end of the IMF. |
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